[TB.TL]

I am sure this has been addressed somewhere but I don't know where to look. I welcome links to previous posts or info or whatever.

What do you use for monthly medication for your pups? We had planned on using Revolution but where encouraged to do a combination of Frontline and Interceptor. What do you use and why?

 

[Starsmom]

Do an advanced search in this forum - I put in heartworm in the keyword box and got a plethora of posts. Then do the same for each of the others. :thumbsup:

 

[TB.TL]

I know I am going to sound stupid right now but I did not know that was an option. Thanks for the info!

 

[TB.TL]

I found some information through the advanced search but not exactly what I was looking for. :/ I want to know what is preferred, Revolution or Interceptor+Frontline? I have used Revolution in the past but the vet recommended the combination, as she said it covers more bases then Revolution. But the posts I saw on here seemed to think Revolution was pretty all encompassing. So... thoughts? I would really appreciate it.

 

[Starsmom]

Sorry I cannot give you any help for that. I only used a heartworm prevention for Star. Nothing for flea/tick - in the desert we don't have them.

 

[Snowbody]

We use Frontline and Interceptor and Tyler's been fine with both. As Marsha says, go to the black bar above and click on search and enter keywords there and you can find lots of past info.

 

[sarnoak]

I use Comfortis for Fleas and Interceptor for Heartworms.

 

[Ladysmom]

I use Advantage for fleas and Interceptor for heartworm. I used to use Frontline until the fleas in my area developed a resistance to it. Lady has multiple health issues (including seizures) and those products are thought to be the safest.

 

[bellasmummy]

Im not much help on this as to be honest i dont know what all is out there, we use frontline as our vet thinks is the best and since i find him so good im happy to go along with that so thats what i use for my 3

 

[Bailey&Me]

Bailey is on Frontline and Interceptor.

 

[jmm]

It depends on where you live and what your dog is exposed to. If you do have ticks, I feel Frontline is a better product against ticks than Revolution.

I, personally, like the Interceptor and Frontline because I tend not to use the Frontline when I don't need it and I can dose the Interceptor every 45 days. Overall it allows me to use less chemicals when possible.

 

[TB.TL]

JMM.... so... how does that work? I don't like the idea of exposing the pups to tons of chemicals each month but I also don't want to expose them to parasites that are going to be bothersome and harmful.

We live in a country town... we have a backyard but they are mainly indoors. They have been on Interceptor and Frontline for a month... scheduled to take their second dose this weekend... but we did find two fleas on one of the girls yesterday so I was not happy about that at all and that's why I was wondering if we needed to switch to Revolution (or something different) instead...?

Do they really need both medications every thirty days, year-round? It sounds like no but then how do I know when they do need it??

 

[edelweiss]

I use pure neem oil (2 drops) and tea tree oil (l drop) in an organic coconut moisturizer/ conditioner and let it work into the skin a bit & then rinse, rinse, rinse. When I am OUTSIDE w/mosquitos I use badger balm (look it up on the web) on the back hair line & an organic collar against mosquitos. My pup sleeps under mosquito netting as we have Kalazar here (kills dogs). I also put a few drops of neem oil in the fountain outside on my balcony & it kills ALL larva. There are at least, at least, 21 cats next door :smilie_tischkantewe have one & I use frontline on her) and Kitzi does not get fleas & has not had a tick---he is walked EVERY day. So far we have been diligent & blessed! :thumbsup:
We don't have heartworms in Athens yet---only in northern Greece (along w/west nile) so I don't use anything against heartworms. We are required BY LAW to test each year for Kalazar & tick borne disease. olice: I will do this test for the first time in Jan.
Most medications can last for 45 days but be sure & not go longer than that! It is a good idea to mark your calendar. Life happens.:yes::yes:
Good luck!

 

[TB.TL]

Wow, that is all interesting stuff. (Side note: you're in Greece right? Jealous! I've always wanted to go... it seems to beautiful and wonderful!)

When you live in a climate where there is the typical four seasons, including a snowy winter, do you use flea/tick prevention year-round?

I do mark my calender for the girls' meds. It's been on the 30th but I really can stretch it out for 45 days? That would be nice...

 

[Ladysmom]

It may not be necessary to give heartworm preventatives every month. The monthly dosage schedule was devised to make it easy for people to remember when to administer the drugs, and to ensure that dogs would still be protected if a dose were somehow not swallowed or later vomited before being absorbed. The FDA approvals cite studies showing that Heartgard, Interceptor and Revolution provide protection beyond 30 days. If you are very good about remembering to give medications, and you can watch your dog after administering the pill to be sure that it is not spit out or later vomited, it may be safe to use heartworm preventatives less frequently than every 30 days. Dosing your dog every 45 days is a conservative way to stretch your dog's dosage schedule.

