2010 October « Arlington Animal Clinic

Heartworm, Fleas, Ticks and Online Pet Pharmacies

October 8, 2010 by knurse 2 Comments

It’s not over … Till it’s over

Flea, tick and heartworm prevention, although recommended year round, can be very cost prohibitive depending on the size of your animal. Knowing that these medications are very expensive, some veterinarians suggest starting these preventative medications in the “spring” and continuing through the “fall”. The key word is through! The last day of summer is technically September 22^nd and the first day of winter is not until December 21^st, but that doesn’t mean that you should stop giving the flea and tick prevention and heartworm pills. In fact, that’s a pretty significant lag time. These parasites are more than just a nuisance for our pets … for example: fleas transmit tapeworm larvae and cause flea allergy dermatitis, ticks spread Lyme disease, Ehrlichia, Anaplasmosis and many other diseases that can affect your pets joints, and overall health. Heartworms, which are transmitted by mosquitoes, can cause liver failure, damage to the heart, lungs and other organs, as well as many other serious health problems Heartworm disease, if not treated, may even kill your pet.

So when is the right time to stop using flea tick and heartworm prevention? This is a tricky question to answer. The best answer is NEVER. In years past … New England has begun to see more temperate weather. We are experiencing more 50 degree days in November and February. Fleas in particular will kick up when ever the weather is just right. Not keeping your pet on year round prevention is really a lot like playing a game of Russian roulette. Our practice consists of four full time doctors, and after compiling data for the last year, our practice alone treats approximately 9 cases of tick born disease every month. We treated the highest number of cases (16) in December of last year.

Which preventative medication is right for my pet? There are many different forms of preventative medication. Some that is safe for both cats and dogs, and some that are strictly for dogs. There are oral medications and topical medications. Some medications will prevent against multiple types of parasites (ecto-parasites i.e. fleas ticks etc. and gastrointestinal parasites i.e. hookworms whipworms etc.) It is always best to speak with your veterinarian or veterinary representative about which medication best fits your pet’s lifestyle.

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In general, our veterinarians recommend using the medications sold by prescription only as there is less concern for inappropriate distribution and questionable quality of medication.

Contrary to popular beliefs there are no breed specific medications. Many believe that Collies in particular cannot tolerate the drug ivermectin. This is both true and false. Collies are more susceptible to the effects of ivermectin than many breeds due to the MDR1 mutation, however ivermectin (Heartgard Rx), milbemycin (Interceptor, Sentinel Rx) and moxidectin (ProHeart Rx) are all considered to be safe for use at the recommended dosages and did not start to cause problems in collies until about 10x the normal dosage for ivermectin and milbemycin and toxicity (mortal danger) was not seen with moxidectin at dosages nearing 30X the recommended dosage. Most other breeds can tolerate dosages that are closer to 100X the heartworm prevention dosage but the FDA still considers this a very adequate safety range. Please note the references at the bottom of this page.

If your pet has allergies, you should consult your veterinarian before purchasing any of these medications as some contain certain flavor extracts and proteins that can be a direct contradiction to your pets prescribed allergy treatment.

It is the policy of Arlington Animal Clinic not to sell or prescribe heartworm medication to any animal not examined and heartworm tested within the last year. This policy is in direct accordance with Massachusetts state law regarding patient/client – veterinary relationship. Once your pet has tested negative and is given a clean bill of heath, we will authorize up to 12 months of heartworm prevention at a time. As a courtesy to our clients we are happy to provide a written prescription to anyone who would like to use an online pharmacy, as some of these online pharmacies offer these medications at a great discount. We are also happy to approve authorization via fax. When choosing your online pharmacy, make sure to do your research. Many of the online pharmacies do not have a relationship with the drug distributor (drug company), and instead offer a stipend to veterinary clinics to purchase extra units to be sold by said online pharmacy. Here are a few tips for ordering from an online pharmacy:

Because there is no relationship between the online pharmacy and the distributor, the drugs are not guaranteed. The quality of the product itself also cannot be guaranteed. If you have purchased flea/tick or heartworm prevention from an online pharmacy and your animal contracts any of the parasites that the product claims to protect against, you (the client) are responsible for paying for your own animal’s treatment. If you have purchased from a veterinary clinic, or pharmacy that receives their product directly from the distributor, the product is GUARANTEED!
You should always retain a copy of your original prescription from your veterinarian to check against the received prescription. Unfortunately, some of these online pharmacies have been known to substitute the wrong medication. You should carefully scrutinize the received prescription to make sure that drug name, milligram dosage and quantity match up exactly with your written prescription.