# Any recommendations for online purchase of Heartgard plus?



## Mog (Aug 10, 2012)

Hi all,

I tried to purchase Heartgard plus from 1800 petmeds, but now they state they need a prescription. I called my vet, they won't call Petmeds, but will write out a prescription, which will be ready after work. 

The problem is that we are going camping in two weeks (Memorial Day weekend) and Maximus will be do for his next pill. The vet gave us a sample, which is the only time he's taken it. 

I only plan on giving him the Heartgard while it's warmer out and the mosquitos are out.

Has anyone dealt with any of the online Canada pharmacies in the past that they would recommend? I won't have time to send the Rx to Petmeds and get them delivered in two weeks... and I can't afford the $18 a pill the vet wants...

Thanks!


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

I don't know any place that would sell it without a prescription. If you vet has that kind of policy that you must get all stuff from them I would find another vet. 
My vet sells products at comparitable prices so I do get a lot of stuff from her.


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

You can purchase Heartgard for under $7 a pill from Pets Megastore in Australia and Vet Meds for Pets which I believe is in Canada (but ships from Australia) without a prescription ... HOWEVER ... it takes about 2 weeks or so for the mail delivery.
Pets Megastore : discount medical supplies for pets
Heart Wormers - Heartgard Plus - Vet Meds for Pets


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## LeoRose (Jan 10, 2013)

Why don't you ask your vet if they will price-match the 1-800 Pet Meds price? (Hint: KV Supply is usually cheaper than 1-800 Pet Meds.) My vet will price-match most things, but I've been using them for the last 15+ years.


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

I read somewhere that if you purchase heartworm medication from the vet, and the dog gets heartworm, the manufacturer would cover the medical expenses.

Has anyone else heard this?


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

Cheerful1 said:


> I read somewhere that if you purchase heartworm medication from the vet, and the dog gets heartworm, the manufacturer would cover the medical expenses.
> 
> Has anyone else heard this?


Yes. There are so many fraudulent products out there you really have to be careful. If my vets prices weren't good I'd buy else where aas long as it was a reputable company.


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## Mog (Aug 10, 2012)

The vet is writing a prescription, so that's not a problem. Just trying to get it filled reasonably within 2 weeks is the issue. I saw Petdrugs recommended too, but again, most likely take a couple of weeks to be deliverd.

The assistant said the vet said they won't call PetMeds as they don't recommend purchasing from them as they get their supplies from a 3rd party supplier and are not an authorized reseller... I haven't looked into that yet.

I'll figure something out


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

If your vet can send it directly to Drs Fosters & Smith it should only take a few days.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

check out Pet Supplies | Dog & Cat Supplies, Pet Meds | DrsFosterSmith.com Pet Products

Reputable company, USA based, shipping is free for orders over $49 for ground shipping. Usually takes 5-7 days standard shipping.






Mog said:


> The vet is writing a prescription, so that's not a problem. Just trying to get it filled reasonably within 2 weeks is the issue. I saw Petdrugs recommended too, but again, most likely take a couple of weeks to be deliverd.
> 
> The assistant said the vet said they won't call PetMeds as they don't recommend purchasing from them as they get their supplies from a 3rd party supplier and are not an authorized reseller... I haven't looked into that yet.
> 
> I'll figure something out


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

btw, I see you live in N.C. I would suggest you give heartguard year round.

Since we don't really get hard freezes, ponds and such stay open all year round, it only takes one of those 2-3 day warm spells we get in the winters here in the south to reactivate mosquitos.


It's one of those better safe then sorry things and the active ingredient in heartguard (ivermectin) has been used long term in dogs for quite a few years now with few problems.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

If you don't mind switching from Heartguard to Iverhart (generic form of the exact same ingredient), *Iverhart Max* at KV Supply costs less thanr $30 for 6 pills (under $5/pill), including shipping: 
https://www.kvsupply.com/iverhart-max-for-dogs-50.1-to-100-pounds-6-ct

Last time I ordered from KV on a Sunday, I put the written RX in the mail to them the next day (on Monday), and by Thursday, they were already mailing out my meds. I think I had them in hand the following Monday. It was very quick.

Alternatively, you could have the vet write out the RX for *PetTrust Plus* instead of Heartguard Plus. Again, it's supposed to have the same ingredients: How it Compares | PetTrust Plus . You can fill that at your local Walmart Pharmacy or Sam's Club Pharmacy-- call them for pricing, but I believe it's around $30 for 6 months, possibly less. Details are here: Where to Buy | PetTrust Plus

ETA: I totally agree with keeping your dog on it year round in the South! Trust me, if $18/pill at your vet's office for HW preventative is giving you pause, the cost of HW treatment will really upset you -- $1,000 is pretty typical.


