Can I give my 5-month-old puppy heartworm medicine without a test?

Hi there. Your pup is old enough to start on heartworm prevention now. I would suggest using Heartgard or Sentinel - both of these are fine for a pup who is 9 weeks old and weighs 3.5 pounds, and both are very safe in general. Puppies under six months of age do not need to be tested first.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is never too late! At 7 months old I recommend that your Vet test Midna for heart worm disease now. If she is negative start Heartgard then retest her again in 6 months. It takes a heart worm 6 months from the bite of an infected mosquito to mature in to adults and cause a test to be positive. So testing now only proves she wasn't bitten in the first 1 month of life. I highly recommend year round heart worm prevention for the entirety of the pets life. Getting heart worm disease can be deadly and treating heart worm disease is expensive and can also cause be deadly. I hope this helps and I wish you and Midna the best.

It is very important to start heartworm preventative in puppies to make sure that they are protected and never get heartworms, so be sure to get Callie started on heartworm prevention right away. This is very important in warmer climates because mosquitoes are present year round and Callie can get infected even in the winter. So, ask your vet for a heartworm prevention recommendation for Callie. Congrats on your new baby! ! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I do recommend monthly heartworm prevention starting at 8 weeks of age. It is a prescription so a veterinarian does not have to personally give the pill but you need to either buy it from a vet or get a prescription from a vet. The only medication that needed to be at a veterinarian's office is Pro-heart. This is an injectable heartworm prevention that lasts for 6 months. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

A 10 week old puppy is too young to have a heartworm infection. Your puppy could have heartworm larvae circulating in his blood but the adult heart worms take 4-6 months to develop in the heart. I usually start puppies on a monthly heartworm preventative when they are around 12 wks old. This will kill the larvae and prevent the adult heart worms from infecting the heart. If you haven’t already taken your puppy to see a veterinarian for his puppy vaccines and dewormer, you should do that as soon as you get a chance to prevent him from getting sick. Hope this has helped. Good luck with your new puppy. Thank you for using pet coach.

Hello, I would not recommend giving him an adult size heart guard even if it is cut in half. Unfortunately, the best way to obtain the adequate dewormer for Pocket will be during his first puppy exam and vaccines. Depending on your location, you may be able to find free or low cost vaccine and dewormer clinics that may be able to help you out with costs. Your veterinarian may have further information on where you can obtain low cost vaccinations and dewormers. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Heartworm medication should be given to a dog every month, but if a dog does have heartworm, it will take at least six months for a dog to test positive after being infected. I would have Holly checked for heartworm now so she can be put on a preventative if she is negative for it. I hope this helps!