Heartworm preventives are treatments given to pets to protect them from getting the heartworms. Preventives kill the heartworms larvae before they grow and turn into adult heartworms. Nowadays, there are number of heartworm preventives available in the market.
The pet owner should first have your dog tested for heartworms. If the test result is negative, then the vet may recommend you the preventive for heartworm that will work best for your canine. It is paramount to prevent this deadly disease, as the prevention will be cheaper and safer than the treatment. Here are the some of the preventive treatment options for heartworms in dogs which your vet may prescribe you to protect your furry pal as follows:
Monthly Oral Heartworm Treatments
Oral treatments which are orally administered to your pooch in the form tablets or Chewables. These products typically contain either Milbemycim or Ivermectin as their active ingredient. This has to be given one tablet or chew on a monthly basis and it will protect the whole month from heartworms. You have to take care that your pup has eaten the whole tablet or chew and does not spit any of it out. It is important that your pooch have the entire piece of the tablet or the heartworm treatment loses its effectiveness.
The product the vet will prescribe you are Panoramis and Interceptor spectrum, which are in oral form. These oral treatments have more than one function, this will not only kill heartworm larvae, but also eliminate the intestinal worms from your dogs such as roundworms, hookworms, and whipworms. There are also ingredients involved which will help to eliminate or control the fleas from producing live eggs. These tables will be like a treat as they are flavored tablets. If your furry pal has an allergy then there are other alternatives of heartworms prevention in dogs.
Monthly Topical (Spot- On) Heartworm Treatment
There are topical (spot-on) heartworm preventative available for your Fido. These are applied on the body of your pooch at the surface of the skin such as the neck or between the shoulder blades. Spot-on treatment not only protect against the heartworms but also kill fleas. The heartworm product Revolution with Selamectin as the active ingredient which also helps to eliminate ear eliminate ear mites, mange mites, ticks and as well as some of the internal parasites. This product can be used for dogs and cats. There is another product known as Advocate which has got Moxidectin and Imidacloprid as active ingredients. This is a topical heartworm preventive available both for dogs and cats. This protects your pet from heartworm larvae, fleas, gastrointestinal worms such as roundworms, hookworms and whipworms.
The topical preventives are toxic if ingested, so make sure that your pet does not lick it or other pet come in contact for some time after application till it dries. Keep it out of reach of children. Ensure that after administering the pet you wash your hands thoroughly.
It doesn’t matter which alternative you choose for protecting your furry pal from heartworms. Make sure that read the labels carefully and follow the instructions. The treatment or doses have formulated according to the weight and age of your pooch or kitty. So, it is important that you follow the instruction and get the correct product for appropriate pet.
