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Heartworm confusion







jacng
Enthusiast


Jun 25, 2003, 6:25 PM

Post #1 of 15 (9733 views)
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Heartworm confusion Can't Post

Hi all

Can anyone of you please clarify for me the neccesity of giving heartgard to prevent heartworm in puppies/dogs?

I know that heartworm is spread by mosquitoes and once infected, it is very difficult to cure... most of the time cannot cure 100%. I asked my vet about prevention and the vet actually asked me to give my pup heartgard once every month and once i start giving it heartgard, then have to continue for the rest of the puppy's life.

Then when i went to the pet shop to find out the price of heartgard, the owner told me that for indoor dogs it's quite unneccessary to give the dog heartgard as the possiblility of getting heartworm is very rare. And even if i want to give, there is no need to give for the whole life of the puppy. Just finish one packet(6 times) can prevent disease for about 1-2 years. After 1-2 years then give another packet(6 times). the pet shop owner told me that most vets will tell you that as they want to earn more money as they want you to bring your dog in for heartgard. And also it's not good to pump the dog full of chemicals.

Now i also confused that who is rite and who is wrong. Is heartgard really necessary? If not really necessary, then i dun want to give my puppy heartgard coz it's actually quite expensive.

Can anyone enlighten me? Thank you.

JaC & HuBby
.+"~"+.
(!
o o !)
)(
O )(
",,
U,,"

DeWeY



hunter
Ultra ALPHA


Jun 25, 2003, 9:45 PM

Post #2 of 15 (9724 views)
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Re: [jacng] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

hello,

after tending to so many vets and so many pet shop owners, there are none who told me that it's unnecessary to provide heartgard for your dog.

for me, it doesn't quite matter if the possibility for my dog to get infected is rare or what, if i am able to prevent him from having any chance at all to be infected i'll do whatever i can. heartworm disease is fatal to your dog, and it will be too late to provide any treatment by then.

i'm not quite sure about the 2 years 6 times concept, but what i know is that the pills could last for only a few months while giving the jab could last for 1 full year. it is reasonably cheap, as it makes sure your dog is protected. it's only once a year and not paid on a monthly basis, so i'm pretty fine with the price anyway.

there are a few members here who's dog got infected with heart worm disease.

conclusion, give your dog heartgard. it's necessary.


regards,
hunter


jacng
Enthusiast


Jun 25, 2003, 11:07 PM

Post #3 of 15 (9719 views)
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Re: [hunter] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

hi hunter,

thank you for your input. do you know how much does the heartworm injection cost? And at what age should I start giving my puppy the heartworm treatment/injection? my puppy is only 5 months old. He have just got his third jab last month. Is it too soon to start the heartworm tablet/injection?

JaC & HuBby
.+"~"+.
(!
o o !)
)(
O )(
",,
U,,"

DeWeY



zack
Dog Kichi


Jun 26, 2003, 1:01 AM

Post #4 of 15 (9712 views)
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Re: [jacng] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

hi there
if i'm not mistaken heartworm injection will cost between RM120 - RM150 and this is given once a year. are u having a large/mid/small breed dog? if it is a small breed dog then heartguard will cost less than RM120 per year. it is not necessary to give heartguard as u can try other brand coz heartguard is more expensive compare to others. this is b'coz heartguard contains meat(treat) in it. but what i was told that it isn't advisable to give injection coz it might damage the liver of your pup in the long run (i'm comfused as well)Unsure. but anyway prevention is better than cure
>Thomas<


Trivor
K9 Servant


Jun 26, 2003, 4:47 PM

Post #5 of 15 (9702 views)
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Re: [jacng] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

Hi there,
Heartguard comes with 6 tablet in a pack. That last for 6 months. I started to give heartgard to Trivor when she was 4 months old.
I was told after 10 months old, it is good to give an annual jap. Long argument on the neccessity of annual jap. Maybe you can refer to your vet (holistic vet, if you can find one. Pls recommend me too).
Surprisingly, as I tried to buy heartgard on-line, they need vet's prescribtion; while when I dropped over a local pet shop, I just cash-and-carry.



~ Trivor ~
~ SC & Low, mama and dada ~


jacng
Enthusiast


Jun 27, 2003, 12:59 AM

Post #6 of 15 (9693 views)
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Re: [Trivor] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

Hi zack, trivor

Thank you for your input.... It's confusing isn't it? Vets telling you one thing and pet shops telling you another.... dunno who to believe...

Until now, I still dunno whether to give my puppy Heartgard. By the way, zack, you did mention that there are some brands that is cheaper than Heartgard. What are they? Probably I'll start them off on the other brands first... Heartgard is expensive... One box (6 tablets) is about RM68 lah...

Thanks ya....

