# Heartgard Question



## malluver1005

I just checked my calendar and I was supposed to give Aspen his Heartgard yesterday!! Is there any harm in skipping a day? Should I test him in a couple of months?


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## luvMyBRT

Are you giving it monthly? I am *almost* positive to say it's not a big deal at all. Just give him the dose today and don't worry about it. :smile:

I hope someone else will chime in as I'm not 100% sure....


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## malluver1005

saraj2878 said:


> Are you giving it monthly?


Every 45 days. Only during Spring, Summer and the beginning of Fall.


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## luvMyBRT

I bet you are fine.....
I wish I knew for sure!

I have been giving my 11 year old GSH Pointer HG for her whole life (not non stop...just the months when it is needed) and I am sure that I have been a day or two off atleast once. She is just fine. :smile:


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## RawFedDogs

45 days from the last pill is fine. I NEVER give it less than 42 days (6 weeks).


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## k9capture_16

Okay, I use Interceptor and I give it once every two months during HW season. It takes 6 months for the larvae to actually migrate to where the pill is not effective in killing. So to put less chemicals into my dog I give it in June, August and October. November is the end of our HW season and I will give one at the end of December to kill anything that may of gotton in 

I found this an interesting read actually and I may go HW prevention free in the next season.

http://www.blakkatz.com/spellcast/HW.pdf


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## cast71

Thanks for that website, I found this interesting reading as well 

Spellcast Border Collie Puppiess


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## Guest

RawFedDogs said:


> 45 days from the last pill is fine. I NEVER give it less than 42 days (6 weeks).


I've been instructed by the vet to give Heartguard every 30 days ..... is there a reason why I should give the dosage every 45 days instead?


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## RawFedDogs

LabbieMama said:


> I've been instructed by the vet to give Heartguard every 30 days ..... is there a reason why I should give the dosage every 45 days instead?


In the life cycle of a heartworm, he is in L4 larval stage for 45 days after entering the body. (Some sources say up to 6 months.) Once the larvae reach stage L5, heartworm prevenative is no longer effective in killing it. So as long as you get the heartgard in the dog within 45 days of the larvae entering the body, it will be killed by it. But to answer your question, if you give it every 45 days instead of every 30 days, you are giving your dog less poison over time. I also don't give the meds during the part of the year that mosquitoes aren't active.

You see, heartworm prevenative works backwards from what most people think. It doesn't prevent heartworms for the next period of time after the dog takes the meds. It actually kills whatever heartworm larvae is in the body the day the meds are taken. So it kills whatever the dog has at the time but doesn't kill any larvae that enter the body the next day forward.

Your vet says give it every 30 days because thats what the company recommends. The company recommends 30 days for a few different reasons, not the least of which is greater sales but also if you are a week or so late, it makes no difference. I give it to my dogs every 6 weeks (42 days) during mosquito season simply because it's easier to remember the same day of the week.


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## bdb5853

One of the heartguard reps told us that the products last 60 days. But the company recommends 30 days as that's what people will remember, plus they sell more product. It is perfectly safe to give it every 45 days. But it's actually been proven to last 60 days.


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## RawFedDogs

bdb5853 said:


> One of the heartguard reps told us that the products last 60 days. But the company recommends 30 days as that's what people will remember, plus they sell more product. It is perfectly safe to give it every 45 days. But it's actually been proven to last 60 days.


It doesn't "LAST" any amount of time. It kills what heartworm larvae is in the dogs body and the time they take the pill. How long it "lasts" is determined by the lifecycle of the heartworm, not by the medication itself. Once a larvae becomes an adult heartworm, Heartgard is no longer effective in killing it. 

When a dog is given Heartgard, it kills the larvae that has entered the body since the last time he was given Heartgard. It doesn't kill any future larvae that enter the body later. It's the next dose that does that.


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## DaneMama

LabbieMama said:


> I've been instructed by the vet to give Heartguard every 30 days ..... is there a reason why I should give the dosage every 45 days instead?


They instruct you to give it monthly because it makes them more money. Giving it once a month us a bit overkill. The juvenile heartworms must circulate the bloodstream for about 4-6 months before they're mature enough to settle in the heart and cause disease. While these juvenile worms are circulating in the bloodstream they are susceptible to the dewormer in heartguard or other heartworm preventatives. So I only give it once every 60 days April through November. And it doesn't matter one bit if you miss it by a few days or so. It's not exact science.

One thing that I want to make clear is that heartworm "prevention" doesn't work the way most people think. What heartguard does is kill off any of the parasites before they cause damage. These treatments don't prevent the dog from contracting heartworm in the first place. These work retroactively.


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## k9capture_16

Natalie I can use Interceptor this way by giving every 60 days right? I know each medication has a different ingredient in it. Interceptor is the only one that I find Lincoln doesnt react to.


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## DaneMama

I've never used it so I don't know how it works. If it works the same way as heartguard then yes.


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## k9capture_16

Okay Interceptor kill the Larvae...so it works the same as Heartguard?


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## pharmgirl2

Interceptor does work the same way as Heartgard:smile:


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## saltydogs

*1.87% Ivermectin*

I haven't used HG in years. It is a total rip off. I use Zimectrin for horses, a 2 year supply costs $7.

Ivermectin can be dosed over 100 times the amount in HG. The exception is some collie breeds where doses over 10-16 times is not a good idea.

Save some money and use 1.87% ivermectin paste.


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