HeartGard every other month?

[Amstaffer]

I was talking to a lady that said she gives her dog Heartgard every other month. She says that there is no reason to give it every month because it takes 2 months for the heart worms to develop to the next level and if you administer heartgard every other month you will still kill the larva and limit the amount of "poison" the dog is exposed to.

Everything I have read says to give it every month but what she said kinda makes sense. Anyone know the deal? Is this lady playing with fire or are Vets and drug companies just trying to sell us more stuff?

 

[jess2416]

In some states where heartworm isnt so prevalent I might could see where she is coming from, but here, no way, I will continue giving it every month (well I use interceptor, but you know what I mean )

 

[SpringerLover]

HeartGuard has actually proven effective for 45-60 days. The shortest amount of time was 45 days, and most people aren't good about counting days out on the calendar, thus vets tell the owners to do it on the same day every month so the dog has a better chance of receiving the medication in time.

I count out 45 days on the calendar and usually end up giving it between 40 & 45 days.

I use HeartGuard Plus.

 

[elegy]

i give it every 45 days over the winter, but i would not go beyond that.

vets are just trying to make it easier for clients to comply so that their dogs don't get heartworm disease. people actually giving monthly heartworm meds (even after they've shelled out the money for them) is one of our biggest non-compliance issues. around here, it doesn't matter that much. other places, it's a much bigger deal.

 

[iloveeeyore]

That sounds like it make sense. The manufacturer says every 30 days, and if you aren't administering correctly, though, they won't cover heartworm treatment if your dog gets heartworm.
Like another poster said, heartworm is not so prevalent in some areas, so maybe she is also using that in her reasoning. If you live somewhere like Florida, I definitely recommend using heartguard every month.

 

[AGonzalez]

I'm not very familiar with heartworms, it was extremely low in occurance in Arizona - but I just moved to New York about 4 months ago and I guess it's a problem here.
We always gave small doses of Ivermectin (vet recommended since I worked with her) once a month (and it's a lot cheaper than things like Heartguard) but she said it was just as effective. From what I've read that's one of the ingredients of Heartgard...so would it just be safe to continue the practice after getting a new heartworm test on my dogs? I know the problem my vet did say was that if they had an infestation the Ivermectin would kill the worms and possibly clog an artery, etc...just like the meds you get from the vet.

 

[LoveNewfies]

We do Heart Guard every 60 days and only during mosquito season. Remember that these "preventatives" do not actually prevent heart worms from entering the dogs system, the kill the microfilia after administration of the drug. The drug is out of the system rather quickly so it's not that it's effective for 45-60 days, rather, if your dog becomes infected with heart worm microfilia, as long as the "preventative" is given within 60 days they will not mature.

For most it is more convenient to give monthly, and, as someone above stated, the drug companies will not cover heart worm treatment if the drug has not been given every month.

Again, I give it every 60 days but I do have heart worm testing done twice a year.

 

[mrandrei]

I get heartgard for my dog, now for 6 months. Is the generic brand OK?