Dogs and heartworm (Payson, Sedona: house, buy, camping)

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Bungle

Then you're going to the wrong vet if they are constantly wanting appointments for you dog. For the past four years we've taken our once every six months. Today I just purchased my dog's heartworm pills online and it cost $60 for 12 months supply. Such a minimal expense for something that can prevent a really bad condition. If your dogs got worms you'll be spending quite a bit more than that treating it.

Every 6 months at the vet is excessive, IMO. I used to do heartworm treatments when I lived in the Midwest where mopsquitoes were an epidemic all summer long, but don't do them here. I gave them the Heartguard chews.

I keep reading the title of this thread as "heartburn in dogs" and keep thinking, "don't feed them spicy food" LOL

[Bungle]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Every 6 months at the vet is excessive, IMO.

We do the Bordetella Vaccine which should be done every six months.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Bungle

We do the Bordetella Vaccine which should be done every six months.

I do that one only if I am boarding my dogs because they require proof of it being done within 6 months of boarding. To do it on an ongoing basis isn't necessary unless you regularly board or take them to daycare, etc.

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Heartworm is easily spread and VERY preventable. If you're not providing your dogs with proper protection at least keep them away from others. People like you are one of the reasons I avoid dog parks.

That's not how heartworm meds works, unless you happen to come into contact with a dog that just took the monthly med and was recently "purged".

Dogs with Heartworms | How Treatment for Heartworms Work | petMD

[Bungle]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

I do that one only if I am boarding my dogs because they require proof of it being done within 6 months of boarding. To do it on an ongoing basis isn't necessary unless you regularly board or take them to daycare, etc.

Dog groomer requires it.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by stevek64

That's not how heartworm meds works, unless you happen to come into contact with a dog that just took the monthly med and was recently "purged".

Dogs with Heartworms | How Treatment for Heartworms Work | petMD

What do you mean? If Barb's dog that doesn't receive preventative gets heartworm, can it not spread it to others?

Veterinarians also now commonly recommend that dogs be given heartworm preventive medications all year round. In some parts of the country, where mosquitoes are less active in the winter months, dog owners are in the habit of only treating their dogs for heartworms half the year. Due to unpredictable seasonal temperature changes, the American Heartworm Society is now recommending year-round prevention for animals in every state. This is a good practice to help you remember to always protect your dog from heartworms, no matter what the season.

[sandy6879]

My vet's office told me in February that they had already had 5 cases of dogs test positive for heartworm in 2015. Not worth the small cost of the medication to avoid the results of them getting it - it's a horrible disease. The results of that disease and what it does to the dog is not worth the risk.

[TKO]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

What do you mean? If Barb's dog that doesn't receive preventative gets heartworm, can it not spread it to others?

Only if a mosquito bites the infected dog and then bites your unprotected dog. If your dog is taking HW preventatives it can't get heartworms.

I had a dog that I adopted years ago in southern NM (similar desert climate to AZ) and she wound up having them, it was a horrible and expensive fix that she barely survived. As for the comment "but my dogs are fine", they are until they aren't.

[stevek64]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

What do you mean? If Barb's dog that doesn't receive preventative gets heartworm, can it not spread it to others?

Correct, it can't:

Heartworms in Dogs: Facts and Myths

"If one of my dogs has heartworms, can he give it to my other dogs?A: No. Again, the only way heartworms are transmitted is through the bite of an infected mosquito. And even if an uninfected mosquito bit your infected dog, and then bit your uninfected dog the same night, he wouldn’t transmit the parasite from one dog to the other. That’s because when a mosquito bites an infected animal, the heartworm needs to undergo an incubation period in the mosquito before the mosquito can infect other animals."


A treated dog can get heartworm larvea because of the way the monthly med works because it just flushes it out on a monthly basis. So if a dog gets bit by a mosquito and it spreads heartworm larvae to the dog on 7/2, that larvae will be hanging inside the dog until the next heartworm pill is given.


Dogs with Heartworms | How Treatment for Heartworms Work | petMD

"You may be surprised to learn that heartworm preventives do not stop the actual infection from occurring. If an infected mosquito happens to bite your dog, he/she may still be infected with the larvae. Heartworm medications available today work to kill off the larval heartworms that made it into the dog’s body during the past month. The heartworms in dogs will die at certain stages of development, before they can become adult heartworms."

The med, like any other med, isn't 100% either. That's why vets usually suggest a heartworm blood test every year or 2(forgot which), even for those dogs taking the med given the way the med works(doesn't stop it at the gate, flushes it out later if it's there), there could be a case where it doesn't flush out all the larvea, they turn into the worms, and then the not so pretty things can happen.

[MeeMee Monster]

I live in the Midwest (sorry to butt in), and I give my dog heartworm pills three times per year. I've thoroughly researched the way that heartworm works, and for my area, that's all that's needed to prevent it. I imagine a warmer climate like yours allows mosquitoes to stick around longer than in a place with a snowy winter like mine, so do some research and figure out what would work best for your area. I will say that in almost every part of the country, it's overkill to give a monthly heartworm pill.