Canine Heartworm Meds, Three Main Varieties Available
Before using any type of preventative dog heartworm medicine, your dog must have a heartworm test done by a vet. The American Heartworm Society's recommendation that all dogs should be tested annually is becoming widely accepted. If there are microfilariae present in the blood test, the youngest form of the heartworm larvae, this means that there are also adult worms present. No heartworm prevention medication will kill an adult heartworm but it may limit the lifespan.
Modern heartworm prevention medicines will provide very effective protection for your dog but it is vital to ensure there aren't any adult worms present. Puppies over six months old will also be tested if they have not already begun on a heartworm preventative.
Three main kinds of heartworm prevention medicines are widely used nowadays. 1)An injection which is given twice a year by a vet and which effectively protects your dog all year round. 2)Orally taken heartworm medication which is either in the form of pills or chewables. These are given monthly on the same day each month. 3)Topical heartworm medications, sometimes called Spot On treatments which are dropped onto skin on the back of the dog's neck.
Whichever type of heartworm pills or chewables you choose, they all work to kill the heartworm larvae and work in a very similar way. These will not prevent mosquitoes from biting your dog so heartworm prevention must continue to protect your dog from infection.
If your dog resists taking the pill type, you could either try hiding the pill in a piece of meat, cheese or a specially designed pill-pocket which makes a tasty treat for your dog and usually results in the pill being taken without trouble. An alternative to the pills is the chewable type of heartworm medicine but some dogs are allergic to the ingredients in the chewy part itself and could make this unviable in some cases.
If you choose the topical heartworm preventative, you will find it easy to use and have the added reassurance that it also controls fleas and ticks as well as other internal parasites.
Check with your veterinary if you realise that you have forgotten to give your dog his heartworm preventative pills as protection will be reduced if the medicine is not given regularly. If you realise that you have missed more than one dose, your veterinarian may well suggest that a routine heartworm test is performed, just to be sure.
If, for whatever reason you decide, or your vet recommends changing to another type of heartworm prevention medicine, you should be sure to start the new medicine at the time another dose of the previous medicine was due. This way, you make sure that there is no 'doubling up' of heartworm medication that could give your dog a problem.
Modern heartworm prevention medicines will provide very effective protection for your dog but it is vital to ensure there aren't any adult worms present. Puppies over six months old will also be tested if they have not already begun on a heartworm preventative.
Three main kinds of heartworm prevention medicines are widely used nowadays. 1)An injection which is given twice a year by a vet and which effectively protects your dog all year round. 2)Orally taken heartworm medication which is either in the form of pills or chewables. These are given monthly on the same day each month. 3)Topical heartworm medications, sometimes called Spot On treatments which are dropped onto skin on the back of the dog's neck.
Whichever type of heartworm pills or chewables you choose, they all work to kill the heartworm larvae and work in a very similar way. These will not prevent mosquitoes from biting your dog so heartworm prevention must continue to protect your dog from infection.
If your dog resists taking the pill type, you could either try hiding the pill in a piece of meat, cheese or a specially designed pill-pocket which makes a tasty treat for your dog and usually results in the pill being taken without trouble. An alternative to the pills is the chewable type of heartworm medicine but some dogs are allergic to the ingredients in the chewy part itself and could make this unviable in some cases.
If you choose the topical heartworm preventative, you will find it easy to use and have the added reassurance that it also controls fleas and ticks as well as other internal parasites.
Check with your veterinary if you realise that you have forgotten to give your dog his heartworm preventative pills as protection will be reduced if the medicine is not given regularly. If you realise that you have missed more than one dose, your veterinarian may well suggest that a routine heartworm test is performed, just to be sure.
If, for whatever reason you decide, or your vet recommends changing to another type of heartworm prevention medicine, you should be sure to start the new medicine at the time another dose of the previous medicine was due. This way, you make sure that there is no 'doubling up' of heartworm medication that could give your dog a problem.
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