The original FDA approval for Heartgard states, “The target dose of 6 mcg per kilogram of bodyweight was selected from titration study 10855 as the lowest dose providing 100% protection when the dosing interval was extended to 60 days to simulate a missed-dose circumstance.”

The drug manufacturers’ pre-approval tests indicate that even longer dosing schedules may convey protection from heartworm – but I wouldn’t stake my dogs’ well-being on dosage schedules extending beyond a somewhat arbitrary 45 days.

The original FDA approval for Heartgard states, “The target dose of 6 mcg per kilogram of bodyweight was selected from titration study 10855 as the lowest dose providing 100 percent protection when the dosing interval was extended to 60 days to simulate a missed-dose circumstance.”

The original FDA approval for Interceptor states, “Complete (100%) protection was achieved in dogs treated at 30 days post infection, with 95% protection at 60 and 90 days.” This does not apply to Safeheart, which was tested only at a 30 day dosing interval.

The original FDA approval for Revolution states, “Selamectin applied topically as a single dose of 3 or 6 mg/kg was 100% effective in preventing the maturation of heartworms in dogs following inoculation with infective D. immitis larvae 30 or 45 days prior to treatment, and 6 mg/kg [the recommended dosage amount] was 100% effective in preventing maturation of heartworms following inoculation of infective larvae 60 days prior to treatment.”


DogAware.com Articles: Heartworm Prevention in Dogs

 

[k/c mom]

I use pure neem oil (2 drops) and tea tree oil (l drop) in an organic coconut moisturizer/ conditioner and let it work into the skin a bit & then rinse, rinse, rinse. When I am OUTSIDE w/mosquitos I use badger balm (look it up on the web) on the back hair line & an organic collar against mosquitos. My pup sleeps under mosquito netting as we have Kalazar here (kills dogs). I also put a few drops of neem oil in the fountain outside on my balcony & it kills ALL larva. There are at least, at least, 21 cats next door :smilie_tischkantewe have one & I use frontline on her) and Kitzi does not get fleas & has not had a tick---he is walked EVERY day. So far we have been diligent & blessed! :thumbsup:
We don't have heartworms in Athens yet---only in northern Greece (along w/west nile) so I don't use anything against heartworms. We are required BY LAW to test each year for Kalazar & tick borne disease. olice: I will do this test for the first time in Jan.
Most medications can last for 45 days but be sure & not go longer than that! It is a good idea to mark your calendar. Life happens.:yes::yes:
Good luck!

^^ Just be careful with the Tee Tree oil as it is a known toxin to dogs.

pets: pets and tea tree oil, using teatree on your dog ,cat, or other animals
"Why not use
tea tree oil?
Small dogs and cats are susceptible because of their small body size and the ability of their liver and kidneys to process the essential oils. Tea tree oil has a relatively low toxicity to large animals and humans...."

Sheltie Nation| Did you know? Tea Tree Oil is toxic to dogs.

 

[Nikki's Mom]

What I use:

Heartworm: Interceptor every 45 days. We skip Dec/Jan/Feb if it is a cold winter in the south. We've never had a heartworm problem.

Fleas: Ark Naturals Neem Protect Spray. We don't have a flea issue.

 

[edelweiss]

^^ Just be careful with the Tee Tree oil as it is a known toxin to dogs.

pets: pets and tea tree oil, using teatree on your dog ,cat, or other animals
"Why not use
tea tree oil?
Small dogs and cats are susceptible because of their small body size and the ability of their liver and kidneys to process the essential oils. Tea tree oil has a relatively low toxicity to large animals and humans...."

Sheltie Nation| Did you know? Tea Tree Oil is toxic to dogs.

You are absolutely right Sher, that is why I use only l drop! One can't use on cats EVER. Highly toxic. I forgot to mention that the pharmacist here added a bit of citronella oil for me---only a tad.
Use at your own risk. It works for us.:aktion033:

 

[Delilahs Mommy]

We are now using a half a confortis and heartguard for Delilah for the past month and a half and NO fleas. I have tried revolution,advantage and vectra3d and they worked for like 2 weeks and I would see fleas on her and she never even goes outside. Which in turn lead to another nasty infestation.

Here in the south we have to use year round flea protection and HW protection because both those pests are rampent here!

LOVE,LOVE,LOVE confortis!

 

[TB.TL]

Wow, great information again. You guys never disappoint.

I am happy to hear they can do their pills every 45 days, instead of every 30. I am super organized about everything and have the date marked on my calender... it won't be forgotten, so I am not worried about that part, and they have been taking them with no issue. The fact that I can expose them to less chemicals and have them still be protected while saving a tad bit of money at the same time is just a win/win.