Is the 6-month heartworm shot safe? What flea & tick meds are best?

Unfortunately we do not have "shots" that cover all these problems. The only injections I am aware of that offer some protection are the Program shot, which lasts 6 months and will prevent fleas from reproducing but doesn't kill fleas on your dog, and praziquantel which is an injection for tapeworms. There is also an injection to prevent heartworms called Proheart that is once every 6 months. Most people choose to do topical or oral products for flea/tick/intestinal parasites. My favorite product is Nexgaurd for fleas and ticks, which is a chewable once a month flea and tick preventative. There is a newer oral product called Bravecto which covers fleas and ticks, and lasts 3 months. I haven't used it but have heard great things. For heartworms and intestinal parasites I like the products iverheart, heartgard, sentinel, and interceptor. They prevent heartworms and the more common intestinal worms, and must be given monthly.

There are some risks associated with any medication, but certainly those risks can be more significant with some of the injectible medications. Unfortunately, we have rarely seen some serious side effects with Proheart. I am attaching the safety information from Proheart website below. http://www.proheart6.com/ "IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: PROHEART 6 should be used in healthy dogs. Do not administer to sick, debilitated, underweight dogs or dogs that have a history of weight loss. Prior to administration, PROHEART 6 certified veterinarians should continue to assess patient health through a medical history, physical examination and if deemed appropriate, diagnostic testing. Continue to use caution when administering PROHEART 6 concurrently with vaccinations. Adverse events, including anaphylaxis, have been reported following the concomitant use of PROHEART 6 and vaccines. In some cases, anaphylactic reactions have resulted in death. Use with caution in dogs with pre-existing or uncontrolled allergic disease (food allergy, atopy or flea allergy dermatitis). Dogs receiving PROHEART 6 should be tested for existing heartworms as per the product label. In people, avoid PROHEART 6 contact with eyes. If contact with the eyes occurs, rinse thoroughly with water for 15 minutes and seek medical attention immediately. PROHEART 6 is available only to veterinarians through a restricted distribution program. Only certified veterinarians and staff can administer it. See full Prescribing Information." And here is the safety information from Heartgard's website. https://www.heartgard.com "IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION: HEARTGARD Plus is well tolerated. All dogs should be tested for heartworm infection before starting a preventive program. Following the use of HEARTGARD Plus, digestive and neurological side effects have rarely been reported. For more information, contact your veterinarian or click here for full prescribing information." If you cannot remember to give Heartgard every month, then Proheart may be a better option if the risk of heartworm disease in your area is significant. I have used Heartgard in my dogs for their entire lives and have been very pleased with the product. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Flea and tick products: Spot-ons: Advantage, Advantix Advantage Multi (Advocate in the UK) Frontline (ticks as well) Bravecto spot on (ticks as well) - for cats, in tablet form for dogs Revolution (stronghold in the UK) Tablets: comfortis (will only kill fleas once) Collar: Seresto (ticks as well) Heart worm : Here is a comparison chart: https://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?articleid=580 Usually there are no long term side effects.

The oral medications for heartworms and ticks have actually been developed to be much safer and less toxic than the sprays. The heartworm pills are very safe and the medication only stays in the body for one day (but it still works for a month). There are a number of different oral tick medications on the market, but they all appear to be quite safe even when used at the same time as heartworm medications. I know Joshie is small and it seems like it would be a lot for her, but the amount of medications in the pills is quite small and I would not expect Joshie to have any problems with the medications. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Congratulations on your new dog! I like Revolution if you are looking for a topical product. It consistently works well and is well tolerated. If you like the idea of an oral product better, I like Trifexis (it’s another all in one product). Sometimes though the pets can smell the Trifexis and they won’t eat it. In that instance, I like Simparica and Interceptor. My personal preference is oral products. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I like Advantage. I use it on my dogs with great success. Keep in mind as well you have to disinfect the environment, as fleas live there and not on the animal. They only jump on the animal to feed. Wash Mocha's bedding in hot soapy water, and vacuum the furniture and carpet surfaces. You can use a spray to kill fleas in the house, such as Indorex, or a flea bomb would work well to kill the fleas in the home. I hope this helps!

Treatment with drops which are effective against heartworm are not recommended if you are unsure of possible infection (these are generally effective against fleas and worms such as revolution, advocate or nexgard tablets). There are many flea/tick only preparations which kill and/or repel insects only and will not affect heartworm - such as advantix or frontline drops, simparica or bravecto tablets and seresto collars.