Dog Community

Posted : 8/14/2006 7:13:06 AM

ORIGINAL: mondayblues

How long do you give heartworm prevention? Forever -- or do you stop when the dog reaches a certain age? And how does the vet test for heartworm in dogs?

Also, do I have to keep my dog on flea/tick prevention? I used Frontline on her a couple of months ago, and there haven't been any fleas/ticks since. Should I start doing flea/tick prevention or should I just give Frontline when I find that she has fleas on her?

I would keep my dog on both products throughout her life. I believe the vet does a blood test for heartworm. You can decide if you want, and depending on where you live, to not use the products in the winter. Last winter Millie and Max didn't get anything because they aren't really at risk then. We started putting it on them again in the middle of March, based on temperatures. The vet gives us the packages saying to use them from April to December, but if it gets warm earlier (I forget the numbers) you should start using it earlier.

agilebcs

Posted : 8/14/2006 7:13:56 AM

I'm another person that buys from PetShed with no problems. I think a few months ago someone posted here who bought from another Australian company and it was a little cheaper than PetShed but I don't remember the name of it.

agilebcs

Posted : 8/14/2006 7:15:51 AM

Oh, and I usually buy my Interceptor from EntirelyPets.com and their prices are usually the cheapest or close to it that I can find.

You should test your dog once a year for Heartworm if you don't use a preventative all year round. If you do use it year round you can test every 2 years. It's an inexpensive blood test.

Elizabeth Lutz

Posted : 8/14/2006 8:22:53 AM

I buy from PetShed.com and Ive always been happy with them. My vet told me I only need to treat for fleas Once every three months??? I had been doing it monthly from April through November here in Ohio, but just stopped that last month and will give it every three months now. If he proves to be wrong then Ill go back to montly but so far so good. My stepmoms vet told her the same thing so shes only treating every three months as well. If you have a tick problem or live near woods or your dog regularly visits wooded areas then Id do frontline monthly since its only good for 30 days for ticks. I do heartguard every month and I get the generic from petshed too. I did not need a prescription to get the heartguard although both of my dogs had been tested and given heartmeds at their office for the first month.

marlania

Posted : 8/14/2006 10:20:17 AM

ORIGINAL: calliecritturs
And another alternative to Frontline is the Frontline spray -- again that's way more cost-effective than the pipettes. You're supposed to use one spray per pound, and I use half that and even in Floor-daaa, land of the giant bugs (*sigh*) I don't have a problem.

I really like the Frontline spray. Even in the bug-infested area in south Louisiana that I'm in, it keeps my dogs clean with no problems. We've also used it at our rescue kennel, and it's helped the dogs there tremendously. And, like Callie said, it's way more cost-effective.

I also buy Interceptor from EntirelyPets.com. I get the 12 month supply and split it between Brown and Grey.

Heartguard and Frontline