Heartworm preventative questions
- Thread starter noludoru
- Start date
And I'd like to see where you're getting that information, from a legitimate, non-blog type source. I just think you're putting your dogs in unnecessary danger just to save a buck.
And they're not 'all saying something different'. If they were months apart, that'd be them all saying something different, but they're all within the same time period and the molting speed will vary dependent on available nutrients and health of the dog, external factors, and, for lack of better phrasing, the chemical make up of the dog. In other words, the ability for the microfilarids to receive the signals that help them find where to migrate to in the body.
Only one of those things can be actively controlled in a study. The way each individual animal utilizes nutrients, even given the same in take, isn't quite as predictable as a thermostat.
And they're not 'all saying something different'. If they were months apart, that'd be them all saying something different, but they're all within the same time period and the molting speed will vary dependent on available nutrients and health of the dog, external factors, and, for lack of better phrasing, the chemical make up of the dog. In other words, the ability for the microfilarids to receive the signals that help them find where to migrate to in the body.
Only one of those things can be actively controlled in a study. The way each individual animal utilizes nutrients, even given the same in take, isn't quite as predictable as a thermostat.
My reply is obviously a bit late... but I do agree that $100 is really, really steep for a heartworm test.
I think we pay $30 per dog per year, which is definitely reasonable. I also live in an area where it's really important to keep up on heartworm medication.
Every vet I've been to around here requires a yearly heartworm test before they dispense any heartworm preventative.
I think we pay $30 per dog per year, which is definitely reasonable. I also live in an area where it's really important to keep up on heartworm medication.
Every vet I've been to around here requires a yearly heartworm test before they dispense any heartworm preventative.
Geesh a $100 Heartworm Test. My Vet charges $36. All my dogs have been on Ivermectin and all of them are fine.
So, lately there has been some minor drama between my vets' office and me over heartworm. They require a yearly heartworm test before they'll allow their clients to purchase heartworm medication, even if their dogs have been on heartworm preventative throughout the year. (Hell, they tried to convince my mom a few months ago that the cats need to be on heartworm medication and have heartworm tests even though they are indoors year-round and when they are outdoors, it's on a fully screened-in porch.) I haven't run out of the meds yet, but they have been pushing a $100 heartworm test on Middie since last year.
My main issue with it, to be completely honest, is the expense. $100 seems crazy to me. My next issue with it is that even if I have a reasonable certainty that my dog does not have heartworm, they wont allow me to purchase more when I run out without the taking the test, which would put him at risk. The way they are pushing it makes it seems like they're doing it for the money. Which I actually had some of before I got Middie.
I ended up getting into a debate with one of the receptionists yesterday over the whole issue. She was insisting that heartworm preventative doesn't kill off heartworms, and giving it to a dog that has heartworm would kill them. I explained that my understanding is that dogs with severe heartworm infestations were given the preventatives instead of the arsenic-based treatments to kill off the worms slowly - to make it easier on their bodies and to not cause big chunks of heartworm all dying at once in their hearts. That could be over-simplified, but it's the gist of the idea. One of the other receptionists chimed into the debate and confirmed that I was correct, and normal (or larger) doses of preventative are given to some dogs with heartworm as a treatment.
So, on to my question. You could probably have skipped all that, but I felt like rambling a bit.
1. Does a dog who has been on ivermectin for the last 2-1/2 years (and tested clear for it before then) really need annual heartworm tests to get more preventative when his heartworm prevention has been proven to kill off heartworm?
My main issue with it, to be completely honest, is the expense. $100 seems crazy to me. My next issue with it is that even if I have a reasonable certainty that my dog does not have heartworm, they wont allow me to purchase more when I run out without the taking the test, which would put him at risk. The way they are pushing it makes it seems like they're doing it for the money. Which I actually had some of before I got Middie.
I ended up getting into a debate with one of the receptionists yesterday over the whole issue. She was insisting that heartworm preventative doesn't kill off heartworms, and giving it to a dog that has heartworm would kill them. I explained that my understanding is that dogs with severe heartworm infestations were given the preventatives instead of the arsenic-based treatments to kill off the worms slowly - to make it easier on their bodies and to not cause big chunks of heartworm all dying at once in their hearts. That could be over-simplified, but it's the gist of the idea. One of the other receptionists chimed into the debate and confirmed that I was correct, and normal (or larger) doses of preventative are given to some dogs with heartworm as a treatment.
So, on to my question. You could probably have skipped all that, but I felt like rambling a bit.
1. Does a dog who has been on ivermectin for the last 2-1/2 years (and tested clear for it before then) really need annual heartworm tests to get more preventative when his heartworm prevention has been proven to kill off heartworm?