linda~lou
Pearl Clutcher
Keep calm and eat crumpets
Posts: 2,744
Location: Motown but my heart is in San Francisco
Jun 25, 2014 21:57:08 GMT
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Post by linda~lou on Aug 5, 2014 16:11:19 GMT
And do they take preventative on a regular basis. I have a 14 year lhasa and 8 year old shih tzu. When they were younger I did, but as they got older, I stopped. They rarely go outside, just to do their business and are right back in. I live in SE Michigan and misquotes are not that bad. I know all it takes is one bite, however I have read pros and cons on if preventative is necessary. I did google!! I am THINKING, thinking being the operative word here on adopting a little shih tzu from my local shelter I saw on line. I sent in my application and they contacted my vet and learned that neither of my dogs have had heart worm tests lately. They called me out on it, which will probably make my chances pretty slim in adopting this dog. I explained why, as I said above, but now I'm curious how many of you do or do not. If I lived in a warmer year round climate or my dogs were bigger and outside all the time, it would be different. I know all it takes is one bite but again, my dogs are older and I'm lucky if they even go outside to potty!!! So what do the dog mommy peas say?
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MerryMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,562
Jul 24, 2014 19:51:57 GMT
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Post by MerryMom on Aug 5, 2014 16:16:28 GMT
We do the yearly test and the dogs are on preventative year round. We live in the country in Central Ohio area.
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Post by KikiPea on Aug 5, 2014 16:18:51 GMT
And do they take preventative on a regular basis. I have a 14 year lhasa and 8 year old shih tzu. When they were younger I did, but as they got older, I stopped. They rarely go outside, just to do their business and are right back in. I live in SE Michigan and misquotes are not that bad. I know all it takes is one bite, however I have read pros and cons on if preventative is necessary. I did google!! I am THINKING, thinking being the operative word here on adopting a little shih tzu from my local shelter I saw on line. I sent in my application and they contacted my vet and learned that neither of my dogs have had heart worm tests lately. They called me out on it, which will probably make my chances pretty slim in adopting this dog. I explained why, as I said above, but now I'm curious how many of you do or do not. If I lived in a warmer year round climate or my dogs were bigger and outside all the time, it would be different. I know all it takes is one bite but again, my dogs are older and I'm lucky if they even go outside to potty!!! So what do the dog mommy peas say? Yes and yes. We have an indoor only dog and wouldn't think of not giving it to him.
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Post by Merge on Aug 5, 2014 16:23:21 GMT
Yes and yes. The rescue from which we adopted our second dog wouldn't have given her to us if the first dog wasn't on heartworm preventative and up to date on her vaccinations.
In SE Texas, mosquitos are rampant and my dogs are outside frequently.
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~Susan~
Pearl Clutcher
You need to check your boobs, mine tried to kill me!!!
Posts: 3,259
Jul 6, 2014 17:25:32 GMT
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Post by ~Susan~ on Aug 5, 2014 16:23:31 GMT
Yes, I had my Lhasa tested every year when he had his shots and did the preventative every month. Of course, I live in mosquito heaven also.
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goodwitch
Shy Member
Posts: 39
Jun 29, 2014 22:30:25 GMT
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Post by goodwitch on Aug 5, 2014 16:29:34 GMT
I have a large dog who is outdoors durning the day and indoors during the evenings and at night. I have my dog tested once a year, but I do not have her on a preventative. I catch a lot of crap from the vet and others. I simply can not afford this medication. I keep Advatix on her, I keep my yard mowed, and I keep my yard clean. Advatix repels mosquitoes and flies which is how dogs contract heart-worm. If they made the preventative affordable I'd be happy to have her on it, but there does not seem to be a generic. That said, there are certain prescriptions that my doctor recommends for me personally that I do not take because there is no generic and I cannot afford the name brand.
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Post by colleen on Aug 5, 2014 16:30:48 GMT
I do -- and you would be hard pressed to find a mosquito any where near me. I think it's just part of being a responsible pet owner. OP-- I didn't mean that to sound snarky, I tend to be a rule follower with health issues!
