Heartworm Testing

[Ren]

Hi,

My boy has been on the yearly Proheart injection which is almost due again. I would like to switch to monthly heart-worm prevention chews or tablets.

I wasn't aware that dogs had to be tested for heartworm before having preventative medication, my vet just gave him the Proheart injection after asking if he was already on preventives or not, no test.

Can I just switch to chews without a test? Should he be fine after having been on Proheart for a year?

Thanks

[cavNrott]

Yep, you can change over to oral heartworm chews without a test because your dog hasn't had a break of more than a 4-6 weeks without being on a heartworm preventative. Just wait until the expiry date of the current heartworm injection to fall due before you start the dog on the chews.

It's good that you're changing over to oral meds. I don't like the idea of the annual injections.

[Ren]

Thank you! I'm glad the test isn't needed, he has been at the vet every week for a month, then this was almost due, he's quite sick of the vet.

I picked up some interceptor spectrum chews for him now.

The amount of chemicals when he had the injection was quite daunting, but it was the horror stories that got me. Thankfully he had no reaction to it.

[Tara8430]

I've also recently changed from the injection to tablet form, wi went with valuheart. Abbey was due last month so I left it till start of this month to give the tablet.

I thought if they had never had the injection and you wanted to go with the injection the had to be tested, but I also thought there was an age thing as well.... If the are a pup or something and they haven't been on heart worm preventative they don't need a test! I could be wrong ....

[Ren]

At the time I was ignorant about it all, but having researched I don't understand why my vet didn't test him first. That made me confused about the whole thing. We are with a different vet now regardless.

I see a lot of people are using valuheart here. Does it cover intestinal worms as well?

[Sandra777]

I see a lot of people are using valuheart here. Does it cover intestinal worms as well?

No it doesn't but there is absolutely no need to worm an adult dog monthly so I see no point in paying for something totally unnecessary and potential my harmful. My adults are wormed only when a fecel count shows it's needed - which is hardly ever :-)

Edited July 6, 2014 by Sandra777

[DeltaCharlie]

Heartworm takes between 3-5 months to mature and become an issue for them. It can be interrupted at any point during that 3-5 months without any problems. Unless you have had a break in cover for longer than that there is no need to test first, that goes for injection or tablets.

We use interceptor on our guys, but only administer it every 3 months. We give it the 1st day of each new season to help us remember :)

[Ren]

Good point. I might make the switch after I'm out of Interceptor. Thanks :)

And thank you DeltaCharlie for clearing that up for me.

Edited July 6, 2014 by Ren

[Dogsfevr]

At the time I was ignorant about it all, but having researched I don't understand why my vet didn't test him first. That made me confused about the whole thing. We are with a different vet now regardless.

I see a lot of people are using valuheart here. Does it cover intestinal worms as well?

We no longer heartworm our dogs the risk is low in our area & the drugs have changed so much since we did with all new bells & whistles added.

But when we do give our dogs drugs we prefer to give each item separate .

We only gave a heartworm tablet

We wormed every 3 months

Never had to use flea/tick so see no point using a product that covers all with more drugs