Fleas, Ticks, Skeeters and Dogs

[lakesgirl]

We recently had to have our border collie treated for heartworm. We adopted him about 18 months ago and he tested negative then. He has been on Interceptor continually but 8 weeks ago he tested positive. We don't know wether his original test was a false negative or the Interceptor failed. Because of his breed, Interceptor is the only safe heartworm preventative.

Now that those dreaded skeeters are back....and in forces. I wanted to make sure he isn't bitten again. Besides Advantix I found a collar that seens to work repelling them. It's called Defy the Fly. It's a plastic collar that has a cork insert soaked in Citronella, Cedar Oil and another all natural ingredient that for the life of me can't remember the name. Anyway, it seems to be working.

The package says that it will also repel fleas and tcks.....the jury is still out on that one. But thought those of you that own dogs might be interested.

They also make the collar for horses.

I don't know if Pet Smart or Petco carries it. I picked mine up at Animal House on RT 322 in Cecil.

 

[Sue Gremlin]

Sorry about your pup's heartworm. Were you able to treat the dog with immiticide? It's hard to come by these days. Did you or your veterinarian report it to Novartis? They should pay for your dog's heartworm treatment if it's found to be a failure and they will certainly want to know about it. Failures, by the way, are extraordinarily rare. I mean, one in a million, maybe less. Sorry your dog was that statistic. Also rare are treatment reactions in collies. Yes, they are more sensitive to ivermectin than other dogs, but most of them are fine with it. Was it your veterinarian who told you this was your only option? I don't agree with that conclusion, but you should always listen to your vet and not a silly woman on an internet forum.

That being said, herbal collars are basically worthless, especially against fleas and ticks. If it seems to be keeping the flying things off of him, that's great, but never rely on something like that to keep fleas and ticks away. k9 Advantix will protect for a while against mosquitoes, but not for a full month. I would recommend talking to your veterinarian to look into reevaluating the heartworm preventative regimen your dog is on. I don't think there is any truly safe and effective way of repelling all mosquitoes all the time.

 

[lakesgirl]

We (and our vet) did report it to Novartis and their response was basicaly "oh well". Since we did not get the Interceptor from our vet they weren't responsible. Though they told us they would pay for the second test to confirm the heartworm, we have yet to see that. It's been 8 weeks. I am not happy with them. We took the script and had it filled by "Dr's Foster and Smith", who paid for Duke's treatment 100%. Novartis told us, had we gotten the preventitive from our vet, they would have paid $250.00 of a $1400.00 treatment.

Duke had been on Frontline Plus and we were finding it wasn't lasting more than 2-3 weeks. So, this year we are trying the Advantix and adding the collar. Which is keeping the skeeters away. I've stood out in the yard holding it and have not gotten bit.

I would never just rely on an herbal product, but thought it might be useful as an additional protection.

Regarding the Interceptor, our vet said there has been enough adverse reactions in the "collie" breeds that this is the only one they reccommend. So I guess for now, he is back on it.

I'm not sure what they treated him with, I am at work now and don't have the paperwork with me.

Please PM me and I'll give you my cell # to discuss.

I don't want to put him through this again!

thanks for responding.

 

[Sue Gremlin]

I am sorry to hear they won't help you out because of your purchase from a vet med internet retailer. That's a hot button with vets and with companies that make this stuff because neither has any control over how it's handled. They may have been kept in poor storage conditions, remote a possibility as that sounds. Can you get a new pack?
Its surprising to me that they won't cover the whole cost if the dog meets the criteria. Heartworm med failures almost never happen when properly administered. You'd think they'd at least be interested. Oh well.

I wish you and your pup the best of health.

 

[Pandot]

Wow... I'm quite surprised over your experience with Interceptor. We have used that brand, as well as Heartguard, on our 2 pups, which happen to be border collies... and my sense of security has just flown out the window. Not that there's really anything we can do differently, but thanks for the heads-up!

 

[lakesgirl]

Wow... I'm quite surprised over your experience with Interceptor. We have used that brand, as well as Heartguard, on our 2 pups, which happen to be border collies... and my sense of security has just flown out the window. Not that there's really anything we can do differently, but thanks for the heads-up!

We are taking the extra precaution by adding the herbal collar to keep the skeeters away along with changing from Frontline Plus to Advantix. And having him tested twice a year, mainly to put my own mind at ease. As far as Interceptor, I was more concerned about the response I received from Novartis. We used the Interseptor on our previous bc and all was fine. But this pooch was roaming the streets when found and there wasn't any medical history with him. So what I am told he could have been infected before we started him on the Interceptor. Thus the false negative.

Best wishes with your 2 pups!