~ Heartworm Treatment ~

How do you administer Ivomec? Oral or Injection

 

We give paste oral

 

I have used Ivomec for yrs, and it works wonders. Much cheaper than the pills. It should not be used in collie or collie type dogs however, as they tend to be sensitive to it. I have also treated a 6 month old dane with generalized demodectic mange using the ivomec. She had mange so bad the vet suggested having her pts, but within 3 weeks of daily dosing of ivomec, food supplements, and vitamins, her coat was growing back, and within 2 months the mange was gone. Much cheaper and easier on the dog then the toxic dips they wanted to use on her.

 

hey i'm the farm lady, i ranch goats. you do not have to keep the ivermec in the fridge. and the bottle should have a shelf life of 1-2 years. but i saw a dose that was kinda high in MHO, you should only dose 1/10th a cc per 10lbs. you must dose orally for dogs.
you can order ivermec pretty cheep online with jefferslivestock, or threw valleyvet.

 

Great Info

 

I have been a member of this group for 2 hours...I am learning a ton of stuff....this will save me a bundle!

 

I made the mistake of taking my dogs off Ivermectin and putting them on Heartguard Plus. WHAT A GREAT BIG SCREW UP! Two of my dogs got heart worms. I lost one, and it’s been 5 weeks since the others last treatment with Immiticide. Before anyone ask's, I had all of my dogs tested before I switched. My vet whose also my best friend did the test's right here on my yard and I watched them all with my own eyes come out negative so I know 100% that there was NO MISTAKE about them being heart worm negative before I switched over. Heartguard Plus is garbage "IN MY OPINION". Never again will I use anything but Ivermectin as a heart worm preventative on my dogs.

 

FYI: Ivermectin IS the working ingredient in Heartguard. The only difference is it's placed in a yummy chewable liver treat vs. given straight like in the form of liquid Ivomec.

And Heartguard can be used to kill off adult heartworms slowly. In a young animal who does not have an advanced case of heartworm disease, the dog (after a thorough check by a vet & under a vet's supervision) can be started on Heartguard monthly as it is PROVEN that Heartguard kills off adult heartworms. It does not affect microfilaria/baby heartworms, but as they mature, it will rid of them as well. The plus side of this way of treatment is there is a lot less risk of severe heart/cardiovascular damage to the dog & there is a much lower fatality rate than using Immiticide (the equivalent of giving your dog a high dose of arsenic to kill off the worms & then crossing your fingers & hoping your dog doesn't kick the bucket) as it kills off the worms slowly. When you do it this way, there is a smaller chance that a large plug of dead heartworms will break free & enter the cardiovascular system & cause a blockage. And the reason Heartguard is used vs. liquid Ivermectin is because of proper dosing. Most people overdose their dogs as it is on Ivermectin & an overdose ups the chances of a quick die-off & risks a blockage.

 

I'm not a veterinarian. I don't play one on TV or the internet, but regardless of what the manufacture claims is in Heartguard, I stand behind what I said earlier... "IN MY OPINION" Heartguard Plus is garbage (<-- not the word I really wanted to use). My Kennel partner is a Veterinarian and supplies our kennel medications. Since he gave me the Heartguard Plus at no charge, I took all of our dogs off Ivermectin and put them on it to save some kennel time for personal & family reasons. As a result of that, I lost one of the best bitches I've ever owned, and my males performance days are over. Cut short in his prime because of Heartguard Plus's failure to prevent an infestation as guaranteed by the manufacture. Never again will I use anything but Ivermectin as a heart worm preventative. Lesson learned. A hard one, but one well learned.

FYI: Manufactures make mistakes. Does anybody remember Diamond, or Fort Dodge?

 

I'm sorry for your experience. Do you know what dosage Heartguard (for what weight) he gave to you?

I agree that that sucks. It's also another reasons why I'm totally against the buying of drugs off sites such as Petmeds & the like. The FDA doesn't regulate those drugs & the drugs sold are from & intended for other countries (hence why they always have weight in kgs vs. lbs). Plus, many will send already expired items.

On the other hand, I've used Heartguard/Heartguard Plus for 25 years before I switched to oral Ivomec (but occasionally I still get loads of free samples so I do use them) & I've never had a problem. But yes, as with every product, manufacturer mistakes can happen.....& it's usually at our expense.

 

Great info, Thanks I will give it a try as i'm paying $50.00 for 6months worth of pills for one dog. So i'm payin $500.00 a year for prevention for all 5 of my dogs.

