# PARASITE PREVENTION....help please



## Réa538 (Mar 25, 2021)

Hello! I'm the proud owner of an 8 week old german shepherd... bringing him home Thursday evening. I have hit quite the conundrum as I'm sure many people have. I want to protect my pup from parasites, but with all the medications and all the potential hazards from each one, I have no idea which I should go with! The breeder uses interceptor for worms (covers many different worms, including heartworm) but then there is the flea and tick prevention issue. Can anyone tell me what they have used that really works but has less potential harmful side affects for my pup? I would love to use something natural with no chance of harming my pup....but there are conflicting thoughts there as well. Can someone help??


----------



## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

For intestinal parasites I add diatomaceous earth daily to my dog's food,mixed with a little water.It's natural, safe,and 100% effective.Ask your vet and research it.

I don't believe there are any effective heartworm meds that are "all natural".
Some people swear by sprays such as Wondercide to repel fleas and ticks,but I've never tried it.


----------



## Réa538 (Mar 25, 2021)

dogma13 said:


> For intestinal parasites I add diatomaceous earth daily to my dog's food,mixed with a little water.It's natural, safe,and 100% effective.Ask your vet and research it.
> 
> I don't believe there are any effective heartworm meds that are "all natural".
> Some people swear by sprays such as Wondercide to repel fleas and ticks,but I've never tried it.


Thanks for the info! What do you give for heartworm, if anything? I've seen the Wondercide sprays and thought about trying.


----------



## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

dogma13 said:


> For intestinal parasites I add diatomaceous earth daily to my dog's food,mixed with a little water.It's natural, safe,and 100% effective.Ask your vet and research it.
> 
> I don't believe there are any effective heartworm meds that are "all natural".
> Some people swear by sprays such as Wondercide to repel fleas and ticks,but I've never tried it.


I have been thinking about this for a bit now, may be will pull the trigger. You are being redirected...


----------



## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Réa538 said:


> Thanks for the info! What do you give for heartworm, if anything? I've seen the Wondercide sprays and thought about trying.


I order heartworm meds from Canadavet. They have several brands to choose from.I like Valueheart,but you can read the labels and research them.If you decide to order from them it takes a couple of weeks since they go through customs.They have the same brands as we have here in the states and always good dates.Check them out and see what you think


----------



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

*There are NO holistic HW prevention remedies*. Anyone who says there are either lives in the far north where there are no heartworms to challenge the claim, or isn't testing annually to see if their claims are correct -- and they won't be paying your vet bills if your pup gets infected.

The risk of product failure is a life-threatening infection. Heartworms aren't like intestinal parasites that you get rid of with an OTC dewormer. They're in the lungs and they block pulminary arteries and heart chambers. Untreated infection results in a slow, painful death in which they drown in their own fluids. Fast-kill HW treatment consists of an arsenic-derivative injected 3 times over 2 months, which is WAY more toxic than monthly prevention pills, and costs over $1000, with 3 months of crate rest with no walks or play, and a series of painful injections). It's honestly pure negligence as an owner to not keep a dog on prevention that costs as little as $5/month for an FDA-approved, legitimate product.

You need to have a vet recommending a product specific for your pup and your area. In mine, some popular products have documented resistance and aren't working -- people who try to skip going to a vet can end up buying a product that has break-through infections in our area. Not all products are recommended for young pups either. You need a relationship with a good vet who will guide you.

You may also need to talk with the vet about tick-prevention, depending where you are. They also can transmit deadly diseases. There are options to do all in one (combining flea, tick, and heartworm prevention, like Simparica Trio), or separate them using different targeted products. Your vet is in the best position to help you figure out which is right for your pup.

I don't recommend foreign pharmacies because many of them are store fronts for sketchy Asian outfits selling counterfeit meds. You have to be VERY discerning to use them as it's "buyer beware." I found one that looked like it was in Britain that some sleuthing turned up to be just a UK mail drop box to mask an Asian fulfillment center. They might send real meds. Or fake ones that kill the dog. There's not way to be sure. When I buy dog meds online, I buy from US-accredited VET-VIPPS-approved pharmacies that sell the same meds the vet sells, not foreign knock-offs.


----------



## Réa538 (Mar 25, 2021)

I appreciate your input! I know heartworm is so scary so are ticks. My father contracted lyme disease from a tick when he came to visit from alaska...that was indiana at the time. that was months and months of treatment. Ugh I live in Florida now and ticks are a concern in many areas. I got some pamphlets from my vet the other day with different options. I'm just a bit confused on which one to use because there are so many and they all have such scared documented side effects. Just trying to pick the best and and least risky medications.


----------



## Sunflowers (Feb 17, 2012)

If you live in Florida, Nexgard and Heartgard.


----------



## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

Canadavet isn't a shady company. Amazon on the other hand, has sellers that provide knock off brands and several that are banned for use in the US and known to be dangerous or lethal.


----------



## Max’s Owner (Aug 10, 2020)

Réa538 said:


> Hello! I'm the proud owner of an 8 week old german shepherd... bringing him home Thursday evening. I have hit quite the conundrum as I'm sure many people have. I want to protect my pup from parasites, but with all the medications and all the potential hazards from each one, I have no idea which I should go with! The breeder uses interceptor for worms (covers many different worms, including heartworm) but then there is the flea and tick prevention issue. Can anyone tell me what they have used that really works but has less potential harmful side affects for my pup? I would love to use something natural with no chance of harming my pup....but there are conflicting thoughts there as well. Can someone help??



