[Nitka]

Hello

I have a question about heartworms. Me and my friend who owns English bulldog goes to the same clinic for our dogs but we have different doctors. Her doctor prescribe for her puppy medicine that has to be taken once a month for heartwarms my didn't. She claims that is for every dog and my should get it to. Should he? This is the first time i have a dog everything is new for me I'm still learning maybe she is right? Please help.
Thank you
Magda.

 

[DUKE01]

I give my dogs heartworm pills every month except for the winter months and then every spring they get a heartworm test and get put back on their pills.  So I agree with your friend, I believe it is cold in New York so you may not want to start yet but when it starts to warm up alittle maybe March have your dog tested and then start giving the heartworm pills.  That is my opinion at least.....Sharon should be able to tell you more.

 

[tootsie]

I give heartgard every month. That is something I don't want to mess around with so I'd rather just use a preventative. Here is a link to a good article on heartworms.

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... icleid=743

 

[Starr05]

I now give mine every month also.
I use to stop it in the winter like DUKE01 but unfortunatly when we went in for my pitbulls heart worm test in the spring he was possitive a very light possitive but non the less possitive. We had a heart worm test done before going off of the pills so I know that he got them from a strry misquito that was living in my house. We did the treatment that was 500.00 and put  him through  a lot so I personaly would keep them on pills every month all year.

 

[Nitka]

I just talk to me vet. He told me to come back on march they will test him and put on medication. Duke you were right On the other hand after what Tootsie and Starr005 wrote maybe i shouldn't wait and start right away?

Thank you
Magda

 

[sharonL]

Sounds like you already found your answer, but yes your friend was right all dogs should be on a heartworm preventative and all of the heartworm preventatives also worm for intestional worms....

There are plenty of places that stop heartworm preventative in the winter...the thing is that if there is a misquito they can get heartworms...They are starting to see more and more cases of this in states that use to not have a problem in the winter months....My advice is to use it year round, but you know your enviroment better then me...here we have skeeters all the time.....

You did not mention how old your dog was??  This would be the indication if they need to be tested before starting the heartworm med's.....Is it an adult or a young puppy?

 

[g00dgirl]

Dogs can only get heartworms from mosquitoes.  So, depending on where you live your needs will vary.  Of course in FL you will probably want year round treatment.  I don't give it in the winter b/c we don't have mosquitoes here in the winter. If your vet says you don't need it until March, they are probably right.  If you see mosquitoes before then though... get them on it sooner.
HTH

 

[Nitka]

My Oscarito is 4 month old and at that time now we don't have any mosquitoes in NY . WOW guys THANK YOU so much now I'm not scared anymore to wait till march for his medication )
 Thank You thank you
Magda

 

[sully]

Year round, every month.  The winter is pretty cold here but it's not worth the risk.  How much are you saving by taking off a few months?  Not a lot when you consider your overall dog's health.  I'd rather not have to worry about it than save a few bucks.

 

[48Dodge]

Year round, every month.  The winter is pretty cold here but it's not worth the risk.  How much are you saving by taking off a few months?  Not a lot when you consider your overall dog's health.  I'd rather not have to worry about it than save a few bucks.

I agree here.  Also, how much does the heartworm test cost?  Not worth the risk, especially down here where we can have mosquitoes year round.

 

[Guest]

I know that my vet sells heartworm meds that if you keep your dog on it for a full year,  no missed months, the drug company will pay for the treatment of the heartworms if your dog manages to contract it while on the meds...I didn't used to keep the dogs on heartworm meds...until I found out Jetta had round and tape worms...the heartworm guards against at least round worm too..so this way neither of them will pick up the roundworms from the yard

 

[sumyasmom]

[quote="sully\";p=\"65763":qytsui17]Year round, every month.  The winter is pretty cold here but it's not worth the risk.  How much are you saving by taking off a few months?  Not a lot when you consider your overall dog's health.  I'd rather not have to worry about it than save a few bucks.

I agree here.  Also, how much does the heartworm test cost?  Not worth the risk, especially down here where we can have mosquitoes year round.[/quote:qytsui17]

i agree as well better safe than sorry, especially with this crazy 70 degree weather in january! :roll:

 

[Starr05]

Please keep in mind that just because it is winter and there aren't misquitos around right now, does not mean that you don't have a stray IN your house that is surviving because its warm inside. That is how our Pit ended up getting them I live in Indiana and we don't have them in the winter,but I DID see a stragler in my house. To me It is just no worth it, I made the mistake once I won't do it again.

