Traveling from infected dog to healthy dog, this summer’s mosquito crop will do its best to infect your pet with heartworm. Have you taken the one simple step that will protect your furry companion from this dreadful disease?
Schedule a quick heartworm check at one of our clinics. The Pipestone Veterinary Clinic professional staff requires a precautionary blood test before assigning heartworm medication.
“It only takes ten minutes and a drop of blood,” according to Dr. Nicole Weber. Heartworm prevention at Pipestone Veterinary Clinic begins with a blood test to ensure your dog isn’t already infected before treatment. “If we start a preventative but the dog already has heartworm it could die from an allergic reaction to the dying worms.”
After the blood test, Pipestone Vet Clinic offers three medication choices. Dr. Weber says there are some notable differences among the three products.
Three prevention options
“Iverheart MAX® is a small flavored pill that works to actually treat four intestinal worms (hookworm, whipworm, roundworm, and tapeworm) and prevent heartworm. It is the generic version of Heartgard® which makes it more economical…but not all pets like the taste,” Dr. Weber explains.
Heartgard® Plus comes in a chew-tab form—more like a dog treat. It treats two types of worms (roundworm and hookworm) and works to prevent heartworm.
Revolution® (for dogs and cats) uses a different mode of action. You apply it between your pet’s shoulder blades once a month to treat fleas and ticks (This product isn’t 100% effective against ticks, Dr. Weber cautions). It also treats roundworm, hookworm, and works to prevent heartworm.
Simple prevention steps vs. complicated treatment
Heartworm treatment is possible and survivable for dogs, but less effective for cats. Cats that have contracted heartworm are more likely to suffer from the allergic reaction to dead worms in their systems.
Dogs with heartworm should be treated in a hospital and full recovery takes at least a month. To learn more about the disease and treatment talk to one of our veterinarians or visit the site Dr. Weber recommends: www.heartwormsociety.org. You can reach our Veterinary Clinic at 800-658-2523.
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