Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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I haven't seen this one discussed in awhile 
and I'm now a little confused about it.
Denali has always received Sentinel for her heartworm meds. When flea season is EXTREMELY bad she will get frontline plus if I see any hot spots developing because her flea allergy is 'off the charts' (yup - that's the term my normal vet used after receiving her allergy panel back. To be considered a 'considerable' allergy the number had to be greater than 100, Denali for fleas was in the 3000 range (yes I meant to type 3000)). I was thinking about switching to Interceptor and just use frontline plus/advantax when needed (for cost saving reasons).
I asked her holistic vet about heartworm/flea preventatives and he said he recommends Revolution.
So - what heartworm preventatives (and flea preventatives) do you use?? (If you happen to know the care for a dog OVER 100lbs, please list it, as Loki is around 120lbs, Denali is around 80lbs.)
Sentinel - Loki gets 2 pills 1 for up to 100lbs and another for up to 25lbs, Denali just gets the up to 100lbs one (Interceptor would be the same way).
~~~~ Denali ~~~~
June 9, 2010 OSA suspected
June 17, 2010, July 14, 2010 Clear X-rays – no mets
July 1, 2010 Amputation
July 9, 2010 OSA Confirmed
November 23, 2010 Cancer took you from me - Never forgotten, Always Loved - Forever
Supporting the Fighters, Admiring the Survivors, Honoring the Taken, And never, ever giving up Hope
Wow, she does have a flea allergy. Poor girl! Is this why your vet recommended Revolution? Just wondering, because it is such a toxic drug, and honestly is scares the pants offa me because it's a flea killer and a heartworm preventative. That just seems like a lot of chemicals to ingest for a dog with a compromised immune system (see our Nutrition Post, "The Flea Dilemma for Cancer Dogs").
When I got sick, my pawrents debated about whether or not to vaccinate me and continue with flea/heartworm meds. We had followed a conventional protocol before I got sick and then once I was diagnosed, they starting seriously looking at the chemicals I was ingesting. My vet thought that I wouldn't live long enough to benefit from vaccinations (Ha! proved her wrong!). I did one more round a few months after surgery but that was it. As for heartworm, she said it couldn't hurt, so my pawrents continued with it because we were traveling to high risk areas.
For heartworm, I used HeartGuard but for fleas and ticks, we stopped using Frontline. I didn't have the flea issue that Denali has so it wasn't a problem for me.
Since then, my pawrents have done a lot of reading and for Wyatt Ray, they have chosen to not use conventional flea products. So far, fleas have not been an issue. But they are using Heartguard for him, which they do not like using and might discontinue it in favor of black walnut, a holistic heartworm preventative that is used by a lot of holistic doctors. You might want to ask your doc about this option, it's one less chemical.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
If you have to use a topical then Revolution is the safest although it is not the most effective. The active drug in Revolution is selamectin which is very closely related to the ivermectin in Heartgard (both are actually macrolide antibiotics). Revolution works okay against fleas but in my experience isn't that great against ticks. It is the product I use on cats and on exotics (rabbits, ferrets, hedgehogs) because it is so safe.
Frontline works very well against fleas, flea eggs, and ticks but does leave a greasy spot for a few days but overall it is pretty safe. The chemicals in Frontline only work against the nervous system of insects so it is pretty non-toxic for mammals. I am not a fan of Advantix because although it works well it does so because the company added pyrethrin to their regular Advantage product. Pyrethrin is a pesticide and if you accidentally put this product on a cat it can cause seizures and death so we stopped carrying it at our clinic.
Heartworm is not a big problem here in the Northwest but I do give my dogs Heartgard monthly (mostly for deworming). I have changed to Comfortis for flea control when needed because it is a plant-based pill so no oily mess! It does not do ticks or heartworms but it does kill fleas the fastest (within 30 minutes). Side effects are rare but can include vomiting and you should not use it if your dog is taking high-dose ivermectin for demodectic mange (the lower dose in Heartgard is okay).
