heartworm questions

[Jennifer Hughes]

I live in a non-endemic heartworm area and thus know nothing about it. Do any of you prophylax your dogs if you live in a heartworm area?

I took Tanna to Utah and chose not to treat her ahead of time. From what I understand, now that we are back, she can have a test and if it's positive and in the larval stage, we can treat it with one dose of ivermectin.

Does anyone else travel in and out of heartworm areas? What do you do for your dogs? Test and treat each time or just prophylax them all the time?

[Grace Erick]

Here is an old article link about heartworm meds. You should be able to find a map, two in fact about where heartworm is in the U.S. and what months you should treat your dog for. The article said it had to remain at 60 degrees day and night for a dog to be able to transmit lavae for heartworm, so make sure your area really calls for heartworm meds.

nbc5i.com/family/3345322/details/html

I hope this works since I copied it by hand. There is a new drug out called Revolution, but there are no statics on it that I know of and giving a dog a new medication can be a little scary. I actually think Revolution is similar to
ivermectin since I believe it's made by the same company. Why they would make two vaccines is strange to me.

[Grace Erick]

For some reason, the link won't work. You can get it by doing a google search: heartworm +medications, and it will list the nbc5 article which compares heartworm meds.

Bye, Grace

[Grace Erick]

For some reason, my computer won't let me copy urls today. I wanted to post the heartworm map that tells you where it is. There are two, and one tells exactly which months the heartworm appears in. I think they say to give the meds one month before heartworms appear and 2 months after since heartworm is not present year round in some state or is not even in some states due to their climates.

I found the map doing a google seach under: heartworm +map. One map said Epidemiology and there was another one on a dog Mastiff site that had the months listed when heartworms were present.

These maps were actually posted already here, but I don't know exactly where they are.

[aussiesmum]

map itself: http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/merial/hrtworm/images/uscolorf.gif
article: http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/merial/hrtworm/hw_3.htm

[Melanie Xarti]

I absolutely have both my dogs on heartworm prevention. They probably wouldn't contract it here, but it's always possible. And I feel prevention is better than the cure. When we adopted Waldo, he was still recovering from heartworm treatment (he had a heavy infestation when he was rescued). Depending on the stage of infection, the treatment can be fairly simple, or it can almost kill the dog.
There used to be a proheart-6 injection (one injection for 6 months time) that was recalled. I believe it is currently being reviewed and may be back on the market sometime. Both my dogs receive monthly oral chewy tablets.
Heartworm is nasty!

[Grace Erick]

Melanie, definitely stay away from Proheart. The charts I was trying to post links for show all the fatalities and side effects from heartworm meds and proheart is by far the worst. It should have been recalled a long time ago. I suspect a pay off.

I have seen on this Chihuahua rescue that the dogs come in with heartworm a lot. I never noticed the states they lived in, but I guess they came from big heartworm states and as you say, some were in very bad shape from having heartworm.

I have to check with a friend, but there is a drug, I'm not sure if it's ivermectin that should not be given to herding dogs or collies, because it can be fatal to them.

[Melanie Xarti]

I definitely never considered the injection. I did a lot of research on Proheart when I first knew of it as an option. I always like to know what my dogs are getting and how it can effect them. I like to make informed decisions whenever possible. Besides, the dogs like they chewies. :D I'd be curious to see what happens with it if it is allowed back on the market (what changes and such were made). From what I've heard, it could happen in the near future.
Yeah, that whole collie thing is true, too.
I can't remember off the top of my head what should be given instead of ivermectin. It might be selemectin. But don't take my word for it.
It's really sad how many dogs come into rescue with heartworm and such!

[Grace Erick]

Hi Melanie,

I think that a lot of people buy dogs thinking that's all there is to it, and I can say I was somewhat the same to an extent, but I felt since there were books out there, something more was to be learned than just opening up a can of food or throwing down some kibble.

I've said this before, but I think dog's should all come with a brochure. If breeding dogs was a gov't program, they could show a video to people before were allowed to take their new dog home. Yes, there are books available, so a breeder does not have to send you home with one, but some people just don't think to seek out information.

How does a new dog owner know about heartworm, what it is or even that it is a problem along with other issues? I think breeders should just charge an extra $10. and give a manual with each dog they sell specific to the breed, even for little things like chihuahuas like to sleep under covers, so it would be kind to provide one for their bed if they don't sleep with you, things like that too that promote a sense of saftey and comfort to your specific breed.

Bye, Grace

[Grace Erick]

I think I have it now. This is the link to heartworm meds:

http://www.nbc5i.com/family/3345322/detail.html

It's an older news story and I'm sure the numbers are off, especially for Proheart where a vet may not want to report he contributed to killing a dog with this medication, and because the vet can justify not reporting it if an autopsy was not done, and even then, you have to prove you didn't cause the problem with the dog's diet or something the dog ingested.

[Grace Erick]

Heartworm map:

http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/merial/hrtworm/hw_3.htm

You have to click on the colored map.

