Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - ? about heartworm meds

Its that time of year, mosquitos are starting to come out in full force and we do have a heartworm problem here. Unfortunately my vet thinks her heartgard plus may have triggerd her relapse. It happened a week after I gave her her heartgard+. So my vet said there was one he carried, I cant remember, either sentinal or interceptor thats the same as the plain heartgard, I looked both of those up and they have the parasite meds in them like the heartgard + so I dont know what he is talking about, do you? I know many here use plain heartgard with no problems, I think I will have my vet put in a prescription to a place, where is a good cost effective place? But another thought,and what do you think of this. I dont know if this is like a loaded handgun, but I read there are people that refuse to give their dogs heartworm meds and just get them tested like every 3 months and if it were to show up its so early in the stage they would then give them the heartworm pill that would kill off the bug because its so early in the lifecycle stage. Thanks Laurie

Laurie CA

Just bumping up and to add, I think its important is Wylies age, she is 12. I also read somewhere that the heartworm needs 5 days of over 60 degrees to to develop, we dont get that until probably May, but they can get in the house. I guess I need to ask teh vet when he sees the most cases. Laurie

Laurie CA

Laurie, Aden posted the same question and didn't get any responses either. We fortunately don't have too many mosquitos so we have never had to decide if we should trust the manufacturers on this. I hate that it is one of those "between the devil and the dark blue seas" dilemma. Especially if your Vet suspects Wylie's relapse was brought on by using the product. I have probably gone way to far to the other side on any chemicals or vaccines for my dogs but that is just a personal decision. I even have questioned how will I feel if my daughter ever makes me a Grandma and it comes time for all the baby shots. I wish I could recapture that innocence that companies and our government are looking out for our best interests but having walked the road of AIHA I think it is gone forever. Penny

Penny Lytle Creek Calif

Laurie: I've been meaning to reply to this but have been busy. Sheba, our 12 year old GSD/Cocker Spaniel mix takes Iverhart Max. In fact, when she was diagnosed last year in April we missed her usual dose (we give it to her year round) and when I asked the vet about giving it to her once Sheba came home she said to go ahead. We have been dosing her once a month ever since and have had no problems. Granted, every dog is different but we've had good luck with this product so you might check it out. Glad to see Wylie's numbers are holding steady, too. Sheba is doing okay - holding at 39 but her weight is way up and her back legs are pretty weak. We just keep trying to limit treats (but it's so hard not to spoil her!) and walk some everyday. Hope Wylie continues to be happy and healthy! Rita, Mike and Sheba

Rita IA

My dog also was diagnosed with IMHA exactly one week after I gave all five of our dogs their monthly dose of Heartgard Plus. I never found out exactly what caused the IMHA, but I have not used Heartgard Plus since then, as it could have been the trigger. I made the decision to use nothing for heartworms. Instead, I have my dogs checked every six months, and they have been negative each time. The vet told me that the heartworm test is good for one year, but I prefer to have testing done more often. If one of our dogs did contract heartworms, I would feel extremely guilty. But it's also difficult for me to give my dogs a medication that might have triggered IMHA. I wouldn't necessarily recommend what I've decided to do. At this time, this is what feels right for me. Fortunately, we don't have a misquito problem where we live. I might change my mind in the future, but for now, this is what feels right in my situation. Dr. Dodds recommended a daily heartworm medication - I don't remember the name of it. I mentioned it at our vet's office, but they had never heard of it. I might decide to look into this in the future. Sue

Sue PA

just my 2 cents, but sways been thru hell and high water with this disease so she will never get another vaccination, drop of flea product or heartworm- far too many horrible links

Josh California

Ditto what Josh just said.

Karen NC

Laurie - For your consideration - Dr. Dodds recommended (basic, plain, "original") Interceptor to me. As I understand it, it's a different drug than Heartguard and there are no additional drugs for other parasites. I want to minimize his exposure to the drug as much as possible so I give it every 45 days (rather than the 30 days the manufacturer recommends) and I do not give it year round (based on Chicago weather, it's usually over an 8-9 month timeframe - that may not be an option for you in CA). Dr. Dodds also recommended the daily med - I don't recall the name but I know several people have mentioned it, so you may be able to find it through the search feature. Bonnie

Bonnie Chicago

I am leaning toward the just getting the test done every 3 months. I am getting eaten alive in my house, I think they are spider bites because we dont have fleas. I need to get my house exterminated and I called one place about their non-toxic products and they said they will have someone call me back but said oh our regular products are safe for pets and children, they are water based. I dont care if they are water based. Its still a pesticide! Laurie

Laurie CA

This thread was discussed between 13/03/2009 and 18/03/2009

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