Talk to your vet and ask them --specific to your area. IF you do not trust the response find a new vet.


----------



## Verachi (Mar 22, 2021)

I use Valuheart for heartworm prevention. I don't do monthly deworming after doing the basic rounds of dewormer on a puppy. I've never had my dogs eat anything other than their food so it's not something I worry about and seems overkill. For fleas, I only treat as needed (when I find a flea on one of the dogs which is rare). Depending on where you live, you may need to treat monthly. I personally like Nexgard


----------



## Catrinka (Aug 6, 2020)

Definitely depends on area you live as to how aggressively you need to work at preventing fleas and ticks. Your vet is the best option for letting you know how serious the problem is in your own area. 

We're in the southeast US and both are a real problem here. If we get a particularly freezing stretch in winter months, I'll occasionally stretch out the flea/tick preventative to 6 or 7 weeks rather than every month. I use Nexgard and Interceptor Plus and wish there was a natural product that could handle fleas and ticks in our area, but haven't found anything that works well enough.


----------



## AKD (Jul 18, 2020)

Catrinka said:


> Definitely depends on area you live as to how aggressively you need to work at preventing fleas and ticks. Your vet is the best option for letting you know how serious the problem is in your own area.
> 
> We're in the southeast US and both are a real problem here. If we get a particularly freezing stretch in winter months, I'll occasionally stretch out the flea/tick preventative to 6 or 7 weeks rather than every month. I use Nexgard and Interceptor Plus and wish there was a natural product that could handle fleas and ticks in our area, but haven't found anything that works well enough.


I am in the southeast and using the Seresto collar for flea and tick. However this is our first summer where we will be outdoors a lot more as last summer she was little puppy. Hoping it works.


----------



## IdunGSD (Mar 30, 2021)

We live in north area and our vet recommended heartguard and nextguard too. I used it each month though it was freezing cold from November to March. 585 dollars per year.


----------



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

You can also get a US-made, generic versions of Heartgard to save money -- examples are Iverheart and Tri-Heart Plus. They're typically about $5-and-change per month (~$30-ish per 6 pack). Here's where I buy a lot of my RX meds:
Tri-Heart Plus Chewable Tablets For Dogs | Free Shipping | Allivet (they often have $5 of 50 coupon codes). I think WM and Costco sell Tri-Heart Plus too in their pharmacies.

I like Advantage Multi because it handles fleas and HW (with no resistance) for around $13/month. They have a new version that is HW only (Coraxis) that can be paired with a Nexgard or Simparica. 

I view Nexgard and Simparica as interchangeable for tick prevention. I've used a lot of both. I can't tell any difference. Supposedly Simparica lasts about a week longer in its protection. It's usually a little cheaper - it used to be a lot cheaper than Nexgard, but there was a big price hike last year. Simparica also usually has rebates through Zoetis Rewards (online).


----------



## leterhof (Oct 15, 2021)

Three weeks after the birth of puppies, it's advisable to make the first prophylactic stage of deworming. Usually, anthelmintics are used for this purpose, not in the form of pills, but in the form of a suspension (not only to make it easier and more accurate to calculate the dosage but also to reduce the risk of intoxication in the animal). It is believed that cleansing parasites' bodies will form a quality immunity in sheepdogs against various infectious diseases (including distemper). And be prepared to do prevention as an adult, too. Study http://fenbenlab.com/, this remedy can help with that.


----------



## bdel8383 (Jun 14, 2021)

Réa538 said:


> I appreciate your input! I know heartworm is so scary so are ticks. My father contracted lyme disease from a tick when he came to visit from alaska...that was indiana at the time. that was months and months of treatment. Ugh I live in Florida now and ticks are a concern in many areas. I got some pamphlets from my vet the other day with different options. I'm just a bit confused on which one to use because there are so many and they all have such scared documented side effects. Just trying to pick the best and and least risky medications.


have you tried a company to spray your yard? it's not 100% proof but i have a local company in mass that sprays for ticks and mosquitos and you are good to go on grass less than 15 mins after application. We are OVERLOADED with ticks in my area, and knock on wood, my dog who does not have tick medication did not get a single one on her all year. I know only solves your yard, but something to look at


----------



## bdel8383 (Jun 14, 2021)

AKD said:


> I am in the southeast and using the Seresto collar for flea and tick. However this is our first summer where we will be outdoors a lot more as last summer she was little puppy. Hoping it works.


My sister swears by the Soresto collar for her two Bernese. We used them for our English Bulldog and Chihuahua. Bulldog was perfectly fine, but the Chihuahua started experiencing seizure like movements and shakes shortly after starting the collar. After two weeks after collar came off, 7 months going on no further behaviors. Not sure if related or not.


----------



## Réa538 (Mar 25, 2021)

bdel8383 said:


> have you tried a company to spray your yard? it's not 100% proof but i have a local company in mass that sprays for ticks and mosquitos and you are good to go on grass less than 15 mins after application. We are OVERLOADED with ticks in my area, and knock on wood, my dog who does not have tick medication did not get a single one on her all year. I know only solves your yard, but something to look at


Thanks for the tip! I have an HOA in my community and they spray the grass now and then, but I have no idea what they are spraying for! I'll look into it!


----------