[Amber]

What breed is Tanna? Some breeds can't take Ivermectin.

[Jennifer Hughes]

Wow - tons of information from you guys. Most of Canada is heartworm free, with a couple of exceptions. Her risk from our trip to southern Utah in March seems to be really low.

Amber - We're not sure what Tanna is - herding dog (Aussie or Border Collie) + GSD +/- retriever. From my reading, I'm pretty sure she can safely take Ivermectin.

Grace, thanks for the links. By the way, did you see the info I posted under the doggy hiking bag thread? You'll love hiking with your dog in Banff and Jasper...

[Grace Erick]

Jennifer, I have short term memory and don't know where to find the hiking topic now. What is it under?

Unforntuantely, I caught the last 20 minutes of the Travels Channel's program on the Canadian Rockies/Jasper and Banff. It was awe inspiring. WA state is beautiful too, but in a different way, and it seems the wildlife in the Canadian parks are all over on the hwy and everywhere. In WA, you have to go deep into a trail and be quiet and carefully look around for wildlife like bear and elk.

[Jennifer Hughes]

Grace,

It's under Doggie Chat, under the thread titled Doggy hiking bag. Someone was wondering about doggy backpacks intially. All I really said in response to your question was yes, you can hike in Canadian National Parks on most trails with your dog on a leash.

Lots of wildlife, lots of wilderness. Washington is supposed to be beautiful!! I'll have to hike there sometime.

Jen

[Sheryl]

I live in northern Canada, where there is no heartworm. However, I will travel to places in the summer where there is known to be heartworm and ALWAYS put my dog on prevention.
It is not true that Canada is almost heartworm free. Maybe we have less than in the States because much of Canada is too cold, but there is definately heartworm in Canada (there have already been more than 20 cases this year). The areas that have the most heartworm are southern Ontario and Manitoba, and some in Southern Quebec, British Columbia, and a couple in the Atlantic Provinces. Last year was the first year that it was found in Alberta too. For a Canadian map, go to the Canadian Heartworm Database at:
http://www.dirofilariaimmit is.ca
Click on your language of choice, then on 'Canadian Data' and a map will pop up for 2005, click on '2004' for that year.

[Jennifer Hughes]

Hi Sheryl,

I know there is heartworm in Canada - mainly Ontario, Quebec and even the Okanogan. But I live in Calgary and spend most of my time in Alberta and the Kootenays of BC, where there have not yet been reported cases.

I chose not to prophylax my dog before going to Utah, which was a relatively informed decision (lots of reading, medical background). I am now deciding whether or not to test and then treat her since we are back. The risk at this time of year in Utah and for only 1 week of exposure is quite low. I still may decide to test her. If she is negative, I do nothing. If she is positive, and in the larval stage, I treat. We've only been back for a few weeks, so I cannot imagine that she would have progressed to a more severe stage yet if she is indeed infected.

I think my decision to prophylax my dog in the future will be based on the degree of risk of each individual place we go.

[Jennifer Hughes]

sorry Sheryl,

You are right - I just read that there was a case in Alberta. I still don't think I am going to put her on preventative medication... yet.

Thanks for the information!

[Chris Smith]

I was told by my vet that heartworm is often overlooked and much more problematic than people realize. Most dogs owers are concerned with fleas and ticks which are annoying and can cause some sickness but heartworm can cause extreme sickness or even death (according to my vet). She told me that dog owners can use alternative methods, etc. for fleas and ticks (unless you're in a Lyme disease area for the ticks) but should definitely use a preventative for heartworm since the dog is often very sick by the time someone realizes they have heartworm.

[Sheryl]

I know that back when I was a kid and the heartworm prevention was a chewable that had to be given every day, two of our three dogs got heartworm because we forgot doses. (We lived in Southern Manitoba, Canada)
Apparently Proheart is still in use here in Canada, given subcutaneously for season long prevention. (My vet thought that it was still used in Europe and other areas too.) My sister said that although it does have some problems, the adverse effects are often less than they would be if the dog got heartworm and then had to be treated for it. Not her first choice, but better than no protection in high-risk areas. The drugs that are used to treat heartworm are terrible, some are given by deep lumbar injection, not nice at all.
My sister's understanding is that Scotch Collies (lassie!) and border collies and crosses of those breeds shouldn't take ivermectin. Better to consult with your vet.

[Grace Erick]

Sheryl, since there are other heartworm meds, I see no reason to use one that has proven itself to be fatal over many years and was never taken off the market until perhaps now.

It's unfortunate that vets will still use the stuff if it isn't taken off the market, so you have to do your own research before you let your dog get ANY medication from a vet including for anethesia and for pain. There are always better meds and anethesia perhaps than the one your own vet uses, so if that is the case, I would change vets.

I didn't like the vaccinations my vet gave, so I changed vets who used ones I thought my dog needed. He was the one that also wanted to blood test my dog for heartworm and put her on meds when we don't have that problem, so you can't always trust your vet, sorry to say.

Bye, Grace