Heartworm |
| Last week we discussed the latest in heartworm disease treatment. As promised, this week we will examine the newest available options for heartworm prevention. Ten or fifteen years ago all that was available for prevention was a daily tablet called Filaribits. Then came the monthly chewables, namely Heartgard and Interceptor. These products made heartworm prevention much simpler and added to owner compliance. Within the last couple of years we have seen flea control added to heartworm prevention as with Sentinel monthly chewables and Revolution monthly spot-on. The newest prevention on the market is called ProHeart and is a once every six month injectable. This will definitely make keeping your pet on prevention easier but does have some disadvantages. First of all the pet must be at least six months of age to use Proheart. Secondly, at this time it is not labeled for the elimination of intestinal parasites and fleas like most of the monthly preventions. Lastly, this new product is not yet available for the use in our feline patients. Today there are many options available for the prevention of heartworm disease. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian today to determine which product is the best for your pet. Good luck and good pet parenting. |
