Checking preventatives

A lot of people stop flea and tick stuff in the winter - depends where you live, but what the vet said sounds okay.  There was just a thread that mentioned a link about the temps fleas/mosquitos need to live, etc - I'm sure you could search for it.  Where I am it might stay above freezing a few times before christmas - so I would consider using flea stuff till then depending on weather.  All depends on the year.  Frontline Plus seems to be the popular one around here.  I just started using the frontline spray not all too long ago and I really like it so far, but it was towards the end of summer when I started.
 
As for heartguard, there's some people that say you can go 40-45 days between doses but do NOT go over 45 days.  Something about the heart worms' life cycle.  I do it monthly so I remember and also do heartguard year-round.  Other people have preferences on heartguard vs interceptor, etc, but I use heartguard. 

I don't know. I have never had a dog that had fleas so I wouldn't use a pesticide on her. If she did get fleas I sure would use it. 
As far as heartworm preventative,,,I don't know where you live but you mentioned freezing so I think you might live in a cold state.   I live in ohio. [linkhttp://www.metropolitanvet.com/canine_heartworm_disease.htm]http://www.metropolitanvet.com/canine_heartworm_disease.htm[/link]  Here is a wonderful link to read about HW. its from a wellness clinic.  In this article it reminds us that the temperatures must remain 57 degrees for 14 days and nights for the heartworm larva to develop in the mosquito.  That will not happen in the winter. Right now it is in the 40s and this is October.  So for me,,,to give a pesticide to my dog when she doesn't need it is not going to happen.  
Why put these toxins into our dogs if they don't need it?  Bad enough when they do to prevent them from getting sick!

I use Inteceptor because it also controls hook, round, and tape worms.  Mine get theirs on the 1st of each month so it is easy for me to remember.  It only actaully stays in their system like 24 hours.  When that 6 month injection came out, ProHeart6, I tried it and it killed my 4 year golden retriever, Hunter.  I am on the Texas coast and here you have to use it year round.  Most years we don't even get a freeze and I walk the beach barefooted at least a couple of times every month of the year--more if I didn't have to catch the ferry over.

As to flea stuff, I use it when I see fleas and boy, have I seen the fleas this summer and  the FrontLine is not working like it has in the past.  Use to be i could go at least 30 days, usually as long as 6 weeks during spring, summer and winter without seeing a flea on them.  now they have fleas in less than 2 weeks and the company says use it no more than every 30 days.
 
EDITED  I typed in tape worms and it is not tape worms but whip worms as well as the hooks and rounds.  Sorry about that.

I switched a month and a half ago fron Frontline to Advantix. The Frontline wasn't doing the job and after the switch, the fleas are no more.  I use Heartgard the year round every month. Not taking a chance on Heartworms which is a horrible disease for the dog....

You are right about it being a horrible disease.  Our next door neighbors refused to use HW prevention  because their dogs were "inside dogs". I could not convince that them their dogs could get bitten any time they went out to do busines, that mosquiots come in when doors are opened 9and they had two kinds ina dn out all the time).  Well, a little over a year ago both were diagnosed with heartworms and the older one died the end of Jan.  His last month was awful....would walk about 10 feet and collapse grasping for air.  They still have never had the younger one treated and i hvae no idea how much time she will be around.
 
Honey, our golden mix had heartworms when we adopted her.  Treamtnet is rough but now almost 4 years later you would never know she had the worms or the treatment.

ORIGINAL: sandra_slayton

You are right about it being a horrible disease.  Our next door neighbors refused to use HW prevention  because their dogs were "inside dogs". I could not convince that them their dogs could get bitten any time they went out to do busines, that mosquiots come in when doors are opened 9and they had two kinds ina dn out all the time).  Well, a little over a year ago both were diagnosed with heartworms and the older one died the end of Jan.  His last month was awful....would walk about 10 feet and collapse grasping for air.  They still have never had the younger one treated and i hvae no idea how much time she will be around.

Honey, our golden mix had heartworms when we adopted her.  Treamtnet is rough but now almost 4 years later you would never know she had the worms or the treatment.

What amazes me are the people that won't give the Heartworm prevention medicine year round to save a few dollars and wind up spending hundreds and hundreds  of dollars when their dog comes down with Heartworms, if it survives....

What amazes me are the people that won't give the Heartworm prevention medicine year round to save a few dollars and wind up spending hundreds and hundreds  of dollars when their dog comes down with Heartworms, if it survives....

 
Woah,,,but I'm not sure that any of us that don't give HW prevention year round, do it to save $$. I know I sure don't do it for that. I do it because I don't want to put poison in my dog when its not necessary.  It IS necessary when the temperatures are up and the mosquito can carry the HW to our dogs...but when the temperatures are down below 57 (as stated in the website above) the danger is gone. I believe THAT is when there is so much of a bigger danger to the dog to give them the pesticides!

If  I could get by with it, I would not poison my dogs 12 times a year, but here in the Texas coast, we have no choice.  And most that do not give the heartworm pills don't bother with treatment either.  The neighbors next door that couldn't afford the pills for their two dogs could spend hundreds each month on those collector cards --Poke man or what they are--and all kinds of those martial arts type cards, plus $40 for boards for their boys to break in tie kwan doe ---however it is spelled.    A lot of times it is must a matter of not wanting to spend the money.  Other times is a matter of believing if you dog is an indoor dog, he can't get them.  I would think even a child would figure out mosquites come into homes when the door is opened, ride in on humans & animals, and most certainly can bite when the dogs go out to do business. 
 
And then this tops them all.  One one of my golden forums, new owner of golden, first dog, asks the vet about heartworm pills and the vet said the dog didn't need them because she had him in Advantix and mosquitoes wouldn't bite--and this in Florida.  She moved  to another state, went to vet and found that her dog really did need to be on pills.  She was horrified to learn that the repellent only stays on the dogs about 3 weeks.  Well, her dog is now on heartworm pills after a negative reading for heartworm test.