Why is Ivermectin in dog heartworm meds if it's approved for cattle?

Yes it is safe to use these medications together. Just make sure you are using the ivermectin dose for heartworms or better yet a pre made heartworm product with ivermectin (Heartgard or otherwise). I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It's actually perfectly safe to use Heartgard (which has the active ingredient ivermectin) as a heartworm prevention if you like. It's true that Old English Sheepdogs and other herding breeds can sometimes have a genetic mutation (the mdr1 mutation) that makes them more sensitive to certain drugs, including ivermectin - this means that it might not be safe to use high doses of this drug in these breeds, such as the doses often used to treat scabies or demodectic mange. But at the very low doses used in Heartgard and other heartworm preventatives, these breeds have no issues at all - so it's fine to use this product if you like. If you're still concerned and want to choose a different drug entirely, Sentinel is another very effective heartworm preventative that has a different active ingredient (milbemycin oxime) which should not cause any issues at all.

I'm so sorry to hear that Buford has contracted heartworms. I adopted a dog with heartworms and it can be challenging to decide on the right treatment protocol for a high energy dog. First, let's clarify that at some point the adult worms are going to die. That can occur from us killing them with the medications that we call an "adulticide" or it can occur when the adult worms reach the end of their life expectancy. At that point. if Buford is exercising, the worm dying can results in a clot to the lungs. An adult worm can live up to 5 years, so you really should keep Buford exercise restricted until his heartworm disease has resolved regardless of how you treat it. Second, a higher dose of ivermectin does not result in the adult worms dying faster. It only keeps Buford from getting any more adult worms which will make his infection worse. I am attaching the following information from the American Heartworm Society ( https://www.heartwormsociety.org/images/pdf/Canine-Guidelines-Summary.pdf ). "In cases where arsenical therapy is not possible or is contraindicated, the use of a monthly heartworm preventive along with doxycycline at 10 mg/kg BID for a 4-week period might be considered. An antigen test should be performed every 6 months and the dog not considered cleared until two consecutive NAD (no antigen detected) heartworm antigen tests, 6 months apart, have been obtained. If the dog is still antigen positive after one year, repeat the doxycycline therapy. Exercise should be rigidly restricted for the duration of the treatment process." So, their recommendation is just to do regular heartworm prevention monthly (not higher doses of ivermectin) combined with Doxycycline for the first 4 weeks, then recheck a heartworm test in 6 months. At some point, if you keep Buford on heartworm prevention monthly, we expect that the worms will die and he will clear the infection. The worry is that the longer the worms are there, the more damage they can potentially do to the blood vessels. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Yes and no. There are two different protocols for treating heartworm infections. The first is a rapid kill method and this is generally preferable to a slow kill method. The rapid kill method will be completed within two months including the cage rest. This protocol tends to be preferred because it decreases damage to the heart from the worms. It does carry some potential side effects such as anaphylactic reactions and potential embolisms from dead worms. Some pets are not a candidate for this protocol. This protocol uses a specific medication called Immidicide. The slow kill method does utilize drugs like ivermectin. The worms will not be completely killed for 1 to 3 years and so on going damage is possible. During this time the dogs must make sure to take all the medications on time and as prescribed. Talk to your veterinarian about which option is best for Hollywood. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Please don't be scared, there's no reason for it! No, this prescription medication for flat and roundworms will not treat heartworms, you need a medication specifically labeled for that like Heartgard. It's part of a dog's normal healthcare to prevent against heartworm if it is prevalent in your area, and you can give your vet a call to see if heartworm is a concern in your country. If it isn't, then there's not need to worry :-)

The main difference is that the Iverhart Max will control an additional intestinal parasite (tapeworms). Otherwise the medications will both protect against heartworms, roundworms, hookworms and are generally well tolerated. The Max product does contain an additional ingredient (to kill the tapeworms). Again, this ingredient is generally well tolerated but watch Benji after giving him the medication for any signs of GI upset. Thank you for your questions.

Yes, there is a difference in how all the different oral and topical heartworm and flea/tick medications work. Yes, a heartworm medication needs to get into the bloodstream, so even topical heartworm preventions will get absorbed through the skin and into the bloodstream to work. Flea and tick medications can work topically only or can be oral and work internally. Which are safest products is probably a matter of opinion. I will say that a couple of the oral flea/tick medications have been associated with seizures, so I do not recommend those in dogs that have seizures. Potentially, a topical flea/tick medication that does not get absorbed might be considered the "safest", but we certainly see some skin irritation from those products as one of their side effects. I think it's always a good idea to separate out new products, so you know if Doice is having a reaction to either, but since the products work differently, I don't know that there is a huge benefit to giving them separately long term. There are so many products out there on the market that I can't really give you a specific product recommendation for your area, but I would certainly speak with your vet about your concerns and ask them for their recommendations for Doice. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.