Preventatives As Far as the Eye Can See

                Last week I dropped some knowledge on the good, the bad and the ugly on heartworm disease. If you remember, the only good news was that it is very easily preventable. When I first started working in the veterinary field, my own head spun with the options available for heartworm prevention…there’s a LOT out there. While most of the oral preventatives are based around a few of the same formulas, they are marketed under many different names. We here at Brookfield Animal Hospital love nothing more than making life a little easier for you and we offer what we think is the best out there for heartworm preventatives (or HWP as we say in the biz). That being said, there are a couple different ways to get the preventative INTO your dog or cats system. We offer injectable, oral and topical formulas. Confused yet?Don’t panic, here’s what you need to know to make your choice easier:  

                Injectable: we offer an injectable HWP called Proheart. The injection is good for 6 months, no muss, no fuss. We offer the option to save a couple bucks by purchasing a year’s worth of protection, though the pet still needs to come in every 6 months for the injection. It can be administered by one of our technicians, so no doctor visit is necessary.  

                Oral: we have pared down our chewable HWP options to just one; Interceptor Plus. You may remember the days when we had some other choices lining our shelves. We have chosen Inteceptor Plus as our go-to oral HWP because it protects against heartworm in addition to quite a few types of intestinal parasites that your dog could pick up in the world, all while being very affordable. It’s the best bang for your buck, so it made our decision easy. We do offer a couple of the other brands of chewable preventatives on our online pharmacy, so if you or your dog is a creature of habit, feel free to seek and purchase.

                Topical: we carry Revolution for both cats and dogs. Revolution is the ONLY heartworm preventative we carry for cats. Feline revolution also guards against common intestinal parasites as well as ear mites, fleas and ticks. It knocks out just about any kind of icky thing you don’t want in your cat’s system in one fell swoop. What’s not to like? Canine revolution also takes care of fleas, ticks, and is even used for certain parasitic skin conditions as well as heartworm. It’s a fast drying liquid that is applied on the pet monthly at home.

                HWP, like all medications, comes with the expected ‘buyer beware’ caveats. It is highly recommended that you purchase your HWP directly from a veterinary practice. Price comparing and purchasing online to save a few dollars may seem like a savvy way to shop, but you may be selling your furry friend short, pun intended. When you purchase HWP directly from a vet, you’re also purchasing a manufacturer’s guarantee stating that, should your pet come up positive for heartworm, they’ll cover the cost of treatment. Purchasing from a third party often negates this guarantee. Regular heartworm testing is required for a vet to dispense HWP, and keeps you compliant with the guarantee, while no doubt easing your mind that your pet is happy and healthy..and that’s what our lives are all about, isn’t it? As always, feel free to call in and chat us up about heartworm, prevention and beyond, we’re up for a good conversation anytime!

Kate Dickson