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And how to prevent heartworms!

Heartworm infestation can kill your dog, so it is very important to protect your dog. Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitoes.

Preventative treatment should start at 5 months of age and continue for the rest of your dog’s life. If your dog is older than 5 months, and has never been on heartworm prevention, he will require a blood test to ensure he is not carrying heartworms before starting preventative treatment. If your dog is already carrying heartworms, starting prevention could cause sudden death.

Heartworm preventatives are used to kill the immature stages of heartworm (larvae) that may have infected your dog. There are a number of different choices at Hung Hom Veterinary Clinic so you can choose the product most suited to you and your dog.

 

Heartgard Plus (ivermectin/pyrantel) and Tri-Heart Plus

These products contain a very low dose of ivermectin to kill the immature larvae. Each pack contains a 6 month course of tablets or meaty chewable treat which is given once a month. The first treatment is given at 5 months old.

Heartgard Plus also contains pyrantel which also kill hookworms and roundworms, but not whipworms. Therefore your dog pyrantel still requires a full intestinal de-wormer every 3-6 months.

 
Milbemycin (milbemycin oxime)

Milbemycin kills larvae from new infections and microfilariae (baby heartworms). Milbemycin also prevents the female heartworm’s ability to reproduce. Milbemycin is used once a month and each pack contains six small tablets. The first treatment is given at 5 months old.

If Milbemycin is accidentally given to an infected dog there could be a severe reaction, which could lead to death. So it is important to test your dog for heartworms before starting prevention with milbemycin.

Milbemycin also treats intestinal worms, including hookworms, roundworms and whipworms. It does not treat tapeworms so your dog still requires a complete intestinal wormer every 3-6 months.

 
 
Revolution (selametin)

Revolution is a "spot-on" treatment that is used once a month from 5 months of age. Each pack contains 3 or 6 tubes of liquid. A small drop of liquid is placed on the skin between the shoulders. The Revolution is quickly absorbed over a few hours into your dog’s blood. This means it is very useful for pets that are difficult to treat by mouth.

Revolution contains selamectin which protects dogs against a number of parasites, including heartworms. Other parasites prevented include ear mites, sarcoptic mange, and fleas. It is a useful “all-round” parasite treatment but it does not protect your dog against tapeworms.

 
 
ProHeart Injection (moxidectin)

ProHeart is quite different from the other monthly treatments. It is a long-acting injection containing moxidectin that is given once a year. The moxidectin is slowly released over the year killing any heartworms that might infect your dog. ProHeart is given at the clinic by the vet. The vet will give your dog a body check before treatment. Using ProHeart means there is no risk of forgetting to give the monthly treatments.

The first injection is normally given at 6 months of age, when the dog is still growing. The second injection is given 9 months later, as the dog would have "out-grown" the first injection. This is normally given at the same time as your dog’s first booster vaccines. After that injections are given once a year.

ProHeart SR-12 only protects against heartworm, so it is important also to protect your pet against intestinal worms.

 
Which treatment is best for my dog?

Each treatment has different advantages. The best choice is to use the product that you can give most reliably and regularly to your dog. When you purchase heartworm prevention medicine at Hung Hom Veterinary Clinic our trained staff will ensure that you receive the best product for your pets. We will only supply genuine reputable effective products. The different choices for you to think about can be summarized:

Heartgard Plus Pack of 6 tasty beef treats
Give once a month
Dogs like taste, easy to give
Also treats some intestinal worms
     
Milbemycin Pack of 6 small tablets
Give once a month
Small tablets easy to give
Treats most intestinal worms
     
Revolution Pack of 3 or 6 liquid doses
Applied onto skin
Give once a month
Very easy to use
Treats fleas, mange, ear mites, worms
     
ProHeart Injection at the clinic
Given once a year
Vet will also examine your dog
Treated once a year so cannot forget monthly doses
No need to dose at home

 

To help you decide which product to use, please make an appointment at Hung Hom Veterinary Clinic and then we can discuss with you the best methods of parasite control for your pet and the family. We care for what matters , your pet’s health.

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