My dog is sick after a missed Heartgard dose. Could it be heartworms?

He should be OK. Don't give him the next dose of the medications until March 1st and even then, it is best to give one drug one day, wait a few days and then give the other. Giving them at the same time may be too hard on his system.

Depending on the type of heart worm preventative you gave, it can cause upset tummy like vomiting and even diarrhea. Next time I would recommend to make sure she has had a full meal prior to giving the medicine or you can change to a different medicine all together. Finally, if she isn't improved by tomorrow I would contact your vet for an exam and make sure she doesn't need any fluids or anti-nausea medicine. I hope this helps.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Lucy! I always recommend the first time giving nexgard and heartgard to separate them out by 2 days in case there is a reaction we know which drug it could be. Both have the potential to cause an upset stomach. Also having intestinal parasites can cause vomiting and diarrhea. The heatgard kills round worms so that could be why Lucy passed the worm after you gave the medication. Sadly both are possible causes for her upset stomach. Usually all quickly resolve. Just watch her closely for the next several hours. If she continues to vomit or won't eat this morning I would call your Vet when they open this morning and have her seen before they close for the weekend. Good luck!

If you only missed 1 month, you should be fine. Just resume Heartgard right away . If you just want peace of mind, then you can have Lilly retested in 6 month from now; however, the chances of infection are pretty low. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and best wishes with your pet Lilly. Take care!

Hello, thank you for using PetCoach. I understand your concern but Max should be just fine. It does not appear that he got an overdose. If he was a breed with a known sensitivity to Ivermectin I would be more worried (herding dogs, collie breeds, etc). Here is a link to Ivermectin toxicity so you can know what to watch for but I don't think he will have any issues. Usually they will present with neurological symptoms. As always, if you are worried you should take him to your vet for an exam. ( http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/dog-health/dog-diseases-conditions-a-z/ivermectin-toxicity-dogs ) The treatment will still be effective. Don't worry about that! Hope this helps. Best wishes. If you have more questions please feel free to post again.

If it was Heartgard, there is no cause for concern. It is an extremely safe product and very difficult to overdose. If it was a different preparation of ivermectin, a double dose may not be cause for concern unless your dog is sensitive to it or carries the MDR1 gene. Typically, a non sensitive dog requires dosing around 2000mcg/kg before clinical signs become apparent. See your vet for an exam as soon as you can if you are concerned. Bring the container of ivermectin with you. Treatment for ivermectin toxicity is supportive in nature. Monitor for vomiting, excess salivation, ataxia (wobbly gait), dilated pupils or tremors.

Heartgard Plus has a very high margin of safety, so I would not expect this to cause any serious problems. I would recommend monitoring her for the next day or two to make sure that she's acting normal, but otherwise you shouldn't need to do anything different :) You can go ahead and give her next dose on April 15th as scheduled.