Can Heartworm Shots Be Harmful to Dogs?

By

mykidsnuttymom

Jim In Jax, Hey, Thanks for the info about Ivermectin. I use that stuff on my goats. I was truly wondering if it would be cool to use on my pet French Bulldog and 2 English Bulldogs. I can also use it on my Great Pyrenesse and Rottwieler. Thanks, Teresa

By Sophie (Guest Post)

I have had a dog that was a rescue and I had a private vet for her so the shots costed $600, but it was worth it. I wanted the dog. The shots almost killed my dog the the vet had to come at my house at 10:00 at night one night to pump fluid into her shoulders. If he had not come till the morning then the dog would be dead.

By

Vicka

I am so sorry about your dog! I hope everything goes well for him. I do not remember what the site was, but some dog-owners were receiving compensation for their vet bills from the mfg. of the injectible. I think the parent company was Wyeth.

Help with vet bills does not even begin to help with the heartbreak of your dog being so sick. But, you know, it might be worth looking into because according to what I read, they didn't do the testing they should have, but marketed anyway. Having to pay pet owners might make a difference in future corporate decisions and save other pets' health.

By Robert Parks (Guest Post)

We were told this past weekend that our dog has. We were told that the treatment could harm him including death. But without treatment he would also die. We started the treatment that Saturday. Scoby is doing just fine. The hard part is if you have a active pet, you have to keep it as calm as you can.

By

smartfell-r

I used to give my dogs HeartGuard for heartworm prevention. It is quite expensive and their is a much cheaper alternative. The main ingredient Ivermectin kills heartworms. You can purchase Ivermectin or Ivomec injection(but you don't inject it) 1% solution for cattle and swine and use it in dogs!! I was told this by the Doberman rescue group I adopted my Roxi from. They have been using it for years and I for one year now. It works great!

Here is the link for directions on how to use this:
http://www.beaglesunlimited.com/beaglehealth_canineheartworms.htm

Here is one of the many websites where you can buy it:

http://www.upco.com/
Search for Ivermectin

Here is the website to buy the syringe (you only need to buy one as you keep using it over and over-(YOU DO NOT INJECT THE IVERMECTIN INTO YOUR DOG, only use the syringe to get the Ivermectin out of the injectable bottle):

http://www.upco.com/cgi-bin/Upcol.s ... 08ea6ec0a80aa506a9/Product/View/SYR3

Jim in Jax

By

ferimone

I have a 7 year old mixed breed beagle and she was using the six month heartworm shots, until they were taken off the market because of some dog fatalities. I read online about the vaccine and most of the dogs who died were aged or not in good health so they are not sure if the vaccine is related to their deaths or not. So until further testing, your vet should not be using, the vacine. Sandy did all right and it made sure I did not forget her meds, but I won't use the vaccine again until they can prove that it will not harm my girl.

By

mousie

Yes I have. My neighbor's vet does not use the shots anymore because they have caused deaths in dogs.
I have two dogs and I have always given them Heartguard. They have never had a problem and I trust it. I would not give them the shot!!!

By Vic (Guest Post)

I've also read bad things about the shot. I give mine heartgard & have for a long time with no adverse affects. I tend to go for the tried & true. Not only for my furkids, but for me too.

By

cj1617

Any vaccine can be harmful to a dog. It all depends on the dog. I think I would go with a more traditional heartworm prevention course, like the tablets you give them once a month.