Heartworm preventative in Dogs.

[Clarence Martin]

Got my new Lab , and was going over the prior owners vet records he had on the Lab. It was last on a Flea and heartworm preventative back in April of this year. It was supposed to have it done last Month, but from the looks of the records, it was not done. They said it tested negative for Heartworm at it's last checkup. I checked with the Vet , and they confirmed it.

Question:

When would it be safe to start it up again ?

[Pat Barry]

What did the vet say?

[Sean Troy]

Got my new Lab , and was going over the prior owners vet records he had on the Lab. It was last on a Flea and heartworm preventative back in April of this year. It was supposed to have it done last Month, but from the looks of the records, it was not done. They said it tested negative for Heartworm at it's last checkup. I checked with the Vet , and they confirmed it.

Question:

When would it be safe to start it up again ?

Yes, and should be done. As long as the last test was not more than several weeks ago. Advantage Multi seems to be what a lot of Vet's rec.

[Lee Schierer]

I would ask the Vet and go with that recommendation. I've used Heartgard and Frontline Plus on my Brittany for 9-1/2 years so far with no problems. He was responsible for all but two of the birds shown in the photo on opening day.
Opening Day 2014a.jpg

[Ken Platt]

You need to be sure that the dog CURRENTLY is negative for heartworm, so it depends on when was that "last checkup" you mentioned with the negative test. If it was within the last 4-6 weeks, as Sean said, start the preventative. Otherwise, you need to get another heatworm test, which takes like 10 minutes and 20 bucks at the vet's. The 4-6 weeks comes from the time it takes the immature worms to become adults; the preventative kills them before they get fully grown and migrate to the heart.

I'm not a vet, but my understanding is that if the animal currently has heartworms, using the preventative might kill the adult worms in the heart, allowing them to become foreign bodies floating downstream - until they lodge somewhere and cause damage.

Ken

[Erik Loza]

We've been using an all-in-one pill called Trifexis for years and had no issues. It's a once-a-month deal and they don't seem to mind the flavor.

Erik

[Clarence Martin]

I will say this....

It was like pulling teeth to try to get the Vet to tell me anything!! I only wanted to know 2 simple things. Did the Dog really test negative for Heartworm ? & 2. Was the Dog microchipped ? If it was, I wanted to know the name of the Company , so I could get it switched over into my name. Well, the Secretary hemmed and hawed and spouted off about HIPAA privacy rights.

A DOG HAS MEDICAL PRIVACY RIGHTS????? If I sold someone a Dog , I would expect that new owner to be able to have access to the Dog's medical records, in case it got sick.

MEDICAL PRIVACY RIGHTS FOR A DOG????????????

[Pat Barry]

Find a new vet

[John A langley]

Find a vet that cares about the dog not about his wallet

[Erik Loza]

I will say this....

It was like pulling teeth to try to get the Vet to tell me anything!! I only wanted to know 2 simple things. Did the Dog really test negative for Heartworm ? & 2. Was the Dog microchipped ? If it was, I wanted to know the name of the Company , so I could get it switched over into my name. Well, the Secretary hemmed and hawed and spouted off about HIPAA privacy rights.

A DOG HAS MEDICAL PRIVACY RIGHTS????? If I sold someone a Dog , I would expect that new owner to be able to have access to the Dog's medical records, in case it got sick.

MEDICAL PRIVACY RIGHTS FOR A DOG????????????

That is bizarre. All our pets (both cats and dogs) have come from foster or rescue and we've never had any issue with the former vets faxing records to our own vet. Ditto on the microchip providers. Like John and Pat said, I'd find a new vet. Best of luck with it.

Erik

[Stan Calow]

HIPAA for dogs? Tell her your dog is asking for his information.

[George Werner]

Find a new vet ASAP.

[Clarence Martin]

Oh, I have a new Vet all lined up ! The problem with the Vet is not the one I will be taking my Dog to, it is with the former Owners Vet. They are the one's that did not want to say much and mentioned the Hippa thing.

[John A langley]

Have your vet requested records from him

[Ethan Spronk]

You need to either have the old owner call in with your name or have your vet call in and request the records. The first one being the easiest and best. They do this as the records actually are property of the owner not the clinic so the secretary did do the correct thing. There have been cases where someone as taken a dog and gotten the records without the actual owner knowing it. Also as many people have said already you should have the dog tested before you start him/her on heart worm preventative. This is very important since the time that he/she was not on preventative was the highest risk part of the year. I am a vet but am not currently practicing small animal medicine so make sure you talk to your new veterinarian.