Can I give two smaller Heartgard Plus doses to my large dog?

The good news is that Hartgard is a relatively safe drug, and it is difficult to overdose dogs with the medication. Typically, toxicity is worried about when the dog ingests 10-20 times the recommended dose. Your dog should be just fine :-)

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.

She can get the 26-50 lb dose. Heartgard has a wide margin of safety so the larger dose is recommended. It it a better option than potentially underdosing Pudding. You should discuss further concerns with your veterinarian.

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.

Most of the monthly oral preventatives have a wide safety margin. Heartgrad is very safe, so if that is the preventative you use, then a second dose will not be harmful. If you use a different medication, check with your veterinarian before giving another dose.

While this is not good, it is unlikely that your dog will suffer any ill consequences, especially if she has been treated with Heartguard before and did not have a reaction. Ivermectin has a relatively large safety margin.

Good for you for taking some weight off Leila to help with her hips! I know that can be challending. In general, the amount of ivermectin in Heartgard is very low, and it is not a problem for a dog that is just under 50 pounds to have the 51-100 pound dose. However, some dog breeds are sensitive to ivermectin, so I would certainly ask your veterinarian about their recommendation for Leila just to be on the safe side. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.