Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Time for heartworm prevention

We Delawareans joke about our state "bird" as being the mosquito. Actually, it's no laughing matter. We are bombarded with mosquitoes during the summer. I dread the thought of having to give Ren more medication but I am concerned about heartworms. She has always taken Interceptor but was off of it when she was sick. Do you think it is ok to give her Heartguard. I purchased the plain Heartguard without the intestinal parasite control. The only ingredient is Ivermentin. My vet says it is better to have heartworm prevention that heartworm disease. I agree but I am so paranoid about what caused the AIHA. Also, the Heartguard is for dogs 1-25 lbs. Would you divide the tablet according to the dogs weight so they are not taking many mgs? SUE

Susie Delaware

I know what you mean...I think we're all in the same boat. I believe Heargard is the worse of the two evils. I think that you can dose Intercepter every 45 days instead of 30 and my vet recommended that we give half in the morning, then the other half in the evening so as not to bombard the system. I recently read that Ivermectin is toxic in some breads, including beagles and schnauzers. I'm not sure if that is also the same active ingrediant that is in Intercepter. Scary times, I know. I don't know what we will do. Last year, we didn't protect Tiggs after his dx in July, simply because he just wasn't stable enough. melissa and tiggs

melissa slc

Alex was diagnosed last end of last May and my regular vet said it was okay to give frontline and I think heartworm. I gave neither. I gave him heartworm and frontline around Mid May last before I took him to the kennel and when I returned he was sick. My regular vet said frontline does not get absorbed into the blood stream but rather stays in the skin tissues. Seems to me early on I asked the Internal Medicine doc about frontline and heartworm and she said no don't give it. I'll have to ask again but I think I'll take my chances at this point with it. Now if I lived in an area where there is a high risk from mosquitos I'm not sure - what a dilemna....

Chris Pa

I am also in the same boat, Wylie was on heartgard Plus at 45 day intervals and 7 days after I gave it to her she had a relapse,she could have relapsed sooner, but I didnt notice the symptoms until a week later. My vet thinks this could have been the trigger. He also said it could very likely been the plus part and to revisit when mosquito season starts up which is will be shortly, they are just starting to come out, I am really confused because he said we could try interceptor since its only for heartworms, but when I look online it says the exact same thing as heartgard plus, kills hearworms roundworms and hookworms so what am I missing? My thought is to have her tested every 2-3 months. You have to not just look at mosquitos, but is there a high heartworm outbreak in your area. Chris you have probably read here many say their dogs AIHA was triggered by Frontline. Laurie

Laurie CA

Personally I would NEVER use Frontline. The medication in Frontline is absorbed in the blood stream and kills fleas systemically. IMO, it must be some powerful chemical that kills an insect when it gets a taste of a dog’s blood. Heartguard+ and Interceptor both have medications that kill intestinal parasites. I purchased the Heartguard that only contains Ivermectian. It was rather difficult to find the "plain" Heartguard. I had to order it on line with a prescription from my vet. Heartworms will not show up on a occult test for six months. That is when they start shedding the marker for adulthood. So even if you have your dog tested every coupe of months, it is somewhat futile. Ren has a Vet appt on Tuesday; I will get more answers then. SUE

Susie Delaware

Suzie, if the heartworm doesnt show up for 6 months the why do they test before putting a dog on it? I wonder what the controversy between heartgard and Interceptor because I think everyone here said to use interceptor over heartgard. I did read some dogs cant take interceptor. And I did read about this last year many people used heartgardw ith no problems. Oh man, you brought up a good point I hadnt thought of about the weight, Wylie has gained weight and she is now 57# which means the 50-100# which I wont do If I do decide to put her on the regular heartgard. Someone else here said they split it and do twice a day their vet said it was okay. Laurie

Laurie CA

A heartworm test is done before administering preventive meds. If adult heartworms are present and the medication is given it can have bad side effects. Also heartworm medication will not kill adult heartworms. Wylie is a good example of medication dosing. She is only 57 pounds but the medication covers 50-100 pounds. So in theory, is she taking almost twice as much as she needs?? That might be OK for healthy dogs but not good for dogs with AIHA. BTW Laurie, how is that sweet Wylie doing?? SUE

Susie Delaware

Ginger gets interceptor every 45 days and has been on it prior to and after she was diagnosed 1 1/2 years ago. I do not use any front-line on her or any of my other dogs, I don't even think it works therefore definitely not worth the risk. I do like the idea of giving her 1/2 in the am and pm. Cheryl & Ginger

Cheryl & Ginger Pineville PA

*sigh* I have not yet made Tillie's appointment for heartworm testing. I NEVER gave heartworm meds to Stormie 12 months a year...only from April to December. Vets want you to do 12 months b/c they are afraid we won't remember to give the meds. I have also spaced the Interceptor 45 days apart (some were a bit longer) but the company will NOT stand behind their medication if the dog is not given the meds every month. We are certainly stuck with some hard choices. Most vets don't get it at all. Mrs. Gates

Mrs. Gates Michigan

This thread was discussed between 31/03/2009 and 03/04/2009

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