Ticks in Dogs

[TxCoUnTrYbOy]

My dog has no problem with the preventative pills. He thinks they are a treat. Hes spoiled, but we dont give him any "people food" so I guess he thinks that pill is a treat. Unlike my parents dogs, who get people food all the time, and are fat. The only way they will eat the heartworm pill is to wrap it in meat. When they get meat they dont even bother chewing and swallow it whole.

 

[peg4x4]

Hamburger meat,3 small meatballs with the pill in the middle one-Give thi 1st one,let him check it,and eat,then the pill one ,with the last one under his nose so he'll hurry up and swallow the pill to get the other goody..Or pry the pointy teeth open,stuff the pill behind the thoung(sp) and hold the mouth closed..

 

[redneckcowgirlmn]

You CAN ask your vet to let you sign the Declined HW test waiver, they should have it, and then their butts are covered if your dog dies. (They have waivers for all kinds of things, nowadays!)

(Was a sm. animal vet tech in CA and WI a few yrs ago, moved on to lg animal, then quit when daycare cost more than my paycheck provided.... too many vo-tech schools for that in this area!)

 

[mdmdogs3]

Alice,

Its amazing how these little guys can work a tablet out of a piece of cheese, isn't it? Mine even give me that disgusted look probably thinking, "You didn't really think I wouldn't notice, did you?"

have you tried peanut butter? - as long as the dog likes peanut butter it works great, it sticks to the pill
have one dog that wouldn't eat peanut butter if it was on a steak - but wrap her pill in raw bacon and it is down in a flash

 

[VtMapleGal]

If they are on an ivomec type preventative (heartgaurd) they should be tested yearly, because it can be deadly. If they are on revolution they do not need to be tested every year, as it is not deadly if they have heartworm. It will not kill adult stages. At the clinic where i work we have people whom chose not to have the test. We just mark on thier charts owner denied hw test and risk were told to the owner. It covers us.

 

[Alice]

If they are on an ivomec type preventative (heartgaurd) they should be tested yearly, because it can be deadly. If they are on revolution they do not need to be tested every year, as it is not deadly if they have heartworm. It will not kill adult stages. At the clinic where i work we have people whom chose not to have the test. We just mark on thier charts owner denied hw test and risk were told to the owner. It covers us.

I use interceptor. What about that?

I don't know anything about revolution...or maybe I remember that there was a problem with revolution at one time harming dogs...

Alice

 

[msscamp]

Alice,

Its amazing how these little guys can work a tablet out of a piece of cheese, isn't it? Mine even give me that disgusted look probably thinking, "You didn't really think I wouldn't notice, did you?"

The trick to using cheese is to only use about a 1/4" strip, work it into a small ball around the cheese, then get the dog so excited about getting something unexpected that, when you toss the tidbit, he swallows it whole! THEN you can give him the rest of the slice as a treat - works every time for me! ;-)

 

[NamVet_Farmer44]

My dog eats anything and everything it sees...even chews on rocks sometimes...he also chews on his own leg sometimes too when he gets tired of chewing on his tail :roll:

 

[redneckcowgirlmn]

If they are on an ivomec type preventative (heartgaurd) they should be tested yearly, because it can be deadly. If they are on revolution they do not need to be tested every year, as it is not deadly if they have heartworm. It will not kill adult stages. At the clinic where i work we have people whom chose not to have the test. We just mark on thier charts owner denied hw test and risk were told to the owner. It covers us.

This has been proven Untrue... What do they TREAT Heartworm with, when the dog is positive... Ivermectin injectable. Dog stays in clinic for observation, just in case.

If your dog is ON Ivermectin preventative year-round, you can use your own comfort level, and decline the test. The TEST is not deadly, it's just a blood draw. Money maker for the vets, started way back when they first started offering HW preventative, as some dogs were testing neg at first, then on preventative for the 6 months recommended on the package, summer and fall are longer than expected, dog gets infected in October, then is positive next spring. Dogs on meds all year Should be neg.in theory. The Meds don't PREVENT the dog from getting heartworms, it KILLS worms already there. The Fear factor is, if you dog hasn't been treated, you treat them, meds kill off a bunch of worms, your dog MIGHT get an artery blocked, and then die. Monthly treatment prevents a mass infestation, by killing off the smaller numbers that accumulate, each month. It takes a couple months for the worms to be big enough to show up on a blood test, that's how you can get a negative result, when they have them anyways.
The real pisser is, most collie type dogs are very sensitive to ivermectin,(Heartgard-says it right on the package) and can have seizures. That's where the newer types of meds came from.
Long story short, unless you have a collie,(incl. borders, shelties, beardies, etc) it's a good idea to go each month, all year. If you have a good relationship with your vet, talk to him or her about the yearly test, discuss the necessity of it IF your dog is on preventative all year. If you only go to Low-cost clinics for the bare minimum, THEY'RE the ones that are usually pushing the tests... more $$$.
Oh, BTW, Most vets recommend S.D. food, because Hill's pays their tuition thru vet school, and they are REQUIRED to sell it 'till their loans are paid off. Most of them, "Off the Record" will tell you it's Crap food. P.M. me if you want names and #'s of who told me this!
AND....BACK to the OP's ?, Zodiac makes an awesome spot-on tick repellant, shampoos, sprays etc. They also have a line of stuff safe to put in stock tanks, standing puddles etc. to kill mosquito larvae.