Reminder tick and heartworm preventives

[pukka]

Hi all,

For those who are not familiar yet about when to give your dogs/cats their
heatworm and tick preventives. I usually start in march.
Some vet say that you should give the heartworm preventives all year but
it is still chemicals and I don't want to do that when there are no flies around
who carry the heartworm during the winter.

I walked my dog this morning and I saw a tick crowling on his fur YUKKIE!!! :(
Be aware and ask the vet info about this.
I give my dogs/cats frontline/advocat but Iverheart Plus from Virbac is cheaper
and as good (for heartworm)

[Scarlet13]

My vet said to wait until April, do you think that it might be a geographic reason? I guess we can start early because in Canada where they will be going there is no heartworm so I won't even need the last 2 or 3 months of it.

[alibuch]

I just got Louise her heartguard and frontline today. It was way cheaper than in the States... 22,000w for both. Frontline alone is $45 at home...

[Ryan]

when you see the bugs starting to come out, that is when you know it is time to start the treatments. :) :)

[pukka]

Actually when the bugs are around that is already too late because flees
will plant themself at that same moment on your dogs fur,bring it to the house
and the disaster might start.It is really hard to get rid of them once they
start breeding eggs in your house.
Adcocat or fronline for dripping their neck cost between 10.000 and 15.000won

The same for heartworm.Once flies and bugs are around those flies who
carry heartworm will be around as well. So be aware and give your dog at
least a heartguard for 5000won (3000won on the internet)
Frontline oral medicine is only 8.000won (Daejeon vet)
You cannot start early enough and end this in october when you live in Korea
because heartworm can cost between 150.000won and 600.000won!

Another thing,for those who has/had pups. Heartworm test doesn't show result
when they are younger than 8months.
Every dog older than 8months should be checked once in a while to make sure
they are negative. Spend the 25.000won for this test,it is more than worth it.

[pukka]

My vet said to wait until April, do you think that it might be a geographic reason? I guess we can start early because in Canada where they will be going there is no heartworm so I won't even need the last 2 or 3 months of it.

You should compleet to give the heartworm preventive because you don't know if
your dogs got a bite or not.If they did get a bite the preventives only works for
the full 7/8months of treatments.
Its not like 1pil is enough for 1month,they leave the country and its OK because you
won't know they got a bite or not.

[Scarlet13]

Good point, I'm not used to dealing with HW anymore, its a big deal in Ontario but it is unheard of in Saskatchewan. I haven't seen any bugs yet. But the three of them are going to start on Saturday.

[Karen]

Heartworm preventative medicine works retroactively to ~30 days, so you can start after the mosquitoes come out, but you must continue to 30 days after they disappear. My dog has always been on medication (in Korea, starting from April), but honestly, I didn't know how horrible the disease was until I had a foster dog with it... So I wasn't 100% diligent with the meds until after I had to deal with treatment :(

Anyway, I read that getting a dog tested every couple of years is good even if they have always taken preventative. Happy to say that Sage tested negative last week!

Lots of info about heartworm disease is at the HeartwormSociety.org (http://www.heartwormsociety.org)website, but of course nothing about Korea.

[Karen]

Oh, yeah. April start in Korea because the mosquitoes come out as early as spring. But if the season is unusually warm, starting earlier is advised. Vet knows best, of course. Here in Quebec I don't need to start til June. Heartworm disease is only transferred by mosquitoes, but like pukka said, the combo meds deal with fleas, ticks, and other things... So if you like to hike with your dog then tell your vet so and see if s/he recommends starting earlier or using a different drug. I'm not sure of all the options.

[Jenkins150]

Where is the best place to order frontline/advo and the heart guard on the internet?

[LolaMarigolda]

Where is the best place to order frontline/advo and the heart guard on the internet?

You've got to have a scrip to get the HeartGuard and Advocate. 1-800 pet meds and Foster and Smith both carry prescription medications including heart wormers. For Frontline/Advantage type products, I generally order from Jeffers since they are always cheaper than F&S (and they ship to my APO), and I know they don't buy products intended for the Australian market. (The products are slightly different than the North American formulas and some pets have had adverse reactions.)

[Jenkins150]

If I use the advocate for my dogs, do I need the heart guard? I went to a new vet recently ( moved to a new city) and asked for frontline ( what my other vet used) and the heart guard. The vet doesnt speak a lot of English but pointed to a sign about advocate that shows that is works for the treatment/control/prevention of Roundwoms
Hookworms Lice fleas and heartworms etc.

So I am a little confused and can't seem to find another vet to ask about it.

[jenninator]

No, you wouldn't need Heartguard in addition to using Advocate. Here's a product info link on Advocate: http://www.bayeranimal.com.au/default.aspx?Page=50&ItemId=38
It prevents the same thing as Heartguard plus more.