# Do you use heartworm medication?



## shaner (Oct 17, 2010)

I've been using heartworm medication since I got my dogs and over that time I've read a lot of things saying that it might not really be necessary. 

So I'm wondering if you use heartworm prevention medication and why or why not.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I am not. I am in the Pacific NW and I don't take her south where there are many mosquitos. it is a trade off between all these chemicals and a slight risk of heartworm but she is mostly an inside dog anyways.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

It depends on where you live for the most part. In the high desert mosquitoes are a theoretical concept.

Standing water is not really a problem out here. I have seen swarms of mosquitoes by the Carson River and if I lived close to it..like on the bank, I would treat for HW. As it is I have to drive for miles to get to the river!

No mosquitoes in the open desert!  Now Rattle Snakes on the other hand.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

This is one I don't mess around with and give all year. Our property backs protected wetlands and the mosquitoes can be _nasty_.

We use Heartgard.


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## Girl_Loves_Hydraulics (Apr 13, 2014)

I do heartworm prevention based on the season. I live in the Midwest, no need for heartworm prevention during the winter here (at least that's what every vet I've ever dealt with said lol). At the current time, we use Sentinel.


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## Ruby'sMom (May 25, 2014)

We are vacationing at my parents in Northern California, and I just gave heartgard to Ruby before our trip. My childhood dog almost died from the treatment for heartworm. It was horrible. I will not risk it.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

I live in Central Florida and give my dogs HW meds 12 months a year!!!


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## LeoRose (Jan 10, 2013)

Texas Gulf Coast here, and mine are on Iverhart Max year round.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

South Carolina year round yes.


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## mauser1 (Feb 24, 2015)

I live in Ohio and use Heart guard year round. I had a dog die from having heartworms when I was in high school (it was so bad they couldn't treat her, she had previously been a stray), so I don't want to take the chance. Heartguard is only like $7 a month from our vet, so it's one of those things I'd rather be safe than sorry about.


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## CDR Shep Mama (Mar 14, 2015)

Shep came to us HW+ at 8 months old. He's still in routine for treatment and goes in for his first round of immiticide injections on May 12th.

I will never forget to give him his HW medication; this is one of the scariest and most heartbreaking thing my family has ever gone through.

He was found in South Carolina and we live in North Carolina.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

I never take chances with my dogs health. I give it year round, always.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

CDR Shep Mama said:


> Shep came to us HW+ at 8 months old. He's still in routine for treatment and goes in for his first round of immiticide injections on May 12th.


Best wishes for Shep! Thank you for taking him in and getting him good care! Having done this a bunch of times, I know it's very tough on the dogs and their people, but he'll be so happy when it's all done.

A few things to ask for (many vets offer this stuff routinely, but if it's your first time taking a dog through treatment, I offer it so that have some idea of what's coming): The shots REALLY hurt (way more than a normal shot), so if your dog is squirmy, light sedation may be something to talk with the vet about. You also want to be sure you leave with pain meds when you take the dog home with for the next few days--you'll need them for a few days (they moan and sometimes have trouble getting up, as the injection site is so painful). You will probably also leave with a RX for prednisone for the period while the worms are dying (which has all the usual side effects--peeing a lot being the main one--but it's very helpful while worms are embolizing). Your dog will be very lethargic for several days after the shot -- this is a very common reaction, and it always worries me, no matter how many rescue dogs I've done this with. It typically starts to wear off around the fourth or fifth day in my experience.

Also have your vet teach you the number of breaths in a resting state to watch for -- there's a number where if it goes over that, you are supposed to go immediately to the emergency vet. I got into a habit of watching them breathe while they slept, and just routinely counting breaths for a minute. 

I send my very best wishes for you all as you go through treatment. It's tough, but you are doing the right thing by getting the worms out of him!:hug:


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