For heartworm disease prevention, trust #1 vet-recommended HEARTGARD® Plus (ivermectin/pyrantel).
Heartgard Plus is the top choice for a heartworm preventive. The oral medicine is for dogs and cats. Its individual flavor is that of beef. The chewable tablet is loved by a large population of dogs due to its flavor.
Melarsomine. Melarsomine is the only FDA-approved adulticide therapy for heartworm disease. The AHS-recommended protocol, which is considered safer and more effective than alternative protocols, consists of an initial injection followed one month later by two injections spaced 24 hours apart.
An injectable drug, melarsomine (Immiticide®), is given to kill adult heartworms. Melarsomine kills adult heartworms in the heart and adjacent vessels. This drug is administered in a series of injections. Your veterinarian will determine the specific injection schedule according to your dog's condition.
The FDA has also approved injectable melarsomine dihydrochloride for killing adult heartworms in canines, and a topical combination of imidacloprid and moxidectin for ridding a dog's bloodstream of microfilariae.
Up to 20kg – $141.00. Up to 35kg – $186.75. Up to 50kg – $232.50. Heartworm test – $67.50.
At the Holistic Veterinary Center, we recommend seasonal heartworm prevention with oral monthly products. We recommend the Heartguard tablets as this product contains no other additional dewormers. If a dog has an allergy to this product, another form can be compounded by a compounding pharmacy.
Prognosis: heartworm treatment success rates
With the three-dose adulticide protocol described above, in conjunction with doxycycline and macrocyclic lactones as recommended by the American Heartworm Society, 98% of dogs will be cleared of heartworm infection.
Although there are fewer mosquitoes in the winter, there is still a risk that your pet could get heartworms if you stop giving heartworm prevention medication during this season. That's one reason veterinarians strongly recommend pets receive heartworm prevention medication year-round.
If you have a breeding dog, a pregnant dog, or a puppy between 6 and 8 weeks old, Heartgard Plus is the safest option. If you're hoping to find a broad-spectrum product that protects against fleas and ticks while it defends against internal parasites, Simparica Trio is the clear winner.
Simparica is safe and effective in the treatment and prevention of flea infestations.
Trifexis is one of the leading oral combination heartworm preventatives. It is a once a month chewable tablet that prevents heartworms, kills adult fleas and also prevents hookworms, roundworms and whipworms. Sentinel Spectrum does the same, with the added benefit of preventing tapeworms.
Because heartworms must be eliminated before they reach this adult stage, it is extremely important that heartworm preventives be administered strictly on schedule (monthly for oral and topical products and every 6 months or 12 months for the injectable).
About NexGard SPECTRA
NexGard SPECTRA® is a highly palatable beef-flavored chew that kills fleas before they can lay eggs, ticks and mites while eliminating gastro-intestinal worms and preventing heartworm disease, lungworm and eyeworm infections.
Heartworm in dogs is prevalent across Australia and can be a serious and potentially fatal condition. Knowing how to prevent heartworm is essential for all dog owners. Luckily, there is plenty you can do to keep your pooch safe and healthy.
Heartworm disease can cause lasting damage to the heart, lungs, and arteries of affected dogs, and reduce the quality of life for a dog long after the parasite is gone. For this reason, prevention is by far the best option and treatment should be administered as early as possible.
Ivermectin is most commonly used as a heartworm preventive in dogs and cats. It also used 'off label' or 'extra-label' for treating a variety of internal and external parasites.
Most of the monthly heartworm medicines have a safety factor of at least 15 days of protection if a dose is missed. This means that if you're just a week or two late, your pet is likely still within that window of protection and would be unlikely to become infected during that time.
Why Is Heartworm Preventative So Expensive? The big drug companies that sell heartworm preventative make a healthy profit off of their products and are not about to help owners find a cheaper option. I do not have stocks in these companies, do not market their products, and do not mind if you find an alternative.
Ivermectin. Ivermectin-based Heartworm medications are given orally once per month. Ivermectin is a broad-spectrum antiparasitic drug used in humans and animals. In monthly Heartworm prevention, the dose of ivermectin is low but effective at killing Heartworm larvae.
Heartworm disease, as the name suggests, are worms that infect the heart. In Australia, the prevalence of heartworm disease is highest in subtropical/tropical areas (Darwin up to 100%, Brisbane 34%) and northern temperate areas (Sydney 25%). Dogs are the most important hosts, but cats may also be susceptible.
Note: If your animal requires emergency veterinary care and you can't afford treatment, contact nearby veterinary colleges to see if they have any emergency assistance programs. If you are unsure what qualifies as emergency veterinary care, call your veterinarian and describe the symptoms.
Slow Kill Method
While not generally recommended, another method of handling heartworms is to only attack the microfilaria, leaving existing adult heartworms to die of natural causes. This is known as the slow kill method. It's cheaper and does not require a rest period and debilitating adulticide.