[quote user="DumDog"]what about the ones that outright kill the adults? when do they use that treatment? is it rare? [/quote] There is a trade off point between the damage the worms do and the stress of the heartworm treatment.  A vet has to decide where the line...

The pup's vet visit should also be for the purpose of getting a heartworm "preventative" or a prescription for a heartworm "preventative". The "preventatives" kill immature heartworms and thereby "prevent" adult heartworms. The term "preventative"...

since we're in Florida we have to do year round prevention. You definitely need to do yearly tests in your area.  Unfortunately heartworm "preventatives" are not foolproof.  If an immature heartworm gets into an area of low blood flow, it may not get enough of the pesticide...

i give Kaydee what the vet recommended (heart guardplus) but i have known some people that give the horse wormer Ivermec to their dogs instead of the heart guard.... when i asked the vet he kinda rolled his eyes and gave an answer kind of like "hmm yeah well... its ok BUT... this is better"...

[quote user="ColleenC"]Actually, hearworm meds don't stay in the system. [/quote] ColleenC is correct. Interceptor and Heartgard are out of the dog's system in 24-48 hours. The "preventatives" prevent adult heartworms by killing immature heartworms. Heartworm "treatments"...

[quote user="chezra"]At that time if there are no adult worms found she can be treated for any that she might have gotten. [/quote] No, this sentence doesn't make sense. Janie could get baby heartworms in Florida and your next dose of Revolution will kill them. Any adult heartworms that...

The term "heartworm preventative" is confusing. The "preventative" prevents adult heartworms by killing any existing young baby heartworms. If a dog gets baby heartworms from a mosquito bite and a "preventative" is given within a month, those baby heartworms are killed....

[quote user="ajdude"]He isn't on a Heartworm preventative, I am pretty sure of that. [/quote] You really need to go to a vet and get your dog checked for heartworms! If your dog has them, they can kill him. See this site: www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=2&cat=1621&articleid...

[quote user="Katran"]If it's safe to treat him for worms before seeing a vet, I'll do that while also looking for a low-cost/no-cost vet. [/quote] I am not a vet, but if it were my pup, I would go ahead and try Safe-Guard. It is a gentle wormer that has been used for a long time. The...

Texas is almost as bad as Florida, so heartworm "preventatives" are needed year round. "Preventatives" only kill microfilaria - initial heartworm stage (next growth stage must be inside a mosquito) young heartworm larvae less than about 45 days old (age is from the infecting bite...