Ivomec

Question
Hi Patti, I am interested in giving my German Shephard monthly straight Ivomec treatments for the prevention of heartworms. My dog is heartworm free and I would like to save a few $$$ rather than giving the traditional Heartguard like I am now. I have found a 50ml bottle but do not know how to figure the dosage. Do you have any idea? Thank you.

Answer

Hi Rennie,

Talk to your veterinarian to confirm proper dosage for your dog, the standard Ivomec dosing recommended for heartworm prevention in dogs is: a does of .0015 to .0030mg per pound, once a month.

Once you've determined the proper dosage for your dog, you will need a syringe with a needle to draw the medication out of the vial and a syringe without a needle to give the medication to your pet. Draw out the medication with the needle syringe and inject it into a glass with a little bit of juice or soda. Then use a needle-less syringe to draw the liquid back up out of the glass. Stand to the side of your dog and hold his muzzle in your hand. Insert the syringe into the side of your dog's mouth and aim it towards the cheek. Depress the syringe until all of the medication is gone.
After dosing your dog with the medication, watch for possible side effects. These include:

Stumbling or lack of coordination
Blindness
Vomiting or diarrhea
Weakness
Strange behaviors

Most side effects, if they occur, will happen within twelve hours of receiving a dose. If you notice any of these signs after giving Ivomec, contact your veterinarian. Like other forms of heartworm medication, when treating your dog with Ivomec you should make sure to give a dose every month.

There are less expensive generic alternatives to name brand heartworm preventatives. The generics all contain the same medication as the name brands (Ivermectin), and they're just as effective.  Brands to look for are Valuheart, Iverhart Plus, Iverhart Max Plus, Tri-Heart Plu, Nuheart, and Valuheart. All of these medications require a prescription. Some veterinarians also sell the generic heart worm preventatives in their clinics.
Some vets will match the Internet prices for heartworm preventatives, if you ask your vet if he or she is open to this. You probably will have to print out the Internet price you've found, and bring it to the vet's office for approval.

If your dog hasn't had the blood test to rule out the presence of heartworms, your vet won't give you a prescription for any kind of preventative. If there has been a gap in your dog's heartworm preventative treatments, you should not give him the Ivomec without having the test run.

Depending where you live, it may not be necessary to give your dog a heartworm preventative year 'round. Heartworm development in the mosquito is dependent upon environmental temperatures. Heartworm larvae cannot develop to the stage needed to infect dogs until temperatures have been over 57 degrees Fahrenheit, day and night, for at least one to two weeks. The amount of time it takes will vary depending on how warm it is: the warmer the temperatures, the faster the heartworm larvae develop.
It would be necessary to test your dog for heartworms before starting heartworm preventative in the spring. The advantage of this is it gives your dog's liver a rest from the preventative medication during the time of year when there is a very low chance of getting infected with the disease. You can read more about this here:

http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/05/13/heartworm-medication-safety/

I hope I've been a help.
Best of luck,

Patti