CountryGirl Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 My three dogs and I have been living in a heartworm free area for the past few years and my last vet advised me to stop the preventives when they ran out. I've just moved and I'm unsure if there's heartworm in the area as yet. Before I go looking for a new vet I want to be prepared to get whatever my dogs need. I have two elderly girls (ages are 15 and 13), and a 5 yr old. The 13 yr old has heart problems and epilepsy so I don't want her having blood taken unless essential as she has to be sedated for the procedure. I wouldn't want to put the 15 yr old through blood draw either if I can avoid it and the 5 yr old is probably going to need sedation as she's a fear-biter (I'm working on it...she's a rescue and I have no idea what's happened to her in the past). The new location is inland; the climate is very cold in winter and very hot in summer (similar to Canberra). Should I be prepared for blood tests and then a preventive? I can't find out much on Dr Google! If you have any experience with heartworm in the Young/Cowra/Grenfell NSW area, as in whether it's prevalent or not, I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 (edited) Young and Cowra you would definitely need it. In summer it stays over the right temperatures for long enough. Cowra and Young are MUCH hotter in Summer than Canberra. You will need to get the dogs heart worm tested before you start heart worm preventative. Talk to your vet about your dogs medical issues, they will be able to take it into consideration and take all precautions necessary. Sedation may even not be needed. Edited June 22, 2014 by LisaCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 The best people to ask are the local vets :) They will have an idea of what is around the area and best course of action for your circumstances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen Maeby Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Yes, ask the local vets. That's what I did when I moved :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountryGirl Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 Thanks for the replies. I wanted to know before I go looking for a new vet as I know sometimes they tell you things are needed when they're not...and there aren't many vets around the area to choose from. One vet's website says heartworm is more prevalent in coastal areas and not to worry much unless your dog has been on the coast...but that's all I can find so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 (edited) For a mosquito to pass on heart worm to a dog the conditions have to be just right. Mosquitos are more prevalent on the coast, but there are plenty around your area come the warmer months. The temperature must stay above 14 degrees for the duration of the third stage of larvae, which if I remember correctly is around about 30 days. In your area these conditions are very much possible. This last summer was a scorcher. I don't live too far away, and we had weeks of over 40 where it didn't drop much below 30 at night. Cowra and Young, are often in the same temperature range in summer, sometimes hotter. If you want some more information there is an American organisation "Heartworm Society" which seems to keep it's information fairly up to date, based on scientific vet guidelines, easily found on google Edited June 22, 2014 by LisaCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 Heres a link to a PDF of the Heartworm Society's 2014 guidelines if you would wanted to have a look Heartworm Society Canine Guidelines Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountryGirl Posted June 22, 2014 Author Share Posted June 22, 2014 For a mosquito to pass on heart worm to a dog the conditions have to be just right. Mosquitos are more prevalent on the coast, but there are plenty around your area come the warmer months. The temperature must stay above 14 degrees for the duration of the third stage of larvae, which if I remember correctly is around about 30 days. In your area these conditions are very much possible. This last summer was a scorcher. I don't live too far away, and we had weeks of over 40 where it didn't drop much below 30 at night. Cowra and Young, are often in the same temperature range in summer, sometimes hotter. If you want some more information there is an American organisation "Heartworm Society" which seems to keep it's information fairly up to date, based on scientific vet guidelines, easily found on google Thanks Lisa, I'll check out the link. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LisaCC Posted June 22, 2014 Share Posted June 22, 2014 No problem :) Talk to a few vets around town and find one you think you can trust and see what they say regarding it all. I've gone from Orange which vets tell you you don't need it, as it drops below 14 in summer most nights, to Wagga where it's hot and apparently full of heartworm, so I've had to go searching for the right preventives for my dog too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sandgrubber Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 This is very USA oriented, but good on the basic principals. It's worth following the links if you aren't convinced. http://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2014/06/your-vet-has-heartworm-medication-secret.html note: in the US, heartworm meds require a prescription, and the vet won't give the script without the test; but you can buy Ivomectin cheaply off-label at any feed store (it's widely used on livestock) and a lot of dog owners treat off-label. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountryGirl Posted September 21, 2014 Author Share Posted September 21, 2014 Time to update. I took one of my dogs in for a check up and asked the vet about heartworm in the area. This vet has been in the region for 15 yrs and has seen 2 cases of heartworm. Both cases were in dogs that had come from a heartworm area without being on preventives so the infection would have happened prior to moving here. The vet recommended preventives only if my dogs were regularly going to the coast, Sydney, the Riverina etc; because I live so far out of town, the chances of a mosquito transmitting heartworm to my dogs are virtually nil as it would need to pick up the heartworm from a dog in proximity to mine. Lucky for me that I don't travel often with my dogs and they haven't been to a heartworm area in the last couple of years. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Going Off Topic here a bit....but I have often wondered why you need to have a test for heartworm before you start giving preventatives. Is is because the preventatives wont be effective or do they actually cause your dog harm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted September 21, 2014 Share Posted September 21, 2014 Going Off Topic here a bit....but I have often wondered why you need to have a test for heartworm before you start giving preventatives. Is is because the preventatives wont be effective or do they actually cause your dog harm The heartworm treatments kill the microfilaria when they are very small which is not a problem if they are in tiny amounts. However, if the dog has full blown heart worm killing all the worms in one hit would risk causing clogging of the arteries and heart failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 (edited) Going Off Topic here a bit....but I have often wondered why you need to have a test for heartworm before you start giving preventatives. Is is because the preventatives wont be effective or do they actually cause your dog harm The heartworm treatments kill the microfilaria when they are very small which is not a problem if they are in tiny amounts. However, if the dog has full blown heart worm killing all the worms in one hit would risk causing clogging of the arteries and heart failure. Thanks...I was a bit worried because I let my two go for a couple of months over winter as we don't have mozzies around here. I gave them a tablet about 3 weeks ago & they are still alive :) I was thinking afterwards that maybe I should have got them tested first I don't think there are many of cases of HW around here & we live in a pretty isolated area. It's only when we go into town for training that they might come in contact with mozzies. Even there they are pretty scarce over winter. Edited September 22, 2014 by sheena Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Sheena, you can interrupt the cycle at any time up to about 3-5months before they reach maturity and it becomes an issue. Before then, even if they do pick up a heartworm infection they will be small enough to do no damage.We give interceptor to our dogs, but only every 3 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Sheena, you can interrupt the cycle at any time up to about 3-5months before they reach maturity and it becomes an issue. Before then, even if they do pick up a heartworm infection they will be small enough to do no damage.We give interceptor to our dogs, but only every 3 months. thanks, thats good to know. I will have to look into Interceptor as my biggest problem is trying to remember each month. I write it on the calander, but then I flick to the next month & it all gets lost :laugh: I think that only a month has gone by, then I look back on the calander & it's two months. As I get older, the time seems to be going quicker. Regular worming is easy to remember...I just give it on the first day of each season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Interceptor is a monthly heartworm + allwormer tablet, I just followed the advice of felloe DOLers and my holistic vet and only administer it every 3months. Same as sentinel but doesn't cover fleas. Sometimes we use milbemax, same thing just in tablet instead of chew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheena Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 Interceptor is a monthly heartworm + allwormer tablet, I just followed the advice of felloe DOLers and my holistic vet and only administer it every 3months. Same as sentinel but doesn't cover fleas. Sometimes we use milbemax, same thing just in tablet instead of chew. So do you do a three monthly worming as well....with one that does Hydatit Tapeworm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted September 22, 2014 Share Posted September 22, 2014 No, ours just get Interceptor every 3 months. Nothing else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted September 23, 2014 Share Posted September 23, 2014 sheena, I use Sentienl Spectrum, because it covers hydatid tapeworm (the required chemical is called praziquantel), so I need it for when the dogs come back into Tasmania. But I tend to do the same as DeltaCharlie, and spread the doses out when we're not travelling. If I was living or spending time in a high heartworm area, I would stick more to the monthly schedule. Sentinel doesn't deal with adult fleas - its action is stopping breeding. If there are adult fleas on a dog, you have to deal with that separately. (Touch wood, haven't had to). Oh, and for the BCs it's fine, but if you have someone with Aussie Shepherds, Collie Roughs or others with a possible genetic mutation (MDR1) which makes them susceptible to ivermectin and a number of other drugs, it would be advisable to get them tested for that before starting on any of these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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