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## I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO (Oct 4, 2006)

Could you just buy one dose from your vet to get you through your trip? Also, heartworm prevention meds actually work for 45 days (my vet verified this when we were waiting for meds in the mail). Now, I only give it every 45 days.


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## Cheerful1 (Sep 27, 2011)

I remember my vet saying the Interceptor worked for 45 days, even though we had been giving it to Joey every 30 days.


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## JackandMattie (Feb 4, 2013)

I agree with the others about giving it year round. I also thought it was okay to stop over winter, but we were living in N Louisiana, and that was a _huge_ mistake. My weim tested positive. The bill was $800. Ouch! But my guilt and heartache hurt so much worse.

She's fine now, but that was a _long_ three (or was it six...hmm, it was a few years ago...) _months_ after the treatment, keeping her calm and not getting to run around and play at full tilt. No zoomies


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## Mog (Aug 10, 2012)

Thanks for all the info! I've been going back and forth on giving it to him all year, but sounds like I should for his sake. 

I checked out the KV site and I'll try and order from them. With the Rx the vet give me, can I get either the Heartgard or Iverhart? Both are reasonably priced, but the $108 plus tax for 6 pills for a 25-50lb dog at the vet was a bit much.

Max is getting his Rabbies shot in 2 weeks (few days before our trip) and I'll see if I can purchase one if needed then.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I would definitely give it full year there! Does the vet have any concern about the gap in coverage already? When we moved from Asheville to the Charlotte area, I stuck with my winter gap in HW coverage and wound up with heartworm infected dogs. Never again will I let a dog miss even one month of HW 

Your pup is at the weight range for the adult dose yet? For Beau we got quite a few months of single pills at the vet until we got to the right size.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

Ck walmart, if the scrip is written out for Heartguard that is the only thing you'll be able to use it for.

Here, walmart 6 month supply for 51-100lb dog is 59.00.

I'm assuming it's cheaper for the lighter weight.


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## wildwolf60 (Apr 13, 2001)

Drs Foster and Smith will fax a request to your vet. I've been doing that the last couple years and have no problems. They even send me a reminder email that it's time to get more, and I just have them send a new request for a script. Very easy. Usually have a good sale too.


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

Or... just use injectable ivermectin from your feed store. Oral dose .1cc per 10lbs of bodyweight every 30 days. It'll control your hookworms, roundworms, whips, and heartworms.

So much easier, no prescription required.


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## San (Mar 22, 2012)

Do you have a Costco or Sam's club card? I got Heartgard at Costco pharmacy for my 55# GSD a couple of months ago, forgot the exact price, it was around $40 for 6 pills, and they can get it ready while you shop.


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## Zookeep (May 17, 2012)

marbury said:


> Or... just use injectable ivermectin from your feed store. Oral dose .1cc per 10lbs of bodyweight every 30 days. It'll control your hookworms, roundworms, whips, and heartworms.
> 
> So much easier, no prescription required.


.1cc per 10 pounds is not the correct dose for HW. That is the dose for demodex mange. The demodex dose is around 40 times the HW dose.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

Gwenhwyfair said:


> check out Pet Supplies | Dog & Cat Supplies, Pet Meds | DrsFosterSmith.com Pet Products
> 
> Reputable company, USA based, shipping is free for orders over $49 for ground shipping. Usually takes 5-7 days standard shipping.


I order Heartgard from them every year.


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## BowWowMeow (May 7, 2007)

I_LOVE_MY_MIKKO said:


> Could you just buy one dose from your vet to get you through your trip? Also, heartworm prevention meds actually work for 45 days (my vet verified this when we were waiting for meds in the mail). Now, I only give it every 45 days.


Actually they work 45 days backwards.


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## Gwenhwyfair (Jul 27, 2010)

ehhh I'd be careful with that statement, you have to adjust the doseages for different worms, like whip worms with the ivermectin. 

Also, I do the liquid Ivomec too, but there are some precautions which need to be taken. 

If a person has only one dog I think it's more adviseable and convenient to stick with the heartguard or iverheart.....




marbury said:


> Or... just use injectable ivermectin from your feed store. Oral dose .1cc per 10lbs of bodyweight every 30 days. It'll control your hookworms, roundworms, whips, and heartworms.
> 
> So much easier, no prescription required.


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

Zookeep said:


> .1cc per 10 pounds is not the correct dose for HW. That is the dose for demodex mange. The demodex dose is around 40 times the HW dose.