 

many Ivermectin users have dogs that they claim "are 10-11-12-13-14 yrs old, and never had HW!"

many of them have never even tested their animals for HW... dont be fooled by ignorance and trying to save a buck. who you going to be mad at when your animals test+ or you kill one?

 

I want to mention that regardless of what heartworm prevention you use, you should have your dog tested once a year and you MUST have your dog tested before initially putting the dog on hw prevention (unless it's a pup 6 months of age or younger).

 

Heart Worms

What are heartworms?
Heartworms are large worms that live in the hearts of dogs and cats. They are also found in other species, including ferrets, foxes, wolves, sea lions, and horses. Dogs are the common host for this parasite. This worm is also known as Dirofilaria Immitis. It is a long, spaghetti-like worm that can be anywhere from 6 to 10 inches in length (~17 - 27 cm).

How are heartworms transmitted?
In addition to the animal 'host', heartworms need a mosquito to complete their life cycle.

1. A mosquito bites a heartworm-infected animal.
2. The mosquito is then carrying microscopic versions of the heartworm, called microfilariae.zSB(3,3);if(!z336){var zIsb=document.getElementById("adsb");if(zIsb){zIsb.style.display="inline";zIsb.style.height="0px";zIsb.style.width="0px";}var zIss=document.getElementById("adss");if(zIss){zIss.style.display="inline";zIss.style.height="0px";zIss.style.width="0px";}}
3. When the mosquito bites another dog or cat, that animal is now infected with the heartworm microfilariae.
4. Within 70 to 90 days, the microfilariae have made it through the tissues to the animal's heart, where they reproduce (providing both male and female worms are present) and live for several years. If both sexes of worms are present, they will be producing their own little microfilariae within 6 - 7 months after that mosquito bite.
5. The cycle continues.

What are the signs of heartworm disease?
The signs vary according to number of worms present, stage of life cycle, age and species of host. The heartworms live primarily in the right side of the heart and lung, and can cause significant damage and even death. Here are some general signs for the most common hosts, dogs and cats.

• DOG - possible heartworm signs.
  Acute disease - usually no clinical signs (the dog just acquired the disease)
  Mild to moderate - cough, reluctance/inability to exercise
  Severe - marked shortness of breath, coughing, fainting episodes, weight loss, fever, abdominal swelling (ascites), death.
• CAT - possible heartworm signs
  The signs of heartworm disease are different in the cat than the dog. Cats can present with sudden death (no other signs) or can live with the disease free of clinical signs. Most commonly, heartworm disease in the cat mimics feline asthma - coughing and difficulty breathing. Vomiting can be another sign of feline heartworm disease (vomiting is a common sign in many feline diseases).

Could my dog or cat be at risk?
Yes, depending on your geographic location.
Heartworm disease is now worldwide, and mosquitoes are too.

Diagnosis
Diagnosis is most commonly done by a blood test in your Veterinarian's office. Additionally, x-ray, ultrasounds, or other tests may be performed. Treatment
Treatment for heartworm is not without some risk. Bloods tests are used to assess kidney and liver function before initiating treatment. The worms are killed slowly, so as not to cause a sudden blockage in the heart or lungs, and the patient must be kept quiet. The next phase is medication to kill the remaining microfilariae.

 

Your dog can not overdose on Ivermectin*
more is not better when using this product,use as previously described
and you will have adequate heart worm prevention.

Other worms should be handled with Nemx-2* Liquid wormer.

 

Wow this is an old thread. But so incorrect.

I use the same chemical that is in those expensive (prescription only) pills at a fraction of the cost. The prevention that I use is given once every 30 days (monthly) the same as the pills. In parts of the country during the coldest times of the year when no mosquitoes could survive, the prevention can even be suspended until the weather starts warming up again. If you suspect a dog may already have heartworms, before putting a dog on the following prevention it should be checked by a Vet to be sure it has no heartworms. The cost of this exam is generally between $5 - $15. It is a lot cheaper to have the exam to make sure your dog is not already infected, than it is to have a Vet save an infected dog during the advanced stages of heartworm infestation. This prevention (describe below) is only good to prevent an infection from ever occurring, once a dog is already infected then it must be given the very expensive treatment described in the first paragraph of this page.

The exam consists of a vet drawing a small amount of blood, putting a smear of it on a slide and looking at it through a microscope. The microfilariae look like tiny wiggler fishing worms.

