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Pet Supplies Tips :: Heartworm Medicine
Heartworm Medicine: Preventive Medicine for Heartworm
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Preventing heartworm infection is as easy as obtaining heartworm medicine from your veterinarian. To learn more about preventive heartworm medication, including different types of drugs and their effectiveness, keep reading.
Types of Heartworm Drugs
The pills approved for heartworm prevention in the U.S. are milbemycin (sold under the brand Interceptor and Sentinel), ivermectin (sold as Heartgard and as a generic drug), and moxidectin (sold as ProHeart). All these are typically sold in chewable or pill form.
Moxidectin is also available as an injection that covers either a 6-month or 12-month period and is administered by a veterinarian, but not in the United States. Pet owners in Japan, Canada, Australia and Korea can obtain moxidectin injections under the brand names ProHeart6 and ProHeart12.
For cats, heartworm prevention medicine is available as milbemycin (also sold as Interceptor for cats), ivermectin (sold as Heartgard for felines) and selamectin (sold as Revolution for Cats), which is a topical cream.
Effectiveness of Heartworm Medicine
Preventive heartworm drugs are very effective and when they are regularly administered, will protect more than 99% of cats and dogs from heartworm infection.
Most failures are caused by irregular or incorrect administration of the drug. However, the monthly versions of heartworm prevention drugs typically have a long margin for error.
For example, if a pet owner misses a month's dose, the dog is typically protected for at least another month as long as the next two doses are administered on schedule. It's also important to maintain heartworm medication before, throughout and after mosquito season.
How to Administer Heartworm Drugs
Monthly drugs for heartworm prevention should be given to your pet beginning a month before the start of your local mosquito season. The treatment should then continue for a month after the end of mosquito activity.
In warm climates, like tropical and subtropical regions, heartworm prevention medicine should be administered year round. Some veterinarians even recommend year-round use in cooler climates, on the off-chance that a warm spell could lead to mosquito activity.
Most heartworm drugs are available as chewable tablets. For pets that don't like taking pills, most veterinarians recommend hiding the pills in their food.
Side Effects of Heartworm Drugs
Side effects for most heartworm drugs are rare, but this may be because it is difficult to diagnose unapparent side effects or side effects that aren't obvious. Remember, your dog can't tell you that he's having a headache.
However, higher doses of heartworm medicine can cause diarrhea, tremors, weight loss, vomiting and possibly death. It's important to never give your pet a double dose and to keep your heartworm medication safely out of reach of both your pet and your children.
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PetSuppliesTips.com :: Heartworm Medicine