Heartguard for puppy in Hawaii?

[IvyW]

Aloha HA community,

I have a 5 month old goldendoodle puppy, Leo, here with me in Hawaii. I have so far done zero heartworm preventatives since I picked him up at 9 weeks. He got heartguard previously. I just read a HA article on heartworm and am wondering - would you recommend I do the heartworm preventative every 6 weeks since we live in warm place, or should I do nothing and just test him regularly?

If he did get heartworm, what would be the medical or holistic intervention to get rid of the problem?

Mahalo,
Ivy

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Aloha Ivy!

Yes to HG every 4-6 weeks as well as a heartworm test twice/year.

medical or holistic intervention to get rid of the problem?

Dr. Basko (who is also in HI) did an excellent job of summarizing both the conventional and holistic approaches to prevention and treatment this year's Empower Hour! webinar.

Perhaps search for his name in the member resource area and it will pull up his heartworm, mushroom, feeding, etc. webinars.

 

[IvyW]

Thanks Dr Jeff! Will do.

1. Is HG regular or HG plus preferred? I

2. Do you have advice on where to get this most conveniently and affordably? I see Petco clinics administer it for $22/dose but I would rather own the medicine and administer it on its own. Not sure where to get it and it seems online that HG+ is more readily available than HG.

TY!!!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

1. Either one is fine (HG plus adds in a very safe intestinal dewormer). I've used the plus for my own pups in the past because they loved the chewable.

2. It's widely available but you'll need approval from your local vet:

Heartgard PLUS Chewables for Dogs

What are Heartgard PLUS Chewables for Dogs? Heartgard PLUS Chewables are a prescription heartworm preventative for dogs containing the antiparasitics Ivermectin and Pyrantel Pamoate.Heartgard PLUS Chewables also treat and control hookworms and…

www.vetrxdirect.com

 

[IvyW]

Hi Dr Jeff!

Thank you for your advice on this. I have still not yet started Leo on heartworm meds but I plan to soon.

I have a question about medication options given the following:

I have been dealing with occasional flea infestations with him, and doing my best to manage them naturally with wondercide, coconut oil, lots of cleaning the house, and brushing him. I can't keep up. He has really thick fur that mats so brushing is a challenge. I'm not seeing tons of fleas but the occasional one and lots of flea dirt on his head and neck. I don't want it to become a cyclical problem.

I think I am going to use a flea/tick medication as needed to control this. My idea is to use it as needed rather than monthly to reduce toxin exposure.

Is there a medication that you recommend is the least harmful but effective? I was recommended Nexgard or Simparica Trio if I want to combine it with a heartworm med (hence asking you within this forum post). Please let me know.

For some background, Leo is very healthy, happy. Lots of play and exercise and swimming at the beach. Snuggly and affectionate. I feed him Honest Kitchen dehydrated food as well as sweet potato and smoothies. This diet compared to his previous one of raw meat is helping him have really consistent, firm stool. Our previous raw diet led to runny stool often.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Is there a medication that you recommend is the least harmful but effective?

Great question Ivy!

As you know, all of the drug-based flea killers (external and internal) have potential longer-term side effects.

If you're looking for a 1 (or 2) dose situation to help get the fleas under control then maybe consider:

CAPSTAR® (nitenpyram) Oral Flea Treatment for Dogs - 6 Doses

CAPSTAR® (nitenpyram) oral flea tablets start killing fleas in just 30 minutes. After just one dose, you can literally see the dead fleas fall off your pet. Safe for dogs and puppies 2 pounds of body weight or greater and 4 weeks of age and older.

capstarpet.com

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

It's important to get the heartworm test before starting on the preventative. If it's positive, that will change your future actions.

 

[AngelaM]

It's important to get the heartworm test before starting on the preventative. If it's positive, that will change your future actions.

Curious, let's say you live in an area that doesn't see a lot of heartworm. And you travel to an area for a couple weeks were heartworm is more prevalent. A heartworm test was done (w/ negative result) right before the trip. Could you wait a month or two, after receiving negative test result, before giving preventative medicine. Or would it be better to redo the test? (Also, I only plan on giving one dose, since I don't live in an area that sees heartworm.) Thanks

 

[NancyK]

My dog is Havanese and they tend to be more chemically sensitive. Many Havanese owners have had issues with the PLUS versions of both Heartgard and Interceptor showing signs of both lethargy and diarrhea. I am not sure if this is applicable to other breeds. I know any dog in the shepherd family can also have the MDR1 gene and they should not have ivermectin which is in Heartgard.

I quit using heartworm drugs many years ago, however when I did I had ivermectin compounded by a pharmacist at the minimal effective dose for my two small dogs. This would be an option if someone has a dog in between weight ranges or if they do not want the PLUS version. I figure intestinal worms are easily treated so I was only concerned about heartworms.

Nancy

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

You have to wait 6 months before testing, which is how long it takes for the worms to mature and reproduce.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Could you wait a month or two, after receiving negative test result, before giving preventative medicine. Or would it be better to redo the test?

