If your dog pet has an infection with heartworms or is at a high risk of developing one, it could be an incredibly frightening experience. Make sure that your dog is taking the heartworm preventative medication.
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First, What is Heartworm Disease?
Heartworm disease is caused by parasitic worms known as Dirofilaria immitis. The worms reside in the heart of an animal’s lungs, and arteries.
The disease itself isn’t transmissible and is not able to spread from animal to animal. The worms only reproduce following exposure to a mosquito infected that is the sole transmitter of the disease.
If a mosquito feasts on an infected animal, and then bites another animal and transmits the infection, this is where the transmission happens.
The symptoms of heartworms are coughing, exercise in sensitivity, bleeding, and an unhealthy body condition. It is of course that prevention is best in fighting heartworm.
How Does Heartgard Work for your pet?
Heartgard is a prevention measure for heartworms: it kills the larvae that are infected before they get the chance to grow into adult heartworms, which can cause diseases and other harm.
Heartgard includes ivermectin, which is pharmaceutical medicine that is able to eliminate parasites.
It causes neurological damage to parasites, which then kills the parasites. Ivermectin does not just kill parasites that are found inside. It is also able to eliminate external ones too such as mites, lice, and Demodex. Therefore, Heartgard does double duty in the case of parasites.
How Do Pet Dogs Take Heartgard?
It’s not necessary to fool your pet (well we’d rather that’s not the case!). You must give your pet a small portion (one chewable tablet) every month. Additionally, the chews contain real beef, which is why the majority of dogs love the medication!
If you’re not sure it’s possible to go down the cleverly deceitful method of wrapping tablets in food items in order to get your dog to eat them.
According to Heartgard pet owners must take the tablets in the times when mosquitoes are the most active.
How much time does It Take A Dog To Digest medicine?
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The majority of the time, Heartgard is only a couple of hours to take in.
According to an investigation on the bioavailability and bioavailability of ivermectin when by mouth to canines, for a dog’s body to fully flush the drug out of the system, it’s going to take approximately three days.
The drug could remain in your puppy’s system even after they’ve left the stomach!
Is It Common for Pet Dogs to Throw Up After Taking Heartgard?
Digestive issues aren’t anticipated, but they are definitely possible.
The research conducted by Heartgard’s clinical trials showed that diarrhea or vomiting within 24 hours after the dose was not typical but was seen in 1.1 percent of doses of Heartgard Plus.
Be aware of ensuring that your dog is able to digest every dose:
The best method to ensure you are giving a dose that is effective is to be vigilant with your dog when you give him the chew.
This way, if, by chance, the dog suffers vomiting or diarrhea within a short time after consuming the food, you can be sure that the medication was not properly absorbed and you may need to offer them a second dose.
If your dog is prone to eating food without chewing it, you can break your Heartgard tablets into smaller pieces, making it easy for them to consume their medication.
Is A Second Dose Safe If My Dog Throws Up The First One?
Heartgard is sufficiently safe that you can administer your pet another dose without fearing any negative effects on your pet’s health, as you’re following the dosage guidelines for your weight-range pet.
The amount of ivermectin contained in the product is small, which means that most dogs are fine with taking an additional dose at the same time. Even if a dose was administered accidentally it is safe to assume that there is a wide safe margin, therefore there’s not much to be concerned about.
Once digested, every dose completely protects your pet throughout the duration of 30 days.
After the 30-day period, the medication’s effectiveness begins to decrease. Ivermectin helps in the elimination of the larvae of heartworm that your dog might have acquired within the last 30 days. It’s vital to stick to this dosing interval for the best protection.
Heartgard Plus is available in three dosage strengths. The strength recommended is based on the dog’s weight. The larger the dog, the greater the needed strength.
Preventing Heartworm Disease With Heartgard:
Heartworm infection is a serious disease that can be fatal to your dog and may cause fatality. With a little time and effort, it’s easy to avoid.
Based on data collected from the CAPC In the year 2018 alone there were 137.340 positive reports of dog heartworms across the United States. All breeds and kinds of canines are at risk of contracting this illness All you need is one bite to trigger an infection.
It involves the removal of the worms from the organs by surgery. It is not recommended in the event that this is your only alternative due to the severity of the illness.
Is Heartgard safe For All Dogs?
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Heartgard’s website claims that it’s safe for all breeds of dogs. however, according to the American Heartworm Society, collies and other dogs that are P-glycoprotein-deficient have been known to be very sensitive to a variety of drugs, including ivermectin.
Their genetic makeup is unique and doesn’t react well to Ivermectin. They may suffer from adverse reactions.
It is nevertheless important to remember that the dosage of ivermectin contained in Heartgard Plus is only six mg/kg. That makes up only 1/8 of the amount of ivermectin (50 ug/kg) known to cause toxicity in collies and P-glycoprotein-deficient breeds.
As evidenced on Heartgard’s website, there’s a consensus that Heartgard is safe for all dogs no matter breed. However, the safety margin is quite large. If you have an animal with this breed, make sure you are taking extra care and discussing the issue with your veterinarian.
Heartgard is not recommended for puppies under six weeks old. It is essential that you wait till your pup has reached the age of six before exposing the medication to it.
Is Heartgard Right For Your Dog?
- If your pet is positive for heartworms then consider taking preventative measures whenever you can instead of seeking out other treatments. Ivermectin administered in a pill is the best, most effective, and comfortable method of ridding your pet of parasites.
- Make sure you follow the correct dose schedule and monitor your pet. This way, you will be able to make sure they are eating their Heartgard tablets in a proper manner.
