Prevention against HEARTWORM and LYME Disease for my Doberman?

Question

hi, i have a 5 month old doberman, i am in india, i read in many websites that one needs to give ivermectin injection to prevent dogs against heartworm disease,

can you please let me know if someone had this injected to your pets, we do not have easy access to vets, since i am in a remote area, the vets here are more oriented towards cattle so they do not seem updated,

please someone suggest when it can be given and about the lyme vaccine,

thanks in advance for your help

Answer 1

to prevent heartworms it is not necessary to inject ivermectin. they do have oral heartworm prevention: heartgard, interceptor, and sentinel. to get these products all you need is a negative heartworm test and a prescription from your vet. although you can order these products online, it would be best to get them directly from your vet.

as far as lyme disease, you are in a location that has a high incidence of lyme disease so using the vaccine for your dog would be a good idea. your puppy is old enough for the lyme vaccine to be administered. usually the first dose is only 1 dose of the vaccine and then repeated annually.

also, invest in a good topical tick preventative. either frontline or advantix.

Answer 2

Ivermectin can be given for heartworm prevention and is fairly inexpensive. However, vets prefer heartworm medication like interceptor or revolution since longterm studies of ivermectin on the body's organs have not been tested. Also, dont plan on giving the Ivermectin as an injection, it will be easier on you and your dog to give it by mouth monthly. You will need to speak to your vet about an appropriate dosage. Its an off label use of the drug, so not all vets will give you a dose. Most feed stores will carry cattle ivermectin. Your dog can recieve the lymes vaccine at 4 months, about the same time as the Rabies vaccine. You will need to keep it up yearly to protect from lymes. Also, lyme disease comes from ticks, so a good flea/tick preventative like frontline is always important.

Answer 3

FIRST check carefully, I'm sure many of those websites are USA based and both of those diseases don't even exist in all of the US. I know heartworm is not known to exist in much of Europe and strongly suspect the same for Lyme. Its not much point is using preventatives for diseases that don't exist in your country! The Lyme vaccine isn't even recomended by my vet and we live in a lyme endemic area because the vaccine is not fully protective and has a high rate of bad reactions. Ivemecition is usually given orally for heatworm and the dose is MUCH lower than used for cattle - overdose can be fatal.

Answer 4

Hello there
It is a good thing that you are concerned about your dog. our duty as human beings is to look after them. Try to get your dog to a vet. Dont give him an injection but try and get heartworm tablets instead for your dog which should be given monthly.

Do not buy ivermectin and try and inject your dog yourself as that could be quite dangerous for your dog.

Try www.nuheart.com, an Australian company that I buy my prevention from. It is a very good product.

All the best and well done for wanting to look after your pet.

Kind regards

Answer 5

Since you don't have access to a vet, you can order them yourself.
You can buy Ivermectin and give it to your dog yourself. My Dad orders his from this company. It says cattle/swine but it can be given to dogs . You just have to use smaller doses. My Dad has been using this product for 20+ years for his farm animals and dogs. He would be glad to help you with any questions if you decide to order.
http://www.jefferslivestock.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=2&mscssid=KXC8VD9EBFWC9N5EQ8L3S6L559PT5H4B
Dogs 50-100 pounds need 272 mcg. of Ivermectin once a month. You don't have to inject it. Just measure the proper amount and give it to him orally.

They also sell vaccines, if your just wanting Lyme, it only comes in a 10 dose vial. If you have some friends that also would like their dog vaccinated they could pitch in on the cost.
http://www.jefferspet.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=0&mscssid=KXC8VD9EBFWC9N5EQ8L3S6L559PT5H4B
Some of their vaccines come with syringes and some do not. if not they also sell syringes.
They do ship overseas.

Answer 6

This is something only a veterinarian can do. Your dog should have had his first shots as soon as you bought him. He should go to the veterinarian at least 5 times a year for his routine checkup and shots.

Answer 7

Join these groups and write to these Veterinarians and ask:


http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/aske-vet/


http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/petvetcafe/