Loving my Oldies Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 ... but just one where I can at least see the same person more than once. I think this is really important. I go to a multi vet practice and ask for the same person all the time and if she is on holidays, there are a couple of others in whom I have complete faith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancinbcs Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Is heartworm preventative even required in Melbourne? I thought heartworm only went as far south as the Riverina. I never dose for more than absolutely necessary. I am lucky enough to live in the one corner of Sydney with no ticks and only use flea treatment in summer if there are fleas around. This last summer the dogs only needed treating once for fleas. We do have some heartworm in Sydney so I err on the side of caution and use Milbemax every 4-6 weeks for heartworm and intestinal worms. Vaccinations are C3 only as puppies, a booster 12 months later then 3 yearly. Due to two of my dogs having a severe adverse reaction to the heartworm injection, I will never use that again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted March 15, 2014 Author Share Posted March 15, 2014 Is heartworm preventative even required in Melbourne? I thought heartworm only went as far south as the Riverina. I never dose for more than absolutely necessary. I am lucky enough to live in the one corner of Sydney with no ticks and only use flea treatment in summer if there are fleas around. This last summer the dogs only needed treating once for fleas. We do have some heartworm in Sydney so I err on the side of caution and use Milbemax every 4-6 weeks for heartworm and intestinal worms. Vaccinations are C3 only as puppies, a booster 12 months later then 3 yearly. Due to two of my dogs having a severe adverse reaction to the heartworm injection, I will never use that again. To be honest where I live even in summer I might see a mozzie or two in my yard for the whole 3 months, certainly don't worry about getting bitten. With time I'll probably work out what combinations I want to use and how often. I just kind of freaked out because I thought she was being heartworm protected and she wasn't. I myself have never been vaccinated for anything in my life except my very first baby jab which I had a reaction to. I no longer take antibiotics and prefer to tough things out rather than medicate myself so I am keen to give my dog less stuff than necessary but I want to make sure I've considered what is best for her and where we live. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebanne Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Heartworm was in Melbourne over 25 years ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Heartworm in Melbourne - I remember dogs testing positive at the vets where I worked ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Yes, Heartworm is definitely in Melbourne. My hairdressers dog is presently at the vets being treated for heartworm. Where there are mosquitoes there is always a risk of heartworm. We seem to have mosquitoes all year round where I live. I wouldn't take the risk of not using a heartworm preventative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascalmyshadow Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Doesn't sound like a bad vet at least they aren't pushing a whole lot of unnecessary drugs on you. Personally I have never used a heart worm preventative and never will unless I have a dog catch it. Also Frontline is rubbish you are throwing your money away, better off using Advantage or Revolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erny Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Yes, Heartworm is definitely in Melbourne. My hairdressers dog is presently at the vets being treated for heartworm. Where there are mosquitoes there is always a risk of heartworm. We seem to have mosquitoes all year round where I live. I wouldn't take the risk of not using a heartworm preventative. Interesting cavNrott. Which district? And have your friends been anywhere else with their dog beforehand? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Yes, Heartworm is definitely in Melbourne. My hairdressers dog is presently at the vets being treated for heartworm. Where there are mosquitoes there is always a risk of heartworm. We seem to have mosquitoes all year round where I live. I wouldn't take the risk of not using a heartworm preventative. Interesting cavNrott. Which district? And have your friends been anywhere else with their dog beforehand? I'm pretty sure she lives in the Blackburn area Erny. I'm not sure if she took the dog when she went to NSW about 18 months ago. The dog is a senior SWF. I'm in Mt Waverley, we seem to always have mosquitoes here. I think a property at the rear of mine which has a spa that contains manky green water for most of the year would be a breeding ground for mozzies. Some of those mosquitoes are not normal size, they're huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Yeah I hear people say it isn't in Melbourne but everywhere in Melbourne we've lived has been mozzie paradise, so I use heartworm prevention to be safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted March 16, 2014 Author Share Posted March 16, 2014 Yeah heartworm sounds pretty invasive so I dont see the point in risking it. Anyway I dont think the vets we've seen have been monumentally bad or anything, I just would like some consistency and more of a specialised knowledge in caring for large/giant breeds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 (edited) Gremlins!! Edited March 16, 2014 by Aussie3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 I grew up the the Camberwell area of Melbourne and we were told by our vet at the time that it was a part of Melbourne where heart worm was prevalent so we have always used a heartworm treatment. Now I live bayside in the western suburbs and we have mozzies all year round! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 I grew up the the Camberwell area of Melbourne and we were told by our vet at the time that it was a part of Melbourne where heart worm was prevalent so we have always used a heartworm treatment. Now I live bayside in the western suburbs and we have mozzies all year round! I also lived in Camberwell for 25 years and the vet I used to go told me to ensure my dogs were on a heartworm preventative. Mozzies all year round in Mt. Waverley too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Yeah heartworm sounds pretty invasive so I dont see the point in risking it. Anyway I dont think the vets we've seen have been monumentally bad or anything, I just would like some consistency and more of a specialised knowledge in caring for large/giant breeds. an interesting link HERE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayla1 Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I asked my vets a while back about heartworm cases, and they said they had seen one case down this way in West Rosebud. Not sure if the dog had travelled beforehand and contracted it elsewhere though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rascalmyshadow Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I was told years ago heart worm is more common in the very affluent areas mostly because the owners and dogs tend to travel more. I am on the mornington peninsula near the wetlands with heaps of mozzies, have live here since 1987 and we've never treated for it or had a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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