 

[sharonL]

[quote="Nitka\";p=\"65758":3g48084c]My Oscarito is 4 month old and at that time now we don't have any mosquitoes in NY . WOW guys THANK YOU so much now I'm not scared anymore to wait till march for his medication )

 

[Newcastle]

I use to stop it in the winter like DUKE01 but unfortunatly when we went in for my pitbulls heart worm test in the spring he was possitive a very light possitive but non the less possitive.

As Sharon said, it takes 6-7 months for heartworms to show up on a test; if you went in March or April for the test, that means your dog contracted the worms no later than September or October, not during the winter months.  

As well, it is not simply the presence of mosquitoes that makes heartworm transmission possible.  There are certain temperature conditions that must be met before the larvae in the mosquito can mature to an infective stage; in a nutshell, 30 consecutive days of round-the-clock temperatures above 64F, with no drops below 57F (round-the-clock temperatures above 80F means only 14 days for development).  In most of the US, where it regularly gets into the 40s or lower at night for several months, year-round heartworm medication is entirely unnecessary.  (The Southeast and Gulf areas are notable exceptions.)  The American Heartworm Society has more detailed information in this, here, under Epidemiology:
http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article.asp?id=48

To quote from that page:

The peak months for heartworm transmission in the Northern Hemisphere are July and August. Algorithmic predictions based on analysis of historical temperature records have consistently overestimated actual transmission periods confirmed independently by a variety of field studies and appear to represent conservative guidelines. Under the most favorable conditions, these estimates range from less than four months in southern Canada to potentially all year in the subtropical zones of southern Florida and the Gulf Coast. The model predicts that heartworm transmission in the continental U.S. is limited to six months or less above the 37th parallel, i.e., Virginia-North Carolina State line.

 

[redtaz]

I now give mine every month also.
I use to stop it in the winter like DUKE01 but unfortunatly when we went in for my pitbulls heart worm test in the spring he was possitive a very light possitive but non the less possitive. We had a heart worm test done before going off of the pills so I know that he got them from a strry misquito that was living in my house. We did the treatment that was 500.00 and put  him through  a lot so I personaly would keep them on pills every month all year.

Louie is having to go through the treatment for high positive heartworms just because his previous owner would not use the prevention.     Its really awful, if he even goes on short walks he starts hacking, coughing, and puking. Also the heartworms are expelled through the lungs so he is coughing up this brown, blackish gunk.  His treatment has to last two months.  That means that he won't be able to play for two months.  And you will be waking up in the middle of the night because of the coughing.  The steroid that he has to be on makes him drinks more and eat more, so I have to watch everything now.  

Its better just to give the prevention than have your dog put through this much pain.  It might get really cold up north but you never know.

 

[Starr05]

[quote:1nuppi8l]I use to stop it in the winter like DUKE01 but unfortunatly when we went in for my pitbulls heart worm test in the spring he was possitive a very light possitive but non the less possitive.

As Sharon said, it takes 6-7 months for heartworms to show up on a test; if you went in March or April for the test, that means your dog contracted the worms no later than September or October, not during the winter months.

 

[g00dgirl]

Starr,
If you have any paperwork or anything, or can call your vet to see when he was tested, I would be very interested to know the month he was tested.  According to the Heartworm society's website it can take at least 6 months for them to show up on a test.
I'm sorry that had to happen to your pup

 

[Starr05]

Well if you go from November to May when I started him on the pills again that IS  6months
How on earth did this become a thred in which I need to prove anything?
I am not even the original poster to this thread I simply gave my opinion on giving heart meds year round, It SHOULD be given year round. All I did was post about what happened when we decieded to go ONE winter with out the meds and it wasn't a good idea. That was the first time we had done it beacuse we were also told that in the winter it wasn't needed. But in MY opinion I don't care WHAT ANY ONE or ANY ARTICLE says it SOULD be taken all year round. If you decied not to that is YOUR opinion, but I have learned that it is NOT worth it. Again I am not quit undersyanding why this has become a thred that I NEED to defend myself? I am not the original poster.

 

[Catosmommy]

I"m sorry you and your pup have to go through that. It's horrible. It's better to just keep on with the prevention. Don't worry he will get better