Heartguard questions

[Cami]

I was just curious as to how many of you (in colder winter areas) keep your dogs on a heart worm preventative medicine year round?

We give Cami Heartguard monthly and I was told by one of the vet techs that they told people that they didn't have to offer it in Ohio after temps reach freezing for prolonged periods of time, usually Dec-March.

Just seeking opinions, as I would love to not have to give her this if I didn't have to. I hate medications!!!

 

[heidiho]

I don't give any of our dogs heartworm meds. I with you, the less meds the better. I have also heard that we don't have problem in this area either.

 

[Gus's Teah]

Year-round

I have to give my furbabies their heartworm pills (Interceptor) along with flea/tick care meds (Frontline Plus) year round because of the mild climate in AL. We are likely to get 2 weeks of warm weather in the middle of January and the mosquitos come up from the Gulf. Our vet recommends that we at least continue the Interceptor all year and I'd rather not take the chance with heartworms! I think that most of us in Southern states have to do this...

 

[Stephj]

Both

I am in Michigan, so similar temps to Ohio. My vet has me give it year round, but my sister's vet doesn't. Seeing as how we live in the same area...I think it is a matter of preference for the vets. Some don't find it necessary, and others go with better safe than sorry.

 

[JulieM]

According to the American Heartworm Society you need 30 consecutive days of 24-hour, round-the-clock temperatures above 64 F for heartworm to become infective. If you don't have those temperatures, the mosquitoes cannot pass on the larvae. If the mosquitoes can't pass on the larvae, the dog can't have larvae in its bloodstream, so there's no need to give heartworm meds. (Keeping in mind that the meds are not a preventive, but a treatment for recent infection; if you have 30 days of required temperatures, you don't give the pill on day 30 - you give the pill a month or six weeks later.)

At any rate - in Michigan and Ohio there is no reason to give year-round heartworm medication. In some areas those temperature requirements may never be met, but they definitely don't happen in the winter!

www.heartwormsociety.org - Veterinary Information - AHS Treatment Guidelines - Canine - scroll down to Epidemiology

 

[Austin's Mom]

I keep Austin on Heartguard all year long. I figure better safe than sorry, and he likes them!

 

[Cami]

Thanks everyone for the info. I am glad that what I heard is common for others. I won't be giving Cami the heartguard until it warms up! The less her system has to deal with the better.

 

[crazychopper]

don't forget

heartworm meds also help regulate other internal parasites that can be passed to humans. we recommend staying on it year round specially people with children

 

[JulieM]

*Some* heartworm meds also kill intestinal parasites that the dog might have. They do not prevent the parasites; they just kill them if they're there. If you think your dog has parasites, have a stool sample run. There's no sense IMO giving a wormer to a dog that doesn't have worms.

 

[geordiegirls]

Don't want to appear ignorant but what exactly is heartworm. Haven't heard of it before. I'm in the North of England so I wondered if it was to do with warm climates. Its always freezing over here.