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linda~lou
Pearl Clutcher
Keep calm and eat crumpets
Posts: 2,744
Location: Motown but my heart is in San Francisco
Jun 25, 2014 21:57:08 GMT
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Post by linda~lou on Aug 5, 2014 16:34:49 GMT
Thanks for all the input! Well, off to make appts for my babies!!!! Would love to hear more responses though!
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Nink
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,955
Location: North Idaho
Jul 1, 2014 23:30:44 GMT
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Post by Nink on Aug 5, 2014 16:36:38 GMT
Our dog was on a preventative when he was younger, but then we stopped. He's going on 8 yrs old now, but does get tested. We have him on medication to repel and kill fleas, biting flies, mosquitoes etc...
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Post by mamanay on Aug 5, 2014 16:40:25 GMT
I'm in FL. I can see where are you coming from. I kind of feel the same way about my cats. They are indoor only critters, so why do they need all the shots, flea stuff, etc?
My previous dogs up until this one only had the rabies and whatever other mandatory shots they needed. No heartworm, no flea stuff unless they caught them. They like yours only where out to potty for 2 mins and back inside. And they are still alive and kicking 10+ and 12+ year. And they are doing pretty good. Over weight and some stomach sensitivity, but I blame that on my mil as she over feeds them and gives them way too many treats. (We had my mil watch them when we went on vacation and they just never came back home. She fell in love with the one I that was driving me batty and we let her keep them both. win/win in my book.)
But this new one, is getting everything. But he is my jogging partner, so he needs it.
Sadly if they called your vet, etc. You might not be considered a "good" mommy for skipping some of the stuff. Although after reading about the triflexus heartworm preventive killing dogs, who is to say that is a bad thing?
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Post by mdoc on Aug 5, 2014 16:43:42 GMT
My vet automatically does the heartworm test on my dogs during their annual checkup. I've never considered not having it done, and I doubt the vet would give us Heartgard (or a prescription for it) without the annual test. My pups are 5 and 7 and we live in a climate similar to yours (northern Illinois).
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linda~lou
Pearl Clutcher
Keep calm and eat crumpets
Posts: 2,744
Location: Motown but my heart is in San Francisco
Jun 25, 2014 21:57:08 GMT
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Post by linda~lou on Aug 5, 2014 16:47:14 GMT
I'm in FL. I can see where are you coming from. I kind of feel the same way about my cats. They are indoor only critters, so why do they need all the shots, flea stuff, etc? My previous dogs up until this one only had the rabies and whatever other mandatory shots they needed. No heartworm, no flea stuff unless they caught them. They like yours only where out to potty for 2 mins and back inside. And they are still alive and kicking 10+ and 12+ year. And they are doing pretty good. Over weight and some stomach sensitivity, but I blame that on my mil as she over feeds them and gives them way too many treats. (We had my mil watch them when we went on vacation and they just never came back home. She fell in love with the one I that was driving me batty and we let her keep them both. win/win in my book.) But this new one, is getting everything. But he is my jogging partner, so he needs it. Sadly if they called your vet, etc. You might not be considered a "good" mommy for skipping some of the stuff. Although after reading about the triflexus heartworm preventive killing dogs, who is to say that is a bad thing? I know!!! I google, I read a lot and I see where some meds can be harmful more than good. I had a maltese that lived to 16, Holly is 15 and Abby 8 and all healthy happy pups. Maybe I've just been lucky, I don't know. I feed them non-grain foods, treats, I do all that is necessary except for the heart worm. Well, if getting a new pup is not in my future, perhaps that is ok, it was meant to be. I will make an appointment to have my pups tested though!
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Post by disneypal on Aug 5, 2014 16:47:59 GMT
I currently do not have a dog but when I did, I got him tested annually and he took heartworm preventive. He wasn't outside a lot, especially when he got older but I never wanted to take any chances.
