# Heartworm preventative



## Evangeline (Aug 23, 2011)

I have a bull terrier mix who was on revelution but had horrible reactions. I am looking for just a heartworm preventitive that must be available in Canada. What would be the safest one for dogs that are sensitive. It cant be pork flavored as he is allergic to pork. I am going to use a natural flea preventative only in the warm months and can get a natural dewormer if he gets worms. My other dog does fine on revelution. The other question is with revelution I only give it 6 months of the year and every 8 weeks as every month as way to often in my opinion. With the heartworm preventative should I give it exactlly as directed or wate a little longer in between. I am only going to give it 6 months. I dont believe any of this stuff is good long term for there systems need a break.


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## CoverTune (Dec 20, 2011)

It seems, at least so far, that Interceptor is still available in Canada, so that's what I'd suggest using.


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## Evangeline (Aug 23, 2011)

My vet suggested sentinel is that as safe as interceptor. I can get either one from my vet.


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## lovemydogsalways (Mar 4, 2012)

Do you have Heartgard Plus in Canada? This is what I use and while I do give it monthly I have read of others giving it every 45 days.


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## brandypup (Jan 23, 2012)

lovemydogsalways said:


> Do you have Heartgard Plus in Canada? This is what I use and while I do give it monthly I have read of others giving it every 45 days.


I thought you were not supposed to use heartguard with collie breeds?


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## lovemydogsalways (Mar 4, 2012)

brandypup said:


> I thought you were not supposed to use heartguard with collie breeds?


First off I want to say that my family adopted Patches for me when I was in 7th grade. I didn't know much about raising dogs or about internet forums at all. She is my first dog ever. All I knew was everything I had read in dog books. They do not tell you in those books about Ivermectin possibly being fatal to collies. We of course took Patches to the vet every year or more so if she needed something. *Never once have they told me not to give Heartgard, or that it could kill my girl.* I found this out about Ivermectin from my college professor(Vet). She owns 5 BC's and said would never give them Ivermectin because she saw what it did to her parents' farm dogs back in the day.
When she said this I of course raised my hand and said well I have been giving Patches Heartgard Plus for 6 years now and never had any health issues. She proceeds to tell me not all Collies have the gene that can be affeceted by Ivermectin. *Personally I have not thought much of it since then, because as I said my girl has never showed illness*. I really appreciate that you point that out. Now I am posting a quote from another forum I am a part of. This woman seems to know allot about it.


> If a dog has the MDR1 gene or they are of the affected breeds and you do not know if they have the MDR1 gene, they SHOULD NOT be given ivermectin, except by a vet at a low doseage, along with a host of other drugs. The gene encodes the P-glycoprotein which is responsible for removing drugs and toxins from the brain. Dogs that have MDR1 can not remove these excess toxins from their brains- it builds up and causes death or severe neurological issues- seizures, coma, drooling, etc. It is extremely serious. Just because your dog doesn't die doesn't mean the toxins are not building up. Enough low doses that can not be removed from the brain will do damage over time.
> 
> These are the breeds affected:
> Australian Shepherds
> ...


Here is a link another member posted. Latest information on drug sensitivity in collies


> Given the mechanism for toxcity, there is no reason to consider milbemycin oxime safer for dogs with the mdr1-1Δ mutation than ivermectin. The monthly oral dose of both ivermectin and milbemycin oxime has been administered for heartworm prophylaxis to Collies homozygous for mdr1-1Δ without incident and both have been shown to have similar pharmaceutical margins of safety in sensitive Collies (Tranquilli et al. 1991).





> Ivermectin doesn't cross the blood brain barrier at all in normal dogs, in dogs with the MDR1 mutation it does cross the bloos brain barrier where concentrations can build up and cause toxicity. I'm not an expert but I do believe ivermectin eventually clears from the brain just that the transport out is much slower so your fears of a cumulative effect might not be justified (see abstract quote below). There is no anecdote for ivermectin poisoning but a complete recovery is possible.
> 
> They used to say "white feet, don't treat" but now there is a test to see if your dog has the MDR1 mutation. Anyone with one of the breeds mentioned by LauraNJ (above) or a lab mix that has concerns should address those concerns with their vet. MDR1 stands for multi-drug resistance protein and there are other drugs that are known to cause problems in dogs with this gene mutation, Immodium commonly given for diarrhea is one such drug.
> 
> ...


Ivermectin Toxicity in 17 Collies - Hopper - 2008 - Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine - Wiley Online Library
*I will talk to my vet and ask about how to test for this gene, but I think I would see ill effects after 7 years.*
She actually does not even have Border Collies on her list of breeds affected.
Had I known of this when we first adopted Patch then she may have never even got a dose of Heartgard just to be on the safe side, but no one made me aware of this.
What are other options I can use for heartworm preventative if I feel like this is going to start bugging me in that back of my brain?


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