Actually there is an antigen test that most vets use (Idexx Snap, Heska to name a few)

This prevention is not to be given to collies or part collies. What I use is Ivermectin. It is a 1% injectible cattle wormer with the trade name of Ivomec ? . You can purchase it (without a prescription) for $40 - $50 at your Veterinarian Supply Store or through a catalog from a Vaccine Wholesale Supplier. The bottle comes in a 50cc size. I give it orally which means by the mouth. I use 1/10th of 1cc for each 10 pounds of body weight. The syringes I use are 3cc and are marked off in tenths of 1cc.

If you use the 1% (10mg/ml) solution and give 1/10cc that equals up to 1mg/per 0.1cc.

1/10cc debate so when I went to work I looked it up and copied from the Plumb's drug formulary. Now according to them it is .006cc/kilogram. So lets say a 50pd would need .13mg. And the bottle we have at work is 10mg per cc which would make it 1mg/per 1/10cc(.10cc) which would be way to much for a heartworm prevention. Now again like I said it would depend on the concentration of the Ivermectin you get. That that is a overdose.

1 milligram (mg) = 1000 mcg (µg)

If Heartgard comes in 0-25pds (68mcg) 26-50pds (136mcg) and 51-100pds (272mcg) then that should tell you that even 1/10cc (which would equal 1mg of the concentration I have) would be WAY to much. And you can not say it is across the board for all dogs due to the fact that it goes by weight and depends on the concentration of the med.


Even if a drug is labeled as safe for pregnant and/or lactating bitches. Personally, I don't recommend you give any kind of medications to a pregnant bitch unless the life of the bitch is in grave danger; however, I will give medications to lactating bitches. The difference is the pups are already born and not in their developing and forming stages in the womb.

No you do not want to stop a heartworm prevention anytime. And Heartworm Preventions (Revolution, Heartgard, Iverheart.....) are safe for pregnant bitches. And the risk of stopping them is not worth it. All it takes is one missed dose for a dog to develop heartworms. Depending on the region of the country you live in an what season you miss the prevention if you were to miss 1 month your dog can get infected and the prevention will not be sufficient. From day 30 - 80 after a bite from a mosquito neither a heartworm preventative or a Immiticidetreatment will kill it. That is why the American Heartworm Society now recommends a 3 dose Immiticide injection protocol. To cover that gap.

The cost is very minimal for each dog. If the 50cc bottle of Ivomec costs you $40.00, this is 80 cents per cc. Given 12 months in a row, a 20 lb. dog will take 2½cc per year. That is a cost of $2.00 for a one year prevention. The shelf life for the Ivomec is about 3 years if kept refrigerated. Therefore, this method is feasible to use even if you only have one (dog), and it is by far the cheapest and most effective prevention against heartworms. If you have two or more dogs this can save you hundreds of dollars per year!

Actually not refrigerated. You have to keep it out of direct light. And you NEED to look at the experation date on each bottle. It will vary by bottle.

My replies in red.

Also soemone responded to this on another forum as well with this

One point that I want to bring up is that the microfilaria seen on the microscope slide in the drop of blood do NOT grow up to be adult heartworms in that dog nor do they attach to the heart. Also, microfilaria have been shown to live for more than 210 days in a dog's bloodstream. The microfilaria must go through the mosquito in order to undergo the transformation to L3 larva which then are dropped into the wound the mosquito makes while feeding on the next potential host. It is these L3 larva that grow up to be adults.

Another limitation to the microfilaria test (the drop of blood on a slide) is that the microfilaria activity levels are different during different times of day (they are more active at dawn and dusk). This test is not very sensitive (in other words, it misses a lot of positive dogs) and can totally miss a dog who developed adult heartworms but then started on HWP.
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Since 1989 at 1/10 cc per 10lbs no problems.

 

thats is how we do it here. Ivomec will also control and prevent demo mange.

 

Cynthia is correct 1/10 of a cc is almost 3 times the recomended dose..people say no problems maybe there was a problem and it was though to be something else? Over dose causes skin rash, swelling, headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, seizure (convulsions), shortness of breath, and numbness or tingling. Maybe all of our dogs have shown that from time to time and we thought it was something else. I am a nurse and I think giveing to much of a anit-parasitic can be bad....some drugs are bad ok ! lolol

 

QUESTION PLEASE, I had a heart worm test done at the age of a year and maybe a month or two for my girl (she was negative) and she is now a year and 8 months, but I haven't administered any heart worm medicine since then but I want to start BUT since it is a fact that you can kill a dog by giving it heart worm preventatives if they have the worms already do you think within these few months I really need to go to the vet for another heart worm test just to be safe before starting preventatives? or do you think I should begin administering Ivomec? thanks guys.