Ivermectin for DOGS for Heartworms?

[Bedste]

I have heard of giving Ivermectin to my 100 lb dog but I am not sure how much or how often. I have seen the horse wormer for only $5 at the feed store. Does anyone know if you can use it to treat heart worms or is it only a prevenative?

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Hey there guys,

I sent a private response but unfortunately I am not that helpful through the computer without actually seeing the dog! If the dog tested positive for heart worm, I agree that at home treatment is just not going to work. Some of the issues involve the fact that treatments may take a long time to do anything and then you have a dog walking around with microfilaria in their blood which can be a reservoir for mosquitoes. This means other dogs in the area run the risk of infection. It is also very difficult to kill adult worms (which is why the treatment itself -immiticide - can be so dangerous.) If ivermectin worked on adult worms, then we would definitely use that in place of immiticide!

The recommended treatment for heartworm by the national association right now is a month of antibiotics followed by a few injections of immiticide. This seems to work well, but it is unfortunately rather expensive in most states.

My suggestion would be to explain your situation to your vet so they can keep the overall costs low for you while providing a good treatment plan for your dog. You can also look into shelters that offer low cost care for the public's animals.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

It's impossible to give medical advice over the Internet without seeing the pet in person or knowing anything in depth about its history. In this case, your vet is your best resource. They will have specific information about the individual pet which may change the way your dog's case of heartworm is treated.

However, this is a great website with good info about heartworm, how it is spread, how it can be prevented, and the different methods used to kill heartworms and microfilaria.

http://www.capcvet.org/capc-recommendations/canine-heartworm

Currently, the only product labeled to kill microfilaria is Advantage Multi. The only product labeled to kill adult heartworms is melarsomine. In your dog's case, it seems as though the vet wants to make sure he is healthy before giving the melarsomine. Heartworm treatment is a rough one and is tough for healthy dogs to go through. Therefore, sometimes a pet will need to be on a "slow kill" agent for a period of time before they can handle the melarsomine treatments.

CAPC heartworm treatment does not favor the slow kill method, as there is some evidence it can contribute to resistant strains of heartworm. Additionally, slow kill method means that the dog is now potentially carrying microfilaria for months to years, which serves as a reservoir of infection for other dogs.

If your dog is suffering from pneumonia at this time, I would strongly recommend speaking with your vet before trying anything new.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

So I read about half this thread and I am very interested in this information, because I use Ivermectin for many species, but I have a few questions. We have two dogs who I want to start heartworm preventative with, but they have not had any for about a year. I was giving them the normal kind form the vet (Heartgard, I think) to to them, but then I forgot to give it to them for a month and was paranoid that if I gave it to them again without testing them they could die, but now it's been awhile and we never got back to the vet to get the tests (we only really go if something bad happens or they need rabies shots). I thought heartworm meds were deadly because I had always heard you should not give heartworm medicine to a dog who hadn't tested negative for heartworms since it could cause them to die when the medicine killed all the heartworms and the dead bodies and plugged up their heart... but now based on this thread many people seem to be saying that is not true...

However, when I was little my Dad accidentally killed a dog that way, or at least that what he thought it was from. It was a dog the neighbor abandoned and we took in, so my Dad, being a good dog owner, gave him heartworm pills when he gave it to our other dogs. Almost immediately (not sure in hours/minutes exactly, but close enough it was clearly linked) the dog died. My Dad always felt horrible and thought it was because the dog had had heartworm and the dying worms stopped up his heart... Was it more likely the dog (a shepherd looking mutt) had some Collie or other breed in him that was sensitive to Ivermectin, and that killed him rather than the heartworms?

And relating that then to my current dogs (who have had Heartgard in the past, and who are a Samoyed, and a terrier mutt I doubt has any Collie in her) would it be safe to start giving them Ivermectin to protect from heartworms, without getting them tested?

As a nearly graduated veterinary student, I do need to say that it is recommended to get a dog tested for heartworm prior to re-starting preventative. In some cases, a large die off of parasites can cause anaphylactic shock (allergic reaction). For the most part, heartworm meds are killing the filaria, not the adult worms. In most cases, adult worms require something like Immiticide to kill them. That is a really nasty treatment, and a major reason why we suggest prevention rather than treatment!

That said, Advantage Multi has been used in a newer slow kill protocol in which the preventative is given prior to treatment with Immiticide. Some of the thought process is that slow kill or pre-treatment helps reduce the chances of allergic reaction to the dead parasites but also it kills off the filaria which are then taken up by mosquitoes and spread to other dogs. Therefore, the risk of infection to other animals is decreased. That said, I still think testing your dog regularly is the best thing to do, and most vets are required to do this before giving a prescription for preventatives.

If you are at all concerned about your dog, I would genetic test before giving ivermectin. I've seen dogs affected by ivermectin toxicity and it is horrible. Some don't make it past the first 24 hours. Others are very slow to recover. Preventatives like Heartgard contain such a small amount of ivermectin that even susceptible breeds will not have a reaction. Basically, they would have to eat 16 tabs before you started seeing problems.

 

[dainerra]

for a dog that might have a heavy load, at-home treatment is very much NOT recommended. Adult heartworms (and if the test is positive for larva in the bloodstream, there ARE adults) and if the dog hasn't been treated in a while before or after the test, it is likely heavy. And since the dog is showing advanced symptoms, there is likely some degree of damage to the heart muscle, possibly severe.

Heartworm treatment works by killing off the adult worms. You can end up with worms dying off suddenly and placing a heavy bacteria load on the heart or even blocking vessels or circulating through the body and clogging the lungs. Precise and careful dosage and monitoring is required to minimize the risks.

 

[mypicklebird]

Used in a low dose, it is a heartworm preventative (it kills very immature heartworm larvae). It does not kill adult heartworms. It is the active ingredient in heartguard/iverhart for dogs. If you do the math wrong, you can make your dog seriously ill- or kill it. You need to be very confident in your calculations if you want to use the horse or cattle ivermectin for a dog. It is way cheaper to use the livestock ivermectin, than the nicely formulated and packaged dog stuff- but the generic heartguard (iverhart) is only about 5$ month- not too bad considering. If your dog actually has heartworm (adults), you need a vet's help to treat this- nothing over the counter is available.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

My pugs I give 1/10th of a CC of 1% injectible Ivermectin for every 10 pounds of weight every month. I use an insulin needle an inject it in to there food.
Not to be given to collies or part collies.

It kills the babys that are under a month old. It does not kill the adults. It has been used in dogs that were to weak for regular treatment so they would not get worse an in theory if used monthly the adults would all die over time an no babys would replace them.

Its also great for mange.

Heres a good site to read on it.
http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/beaglehealth_canineheartworms.htm

 

[CrazyCatNChickenLady]

If ivermectin is given to a dog that HAS adult heartworms is will likely be fatal by causing anafalactic shock to your pooch. They are supposed to be kept inactive for about a month as its hard for the bloodstream break down the adutl worms.(treatment is usually always done by vets) If your dog has not had a heartworm test in the last 6 months then dont give it until it is tested. The heartworm larve takes 6 months to reach the adult stage. Ivermectin will kill the larve though(under 6 months of age) without harming your petand as stated before collies, as well as shelties and sheepdogs i think should not be given it. The county I live in has one of the highest ammt of positive heartworm cases in Ca.

 

[chickenzoo]

I give it down the throat. 1/10 cc per 10lbs of dogs if using the liquid injectable. Not for collies or most herding breeds.

 

[twentynine]

Why don't ya'll use the heart guard stuff that is made specificly for dogs as a preventative?

One pill once a month, safe, sure, easy and not that expensive.