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Post by jojam on Aug 5, 2014 16:48:38 GMT
I'm guilty. I've talked to my vet about it. There is not a high incidence of heartworm in my area, and my dog is a 'long nose' breed (Heartguard's active ingredient is trouble for long nose breeds.) There is another medication I could give her, but after talking at length with my vet about it, I decided she wasn't at a high risk, so I don't have her on it. She is indoors 95% of her time--she doesn't LIKE to be outside--especially in the summer. We live in town where they spray for mosquitoes when the numbers get high (they monitor a park 2 blocks away) because of West Nile. It's not a $$ issue. If I felt she needed it, she'd be on it.
She gets all her other vaccinations yearly, even though the rabies shot is a three year vaccine, we are required by law to have it every year.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 0:33:59 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2014 16:54:19 GMT
We don't and our vet doesn't recommend that we do. Heartworm is very uncommon around here and we don't take him anywhere that it's a bigger issue. He is also an indoor dog, other than a couple walks a day.
We camped a lot and traveled to warmer areas with our prior dog where mosquitos/heartworm were a more significant risk. We did test her annually and keep her on HW preventative.
His vaccines are all up-to-date, FTR.
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Peal
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,524
Jun 25, 2014 22:45:40 GMT
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Post by Peal on Aug 5, 2014 16:55:51 GMT
We've always done the test. When we lived in CO the vet had us only do a 6 month course of preventative. During the warm months. There just aren't that many mosquitoes where we lived and so the risk was very low.
Now that we live in South TX she is on year round. Mosquitoes are terrible here.
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Post by giatocj on Aug 5, 2014 16:56:00 GMT
We live in New England-Tucker is tested every year and is on preventative. He will be 8 in October, and I HATE giving him these kinds of things the older he gets, but I think the risk of not giving them to him is one I am not ready to take, since he is still outdoors a lot year round. Next year I may feel differently, but for now we will continue to give it to him.
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akathy
What's For Dinner?
Still peaing from Podunk!
Posts: 4,546
Location: North Dakota
Jun 25, 2014 22:56:55 GMT
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Post by akathy on Aug 5, 2014 17:01:12 GMT
I don't have Stella tested but I do give her a preventative 6 months out of the year per my vet. I'd rather give it to her than wish I had.
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Post by jeremysgirl on Aug 5, 2014 17:07:29 GMT
I have my dog tested yearly and I give her the preventative year round. We adopted a dog once and took her for her initial vet check up and she was diagnosed with heartworm. So we took her back to the humane society we adopted her from because we couldn't afford to treat her. My kids were heartbroken. I always felt bad for that poor dog and never wanted that to happen to any of my animals.
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sharlag
Drama Llama
I like my artsy with a little bit of fartsy.
Posts: 6,580
Location: Kansas
Jun 26, 2014 12:57:48 GMT
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Post by sharlag on Aug 5, 2014 17:07:48 GMT
(Heartguard's active ingredient is trouble for long nose breeds.) Please do tell details! I tried to Google it, and am not having luck (although funnily-- the search brought up a 2peas thread from 2012). And Lindalou-- I have been giving Heartgard during the mosquito months, that's all.
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Post by worrywart on Aug 5, 2014 17:11:30 GMT
Yeah, I used to be rather easygoing about the whole thing..we did test her and give her the monthly pills 'most' of the year but did usually skip winter. Even during the other months, I was not really concerned if I was a week or two late etc. I really do plead ignorance because I truly thought that it was rare for dogs to actually get heartworms.
Well, you can guess the rest of the story. Yup, dog tested positive 3 or 4 years ago. Not only did we have to spend around $1000-$1500 getting her treated..the worst was that she was not able to basically move around for a couple months..at all..on leash to go out for bathroom and in crate the rest of the time. We got through it but it was stressful.
Thankfully she tested negative at her follow up and I have been super strict ever since. Reminder on my phone, sticker on the calendar etc. I am lucky that she survived the heartworms AND the treatment.