JaC & HuBby
.+"~"+.
(!
o o !)
)(
O )(
",,
U,,"

DeWeY



hunter
Ultra ALPHA


Jun 27, 2003, 5:42 AM

Post #7 of 15 (9690 views)
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Re: [jacng] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

hi there,

there are other brands available from the market to prevent heartworm infection, but seriously i have no idea why i was always advised to give heart gard :/

about the giving jabs or pills, some prefer to give jabs as it's more convenient. pills work fine too, i've tried both. it's all about your choice of selection.



regards,
hunter


Khoobg
Webmaster


Jun 27, 2003, 8:31 AM

Post #8 of 15 (9687 views)
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Re: [jacng] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

To me, Heartworm prevention is required for dog as prevention is better than cure. If you choose to use Heartgard, then you need to feed your dog a tablet each month till the end of his/her life. Heartgard is only effective against young heartworm that is less than 30 days old. It will not be effective against adult heartworm. The idea is if you dog is infected by heartworm, they will be killed before they reach a age of 30 days if you give heartgard to your dog timely, every 30 days.

Most dogs survive their whole life of says 15 years without being infected by heartworm. The chances of getting heartworm is still very slim unless there is a outbreak. But then, do you want to take the risk or not ?


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jacng
Enthusiast


Jun 27, 2003, 5:14 PM

Post #9 of 15 (9681 views)
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Re: [hunter] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

thanks hunter.... for your input...

guess heartworm prevention is a must.... only now to decide whether to give heartgard or jab....


jacng
Enthusiast


Jun 27, 2003, 5:14 PM

Post #10 of 15 (9681 views)
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Re: [Khoobg] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

Thanks Mr Khoo.... I guess Heartworm prevention is a must but the crucial point for me is still risk vs $$$ coz Heartgard pretty expensive.

But if it's a must then it's a must... dun want to regret later.


houyee
Novice


Jul 2, 2003, 11:14 AM

Post #11 of 15 (9657 views)
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Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

heartworms are actually microfilarias (Dilofilaria immitis) (same group as the pest that causes filiariasis/elephantiasis) and is transmitted via the bite of a mosquito. the microfilaria, once injected into the bloodstream, can grow up to a foot long in the major blood vessels of dogs and cats (and foxes and musangs and what have yous in the wild). these mature worms is capable of releasing thousands of microfilaria into the blood stream which can be readily transmitted and spread by a nyamuk. puppies are most susceptible to heartworms because of the small size of their hearts in relation to a mature adult worm. if there is a high worm load, puppies will go into heart failure, among other complications.

heartgard contains the drug, ivermectin, in very small doses (multiples of 68 micrograms), and is taken monthly to prevent the disease. it is yummy cause the drug is mixed with treats. heardguard plus on the other hand has pyrantel pamoate (your zentel lah) mixed in it which can take care of hookworms, roundworms, pinworms, tapeworms and whatever other worms which lives in the intestines and spread via fecal-oral route.

the injection, proheart, on the other hand, contains moxidectin in microspheres which will release the drug over the next 6-12 months.

both ivermectin and moxidectin decreases microfilaria load but does not kill the adult worm. thus it is good for prevention, but NOT treatment of dogheartworms. i think they have other drugs to actually kill the adults but have lotsof side effects. that is why people usually test for heartworms before starting preventive medications via a simple blood test (looking for microfilaria under the microscope) or a very specific (thus $$$) antigen test.

all these drugs are also dosed based on weight, so the bigger your doggie the more pokai you'll end up lorr Unsure

anybody knows any government facilities for vet service in ipoh/penang/kl??? i don't think i wanna continue paying obscene amounts to my private vet for basic health care like spaying, vaccination or deworming. most of the time he end up selling me things i don't need :P
zippy 'rowena' kojak


jacng
Enthusiast


Jul 3, 2003, 5:34 PM

Post #12 of 15 (9651 views)
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Re: [houyee] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

Thanks a lot hou yee... that was very enlightening.

However, I have something to clarify. If I give my Heartgard, does it mean I still need to give him the normal deworming tablets every 3 months? I was told to deworm my puppy every 3 months by the vet. And if I give Heartgard Plus, then there is no need for the normal deworming tablet is it? If it is,Heartgard Plus have to give every month, will overdosage occur for the normal deworming(supposedly to be done only every 3 months?)

Jac


houyee
Novice


Jul 3, 2003, 6:10 PM

Post #13 of 15 (9649 views)
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Re: [jacng] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

hi :))

if you give hartguard plus then there is no need for further deworming cause the plus component already has deworming drugs. so more convenient if you give the plus.
zippy 'rowena' kojak


jacng
Enthusiast


Jul 3, 2003, 10:48 PM

Post #14 of 15 (9645 views)
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Re: [houyee] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

hi hou yee...

thanks for clarifying... i'll start dewey on heartgard plus next week....

i think dewey eats more nutritious and healthy food and get more prevention jabs than me...:) .... my hubby is starting to get jealous... hee hee

Jac


houyee
Novice


Jul 7, 2003, 12:53 PM

Post #15 of 15 (9633 views)
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Re: [jacng] Heartworm confusion [In reply to] Can't Post

hehe. ya lorr. so manja one our children. i went to the departmental store - baby clothes cost less than the silly outfits they sell at pet wonderland! and honestly i dunno why animal grade milk powder cost more than anlene. i used to get charged less at the GP for cough and cold, the vet charged me a bomb when my furkid is not even sick! ai yoh yoh. silly world we live in!
zippy 'rowena' kojak

 
 




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