Sorry, we have different manuals or different educations. Feel free to call the practice I work at and ask all three of our full time and both our part-time veterinarians. Dr. Lena Harris will even dose higher.

Demodex TX oral ivermectin is given daily, not monthly.


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## Zookeep (May 17, 2012)

marbury said:


> Sorry, we have different manuals or different educations. Feel free to call the practice I work at and ask all three of our full time and both our part-time veterinarians. Dr. Lena Harris will even dose higher.
> 
> Demodex TX oral ivermectin is given daily, not monthly.


Oh, believe me, I know the demodex dose is daily. I did it for 6 months.

While the vets in your practice may recommend .1cc per 10 pounds for heartworm, that doesn't change the fact that it is around 40 times the dose found in Heartgard. 

DogAware.com recommends that you dilute the Ivomec 30:1 and then give the dose your vets recommend.



> Mix 30 parts glycerin, propylene glycol, or vegetable oil to 1 part ivermectin 1% solution. Shake well before using to mix the ivermectin evenly. Refrigerate any unused portion (do not store mixtures with vegetable oil).
> *Dosage using Ivermectin 1% solution at 30:1 dilution for heartworm prevention (you may want to double these doses for better protection)*:
> 
> 
> ...


Here is the math. The amount of ivermectin in Heartgard for a 50 to 100 pound dog is 272 mcg (micrograms) which is 0.272 mg. Each cc of Ivomec contains 10 mg ivermectin, so for a 100 pound dog your dosage of 1 cc is 10 mg, or 37 times the amount in Heartgard.


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## marbury (Apr 3, 2012)

Zookeep, I'm not going to argue with you. I presented my clinic's recommendation. That is yours.

We will agree to disagree.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Zookeep is correct. I did my own math for my own dog. The 0.1ml/10lbs is why so many collies got sick in the first place. Dogs with Ivermectin sensitivity are ok at 10 times the normal dosage per the package insert, but the "folk dose" folks us is 40 times normal! The toxic dose on this stuff can be way high for a normal dog! I think like 400 times for some research beagles but why give your dog more of a poison than is needed to do the job?

My math is consistent with what is said by zookeep. And I would expect anyone doing this to be 100% sure of their own math in their own head if they are going to do this. 

For an 80lb dog (using spreadsheet notation 10E-6 is 10 to the minus 6th, not e, the natural base, ok?-just no option for superscripts on the forum)

(2.72 x 10E-6 grams/lb*)x(80lb) = 217.6x 10E-6g or 2.18 x 10E-4 grams

A 1% solution is 1gram/100mL - so -

(2.18 x 10E-4grams) x (100mL/grams) = 0.0218mL

I give 0.1 mL which is 5 times the necessary dose. 0.8mL would be 40 times the necessary dose for my dog.

*the dose from the insert is 2.72mcg per lb. See heartgard.com, package insert is on the webpage. 

Now you can get into all sorts of trouble. there are different concentrations of ivomec and, for goodness sake, ivomec plus is NOT the same as heartgard plus and can be dangerous. I am not going to mess with diluting anything because I can introduce air and contamination so I just use a 1cc syringe and take my time and wear my reading glasses because it is viscous and hard to pull up with that fine a needle...also, keep it out of sunlight as it degrades in the light etc.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I just started doing my own dosing last year because I got tired of not being able to find prepackaged doses without worm, or flea and tick meds. My dogs come up clean on worms and have for YEARS so why should I worm them every month with chemicals? Why should I be forced to use flea and tick meds as well if I am not having a problem? So I gave up on getting regular old interceptor or even heartgard and went to ivomec.

Edit - for the vets - you really can't argue with the math unless you can point out some flaw though I have redone the calculations several times and am comfortable with that kind of calculation because I have degrees in and have taught chemistry for years and have worked as an analytical chemist, and it is simple dimensional analysis. What question I would pose for the vets is WHY is 40 times the dose in the manufacturer's directions appropriate? Degredatation of product in the bottle? margin of safety?


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## Neko (Dec 13, 2012)

I am using 1800-PetMeds® - Huge Savings and The Best Guarantee
and VetDepot - Pet Meds - Save More - Guaranteed

Just ordered Sentinel, I am done with Trifexis.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I just wanted to update -- my latest HW preventative order to KV Vet was submitted online on Sunday night because they had a sale ($26 and change for 6 pills of Iverheart Max--about $4.50 per pill). I received it on my doorstep yesterday (Thursday), just four days later. It was even faster than last time, since I now have a RX on file with refills available.


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