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Post by Dori~Mama~Bear on Aug 5, 2014 17:14:43 GMT
we get ours tested every 2 years. that is what our vet recommends since we keep up on our heart worm meds. Our dogs are 9, 8 and 6 and they have never had issues with the meds nor the tests. I rather they have the meds then get the heart worms.
good luck with the adoption.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Oct 8, 2024 0:33:59 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2014 17:17:29 GMT
I used to live in Oakland County and we debated on the heartworm test/preventative with our first dog. Once we realized just how bad the mosquitoes were we decided to do the annual test and put our dog on the heartworm medicine during the warm months. We gave it to him from May through September. Since we have moved to a much warmer area we give our dogs - added a Scottie - from March through November now.
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Post by gmcwife1 on Aug 5, 2014 17:20:42 GMT
We do because dd is in dog 4-H. Which means we have to keep her rabies up to date each year. So it's just easier to take them all in for a yearly checkup, shots, tests, etc. She also gets the kennel cough shot each year since she is around so many other dogs. Out of habit even our indoor only cat gets his stuff done each year because he gets shaved once a year and they just do it. He's shave last Monday cost me more in the other stuff than the actual shave They all get treated for heartworms and fleas.
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momto4kiddos
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,153
Jun 26, 2014 11:45:15 GMT
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Post by momto4kiddos on Aug 5, 2014 17:36:12 GMT
Part of their annual exam here (New England.) I know years ago heartworm medication was recommended during the warm months. Now it's a year round thing. I do follow the recommendations as we live in an area that has a lot of mosquitos.
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Post by pjynx on Aug 5, 2014 17:41:43 GMT
Yes to being tested yearly. I only give preventative meds roughly April - Sept/Oct. We are in Michigan so it's only during the months when it's warm enough for mosquitoes to be an issue. Like the OP's dog, my dog spends very little time outside. Out a few times a day to do her business and that's it. Except during the warmer months and we go camping, but she is being treated at the point (and usually has been for a whole month before the first camping trip).
Pam
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DaisyDoodles
Full Member
Posts: 449
Jun 25, 2014 20:32:07 GMT
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Post by DaisyDoodles on Aug 5, 2014 17:46:21 GMT
(Heartguard's active ingredient is trouble for long nose breeds.) Please do tell details! I tried to Google it, and am not having luck (although funnily-- the search brought up a 2peas thread from 2012). And Lindalou-- I have been giving Heartgard during the mosquito months, that's all. Yeah, I would be interested to see a source cited on this..I have never heard this and we have a long nosed dog and our vet has never mentioned this. We have had our dog 10 years and she gets a yearly heartworm test and monthly heartguard chew. We live in Central Texas and the mosquitos are a part of life. She is an indoor dog but goes in and out the back yard so we don't risk it. We had a cat die from a heartworm infestation and it was horrible
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lindas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,277
Jun 26, 2014 5:46:37 GMT
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Post by lindas on Aug 5, 2014 17:59:15 GMT
After having a dog get heartworm we test and use preventative. My vet does the test every other yr and I give mine Brewers Yeast which is suppose to help repel fleas and ticks along with having our yard treated twice a year.
Right after we moved here CoCo got Lyme so I immediately had the others tested, got the shots and they get a booster every yr. My annual vet bill for all 4 is a mortgage payment for some but I love the little guys so whatever it takes to keep them healthy.
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Post by khaleesi on Aug 5, 2014 18:08:54 GMT
On the other side of the state from you and yes, we get ours tested and do preventive care for them. Our vet has us give it to them May-December and they get their blood test when they go in for their annual check up.
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Post by BeckyTech on Aug 5, 2014 18:15:37 GMT
My dogs are on year-round preventative and around here that means the protocol for testing is once every two years.
Living in Colorado I could get away with a 6-month protocol, but my thinking is: why take a chance? What if I start too late in the spring and it happens to be a year when the mosquitoes come out early? What if we have a warm fall and they are still around?
One of my girls is 14 years old. Again, my thinking is: Why would I take a chance on having her die from something as horrible as heart-worm when it's so easily prevented? I want her around as long as her quality of life is good and I'm not willing to risk her health for $45. (which is what a 6-month package of heart-worm medicine costs.)
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