Great question!

As Dr. Jean said (while I was typing!) the baby worms and a positive test take 6 months to develop after a heartworm exposure.

Despite that fact, the conventional recommendations I learned. in the '80s were to retest if you have waited before giving the heartworm meds.

However it sounds like the AHS may be that it's OK to start whenever but then to also retest in 6 months

https://www.heartwormsociety.org/images/pdf/Canine-Guidelines-Summary.pdf

 

[Dr. Christina]

I do not recommend any of the preventatives with additional drugs for internal parasites. A relatively new product is Sierra Pet Meds - valueheart - plain ivermectin tablets for heartworm prevention with no script needed. Sierra Pet Meds

Personally I have seen few problems over the years with HW prev. Other holistic vets have seen more.

Remember that the HW prev is a morning after pill that kills the migrating and evolving larvae who found their way into the hole made by the mosquito. A healthy dog's immune system should do the same.

And the holistic treatment is usually successful if they do become adults.

Dr. Christina

 

[NancyK]

I do not recommend any of the preventatives with additional drugs for internal parasites. A relatively new product is Sierra Pet Meds - valueheart - plain ivermectin tablets for heartworm prevention with no script needed. Sierra Pet Meds

Personally I have seen few problems over the years with HW prev. Other holistic vets have seen more.

Remember that the HW prev is a morning after pill that kills the migrating and evolving larvae who found their way into the hole made by the mosquito. A healthy dog's immune system should do the same.

And the holistic treatment is usually successful if they do become adults.

Dr. Christina

My own dogs were always "off" after giving heartworm meds. I even tried plain ivermectin compounded at the smallest effective dose for them. It did not help. I quit giving them heartworm meds 14 years ago. They are now 16 and almost 16. I live in Missouri where heartworms are becoming resistant anyway.

Nancy

 

[AngelaM]

Thank you all for your help and replies. And thanks Dr Christina for posting the info on Sierra Pet Meds- I was having a really hard time finding anything online that was plain ivermectin.

I've read quite a bit about heartworm and watched videos posted at holistic actions. So I'm somewhat familiar with the life cycle, etc.

I'm not sure if my original question is quite understood. However, I think Dr Jeff may have answered it and I will take a look at the link he attached. Thank you : )

It's kind of a strange question. I'm not looking to keep my dog on heartworm prevention medication( I don't live in an area that has much heartworm). I'm just looking to give one dose to kill any larvae that could have been contracted during the trip... I also understand that it may not be 100% effective so it'd be good to retest in another 6 to 7 months.

My question is concerned with a very rare possiblity, is it possible that Murphy could have adult heartworms now that were not detected a month ago. (If I remember correctly... the test -which I think was an antigen test at a conventional vet- will only tell you if adult heartworms are present.) And the vet had us do the test before the trip and said to start heartworm med before we left... but that didn't make sense to me since the prevenetion meds treat 30-40 days prior to. So if recieve a negative test result and a month or two has gone by , is it best to retest before giving an initial dose? I believe I read that a dose of heartworm meds given to a dog with adult heartworms could put their body into shock from the heartworm die back and if your not prepared to treat die back the dog could die.

I think one answer is, I should do what helps me feel comfortable. So if I need to get another test I should just do that. I was just curious to see what others thought because if a can avoid a stressful trip to vet for Murphy all the better.

My concern about heartworm dieback is probably a super rare thing and maybe I think too much. And I am practicing how to trust my heart more... so thank you all for listening and helping. And for creating a space to share, it is much appreciated.

 

[Dr. Christina]

Thank you Nancy, for chiming in. Having our whole community participate is so important.


I think one answer is, I should do what helps me feel comfortable. So if I need to get another test I should just do that.

Yes

I was just curious to see what others thought because if a can avoid a stressful trip to vet for Murphy all the better. Personally I would not. However, more importantly, now is the critical time to do whatever you need to do (behavior webinars, TTouch webinars, energy field webinars, etc) to have Murphy LOVE going to the veterinarian;

My concern about heartworm dieback is probably a super rare thing and maybe I think too much. And I am practicing how to trust my heart more... so thank you all for listening and helping. And for creating a space to share, it is much appreciated.

Super good to practice trusting your heart. And be sure to have a homeopathic or TCVM veterinarian on your health care team - local or virtual!

Dr. Christina

 

[Dr. Jeff]

is it possible that Murphy could have adult heartworms now that were not detected a month ago

Very, very unlikely based on the timing of your trip and the testing.

So if recieve a negative test result and a month or two has gone by , is it best to retest before giving an initial dose?

If you want to be as sure as possible, then yes. Otherwise, perhaps just wait 6 months from the possible exposure and last test.

I think one answer is, I should do what helps me feel comfortable

Exactly! And now might be a good time to start making Murphy's trips to the vet as fun as possible. Super special treats work wonders.