Pet Lovers

[Bird mama]

I'm in Michigan and when my dog was alive, he was on heartworm prevention and had the blood test every year before the new round of meds.  I honestly didn't know a vet would give heartworm medication without a blood test.

[Shawnie]

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@qualitygal wrote:

You know a blood test can show other things for our pets like they can for us. My vet does it yearly, what if something changes and your pet can't tell you what it is? My dog doesn't complain if/when she hurts.  I'd just as soon be proactive in her health care, as I'm sure most pet parents are. This policy doesn't bother me one bit. Me personally.

It's been almost a year since we lost our little Molly, it didn't have anything to do with this, but I want to do all I can for our little Jade. 

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The tests to check for Heartworm are special snap tests, which probably also check for tick borne diseases.  They do not check blood chemistries.  That would be a different blood test to check for cbc, liver and kidney values, etc.

[Shawnie]

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@CrazyDaisy wrote:

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@hyacinth003 wrote:

Yes, it is dangerous to give the medication if your dog had heartworm.

But if he's on it all year round, he won't have it.  So your vet SHOULD be able to decide NOT to do the test every year, but only before he prescribes it for the first time.

I don't give it all year round because where I live, we don't get mosquitoes all year round.  I would give it if I lived where it could be warmer all year round.  So IF my vet required the test, I would be okay with it.

But, as with human doctors, vets should be able to use their judgement when providing it. 

Hyacinth

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It really is not dangerous to give the dog medication if they have heartworms, in fact sometimes it can be used to eliminate them in the early stages.  However if the one you are using is not effective or possibly a "bad batch" you would want to catch that fact early on rather than continue to believe everything is ok.

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You are wrong.  If a dog has heartworm and you give the medication, depending on the life stage of the worm (how large it is), the worms will explode, break into pieces in the heart and lungs and can kill your dog,  There is a medical explanation far too detailed to give here.  Also let me say that I frequently talk to people who think they are giving the  preventative every month, BUT, it is clear from their purchase history they are not.  I will not sell the preventative without a yearly test.  Nobody's dog is going to die on my watch because we didnt test them.  No woulda coulda shoulda here.  You can think it is a money grab but it is for your animals protection.  

[happycat]

My vet use to require it, but I think they quit a few years ago.

One of ya'll posted this website to get the generic form of ivermectin. This is where I started getting my heartworm prevention for my dogs. I thought I would post if any of you are interested. It is a lot cheaper.

JR Enterprises heartgaurd prevention.com

[CatLoverDogsToo]

I have always had to get an annual heartworm test before any medications would be dispensed. I give my dogs heartworm prevention every month religiously.

I have been told the reason for annual testing is that if the dog is positive for heartworms and is given the medication, it will cause seizures. In my opinion (and I am not a vet) this makes very little sense.

If you gave the medication within the past 30 days and have never missed a dose, how in heavens names could a seizure happen. 

The test also is not foolproof. A dog could be infected but test negative, so you would be giving the infected animal the medication for the next twelve months.

I have also been told that the heartworm medication does not protect the animal 100% so that is the reason for the testing. That reason makes sense to me.

I do know that if an animal has been given Trifexis consistently with no missed doses and the animal does test positive, Elanco will pay for the necessary treatment. (The humane shelter, where I go to purchase Trifexis and get their immunizations once a year, told me that.)

I had looked into buying heartworm prevention online, but the vet said that any miscalculation on the dose of the liquid would kill the dogs. I won't risk that.

I visit the shelter regularly and I am always shocked at the number of dogs being treated for heartworms.  I live in Georgia and it is a serious problem here. Apparently many dog owners refuse to give prophylactic treatment and then abandon the dogs when they get sick. Despicable behavior and I do hope those people never get another dog.

.

[NickNack]

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@CatLoverDogsToo wrote:

I have always had to get an annual heartworm test before any medications would be dispensed. I give my dogs heartworm prevention every month religiously.

I have been told the reason for annual testing is that if the dog is positive for heartworms and is given the medication, it will cause seizures. In my opinion (and I am not a vet) this makes very little sense.

If you gave the medication within the past 30 days and have never missed a dose, how in heavens names could a seizure happen. 

The test also is not foolproof. A dog could be infected but test negative, so you would be giving the infected animal the medication for the next twelve months.

I have also been told that the heartworm medication does not protect the animal 100% so that is the reason for the testing. That reason makes sense to me.

I do know that if an animal has been given Trifexis consistently with no missed doses and the animal does test positive, Elanco will pay for the necessary treatment. (The humane shelter, where I go to purchase Trifexis and get their immunizations once a year, told me that.)

I had looked into buying heartworm prevention online, but the vet said that any miscalculation on the dose of the liquid would kill the dogs. I won't risk that.

I visit the shelter regularly and I am always shocked at the number of dogs being treated for heartworms.  I live in Georgia and it is a serious problem here. Apparently many dog owners refuse to give prophylactic treatment and then abandon the dogs when they get sick. Despicable behavior and I do hope those people never get another dog.

.

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I support a rescue organization that rescues french bulldogs and dogue de bordeauxs among other breeds.  Probably 75% of the dogs that they rescue have heartworms.  It's such a horrible thing to have to treat, especially when it could have easily been prevented.