Concerns about Heartworm Treatments

Lately, my motto seems to be "You're darned if you do, and darned if you don't." At least it seems to be the case lately with our luck with Heartworms meds/treatment.

It started in late 2011, when our dog Lyla (Border Collie Mix) was diagnosed by 3 vets she had heartworm (many second opinions to make sure it was correct) We were treating her only in summer months, which was very dangerous but we PAID for it. She was rushed in for Ivermectin high dose treatment. Right after she was in terrible pain, and started losing weight, her hair was dull, and she was just tired and not Lyla a very active farm dog. We attributed it to her treatment and she was 11 yrs old. We got more concerned after she just stopped doing everything, and took her in, they diagnosed her with lymphoma and gave her a few weeks to live.

We have been blaming the massive doses on her progressed illness, but it may have just inflamed her issue all along. We don't know, but one of the contributors of lymphoma can be pesticides. So... it does not end there.

Our Beagle, Dougal, had been treated all year for HW after this, along with the others and also contracted HW. He was rushed into the same vet (we have since stopped going to) and treated with Ivermectin. He was younger around 8 yrs, but was very very very active, shiny coat, and just a healthy dog. 2 weeks after his "treatment" he died of kidney failure! We have been racking our brains trying to find out why, and it comes back to either his HW+ treatment or Flea meds he only took once that year. This dog could have also had kidney issues that got worse after, but it seems if you lose two dogs in less than a year, who aren't the same age, it makes you wonder if the "cure" is actually killing.

All my dogs are still on HW meds, and tested negative yesterday, but we were given a new drug called Trifexis because Beagle was on HeartGard and still contracted worms. I researched last night to find this new drug has been killing many dogs, with the same results. Sufficed to say I won't be using it, with my luck. It's too risky. Which forces me back to HeartGard and praying it works!

But after this Trifexis scare, it also makes me wonder about Comfortis... which is what both Lyla and Beagle took months before their HW+ treatment and some people have had organ failure from this drug that's linked to Trifexis.

I hate all these pesticides they say are safe for our dogs, but we have no choice really. I was just curious if anyone else had issue with these drugs, and such loss as we had or if my dogs were already sick and the mosquitos chose them because of their illness and then the treatment just made their illness much worse.

I mostly ask for my Beagle, Lyla was older but she still was much healthier before her HW+ treatment. But our Beagle was sick for a few days, he stayed at the vet less than two days (different vet then had treated him for HW) and died two days later. It's just way sudden, and unexplained. I can blame his health, the Ivermectin, the Comfortis but it could have been many things.

I just wanted to know why. Even the vet was shocked he died so quickly, she had been treating him with fluids, and saw progress, then came in the next morning to find him dead. I don't want to point fingers, I just wanted some opinions on these cases. We lost Lyla in Feb 2012 and Dougal in Oct 2012... only 9 months apart. I have had many dogs, and never anything like this happen. Most died of old age, two were hit by the same car (horrific story). But nothing like this, it makes me feel powerless, and like we killed them with the "cure." You can't win.

Are there safer pills to use? How do you know what's best when your vet prescribes something they think will work, but cases are suing companies for dog loss, or trying to get a recall. I don't buy into hype, but when story after story has the same outcome, I don't want to risk it. My oldest dog is 12 and I may only have less then a yr with him, I'm not speeding it up by giving him poison pills, or risking him getting HW.

Any advice would help me,
Thanks
L

Hello, and what a dreadfully heart rending tale. No wonder you are reluctant to use any more chemicals on your dogs.

I have no advice as have no experience of this (although I don't use chemical flea and trick treatments any more, and use Drontal Plus for worming if I feel that it is absolutely necessary) but hope that someone comes along soon who may be of help to you.

Good luck.

I was so sad to read that you had lost 2 of your beloved dogs in such distressing circumstances. I have no knowledge of heartworm treatments but your story is very worrying and I can understand your concerns about using this treatment for your other dogs.
I hope someone on the site will be able to give a helpful reply to your post and I wish you and your dogs a long and happy life together.

Thanks guys, there are far worse stories I found on Trifexis, but some dogs don't have any signs. It's Russian Roulette, but after last year I am not taking any chances. I just keep trying to figure out why, a healthy Beagle could be brought down so suddenly from one HW+ treatment, or Comfortis. I guess I will never know. But it's like he was here one minute and gone the next. Lyla at least had time but was so bad towards the end she couldn't even walk or potty herself.

It was so drastic even after her HW+ treatment it cannot be good. They just shuffle your dog away and pump them full of Ivermectin, and then a healthy dog with HWs (even though they are bad) becomes a shell of a dog. It's very frightening, I don't want to scare anyone these were just my experiences, but we should be aware the poisons they want to "cure" the dogs with. It's like chemo with Cancer, sometimes the chemo is worse than the cancer and takes people down.

I stopped using topical flea cures after reading the warnings years ago and our dogs don't have much of a flea issue. But I figure it's better to use less pesticide than more. I gather if we took all these pesticides too, we would be in poor shape. Some herbals cures just don't work either, but it's much safer.

So much sorrow in such a short period of time....

http://www.advocatefordogs.co.uk/

http://www.animalhealth.bayer.com/4882.0.html (American name is Advantage multi)

This is what my vet is prescribing at the moment.....It is available in the United States.

It is a spot on treatment that is a monthly treatment.....it must be aquired by prescription, but you can also buy on the internet if you have a perscription from your vet.

Advocate by Bayer

So sorry to read your sad story. I use Milbemax worming tablets with my dogs as I don't like the spot on treatments.
It treats all worms, inc HW. 1 dose per week for 4 weeks, 8 weeks off. Like you, I don't do preventative for fleas but must remember to put the tick collars on the dogs that have been sitting here for 2 weeks.

There seems to be a lot of controversy surrounding the prevention and treatment of heartworm in dogs. I must say I don't fully understand it all.

I'm so sorry to hear about your dogs.

Thanks guys, it could be worse. I could have lost some with this new drug. Just glad I saw the horror stories first. I don't buy hype but when 800+ stories of dead, or nearly dead dogs are reported on the same drug it can't be just a coincidence. I didn't feel comfortable. Thx to my great vet for being able to return them.

Apparently milbemax, which contains ivermectin, can be a killer in some collies or breeds that have collie in them so I have never used it. Not sure about other breeds though.

Panacur is a heartworm preventative and treatment - I've heard good and bad stories about it but I have used it on both my litter of pups without any problems and also use it on my adult dogs.

Drontal does not cover heartworm and I only use it when I go abroad as it is one of the worm treatments that is accepted by this country. I don't like using it as I nearly lost one of my dogs to it so I always hang around the vets after my dogs have been dosed for their abroad trips just in case.

Your story is devastating Untill I read it I wasn't aware of the tragic consequences of some heartworm meds/treatments.Having had no experience with the subject(so far and luckily)who knows I could encounter it in the future.I'm grateful to you for sharing your story.Thankyou.