So it really depends on what part of the country you are in and risk for heartworm, fleas, or ticks.
Pam
Thanks for all of the specifics Pam, it's always good to have your professional point of view to keep my Mom's paranoia in check!
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Let's see if anyone has heard of this one. We would spray any kind of vegetable oil on Gus' food in the morning and Gus didn't have any fleas. As far as heartworm, we never did it and never had any trouble because we didn't. Something to think about!!!!, paws up, Gus and Dan
My buddy Gus had a left front amputation on April 7, 2010 and lived a great life until July 26,2010
I use either HeartGuard or Interceptor for heartworm and anti-worm treatment... and Frontline Plus for fleas and ticks. We live in hot and humid Florida, where mosquitoes, fleas and ticks are a problem.
Angel Jake and Wolfie's Mom
Jake, 10yr old golden retriever (fractured his front right leg on 9/1, bone biopsy revealed osteosarcoma on 9/10, amputation on 9/17) and his family Marguerite, Jacques and Wolfie, 5yr old german shepherd and the newest addition to the family, Nala, a 7mth old Bengal mix kittie. Jake lost his battle on 11/9/2009, almost 8 weeks after his surgery. We will never forget our sweet golden angel… http://jakesjou.....ipawds.com ….. CANCER SUCKS!
This time around, I ordered Interceptor and Frontline Plus. Because I've been doing Sentinel I guess I just feel comfortable with it since it's the same company.
~~~~ Denali ~~~~
June 9, 2010 OSA suspected
June 17, 2010, July 14, 2010 Clear X-rays – no mets
July 1, 2010 Amputation
July 9, 2010 OSA Confirmed
November 23, 2010 Cancer took you from me - Never forgotten, Always Loved - Forever
Supporting the Fighters, Admiring the Survivors, Honoring the Taken, And never, ever giving up Hope
We live in a fairly low-risk area for heartworm, so my vet suggested just getting them tested every 6 months or so and doing a slow-kill if anything showed up. That seemed pretty reasonable to me. Dr Pam, can you comment? Until the cancer invaded our life, they were all on Heartgard regularly, but I got concerned about the toxicity of it--that's why she suggested this.
Cemil and mom Mary, Mujde and Radzi….appreciating and enjoying Today
SE Texas is heartworm haven, dogs here are on preventive from puppyhood until their last day. Trouble has been on the Heartgard that is a tablet - non flavored (because of allergies) for many years. I suspected years ago the Frontline was causing some allergy reaction as well. While she does have flea allergies, she is in the house almost constantly, and we have been good without it for many years.
Last summer, I had some concern with ticks - found a couple on her at various points. Our vet is 'reserved' about introducing anything that is not absolutely necessary. He has kept her on heartworm preventive, but did not want to use a flea/tick preventive unless they ticks were bad enough to cause a health concern of their own. He also has not given Trouble vaccinations of any kind since her surgery. I carry a letter with me stating she is healthy, but under veterinary care for cancer and to contact them if there are concerns about her vaccination status.
Shanna & Spirit Trouble ~ Trouble gained her wings 3/16/2011, a 27 1/2 month cancer survivor, tail wagging. RIP sweetheart, you are my heart and soul. Run free at Rainbow Bridge.
The November Five - Spirits Max, Cherry, Tika, Trouble & Nova. 11/2008 - 3/2013 An era ends as Queen Nova crossed the Bridge.
For Cemil; it is true that the dry part of Calif does not have much of a heartworm problem. If you get a positive test result and the dog is asymptomatic (no cough) then one way to treat the disease is to give Heartgard or Interceptor monthly to kill any larva and let the adults die of old age (3-5 years). Note that you are giving the same drug that is used as a preventative, and these drugs are very safe so I personally would choose prevention rather than waiting for a positive test result. The recommended way to treat symptomatic dogs is to remove the worms surgically or to give 2 or 3 arsenic injections which sometimes kills the dog as well as the heartworms.
Pam
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