Yep, always pull the needle off. I only use the needle on the syringe that I use to draw it, then put it into each dogs syringe that has no needle, all of our dogs are pretty close in weight so it makes it easy to keep up with, just have to keep the two pups dose separate but they are almost full size now too. And yes Iron spikes, I Have been told the same thing and if I ever have another dog get heartworms, I will do the same.

I use a liquid mixture that my vet recommended. I don't recall the ingredients or amounts off the top of my head (I do have it written down at home). I know one of the ingredients is polypropelene something or another. You give 1cc per 40lbs of weight. It costs way less than Heartguard Plus!!

As for dogs getting heartworms while on preventative, there are documented cases of that happening. That is why Bayer's heartworm preventative is preferred by many pro's because they've proven their preventative also can be used to treat heartworms as well.

IronSpike, I want more info on this when I visit you next month, just dropped $95 on 12 doses of Heartgard, but on a positive note, annual test results-negative!

Put me down for Ivermec. Anybody have a cheaper solution for fleas and ticks?

This was the first year for me to get fleas in a long time, noticed some on one of the pups & got to checking & they all had some, I bought the Hartz brand stuff that you put on their back at walmart, gave all of them a bath & one dose of that stuff, then sprayed the yard with Termidor (wife works for a pest control company, so I get it for free) so far we have bathed them two more times each & found no fleas (2 months later) you can order Termidor at www.domyownpestcontrol.com use 1 oz per gallon of water.

I'm finding ticks and the usual stuff is mighty expensive these days (what ain't?). I tried a Walmart brand sub for Advantix but it is not for ticks. Any ideas out there? - other than paying a small fortune?

I've always used frontline for my two, never had any fleas or ticks, thank the Lord!!
Never did any price comparisons, so I maybe paying too much, but I am digging the results!!

Many dog owners dilute injectable ivermectin 1:9 with propylene glycol (NOT ethylene glycol!). This makes it easier to measure and administer.

No medication is 100% effective, but the heartworm preventatives come close. If you use a brand-name preventative and your dog gets heartworms anyway, the drug manufacturer will likely help you out on the cost of treating your dog. Just ask your vet.

A Preventic collar will keep your dog tick-free for 3 months, or more. It's worth every penny if you live in tick country.

That sounds like the stuff!

I just stared using ivermec or my lab had him checked he is heart worm free. My problem is getting the dosage right i found a chart that says .0027CC for every 10lbs so my dogs is 58lbs so it would be about .015CC which is the second little line on the sygrine but that is about a big drop, Is that the correct dosage? Do not want to give him too much. I also seen where 1/10CC per 10lbs was too much please advise.

From someone who has been using Ivermectin for sometime....like years and years, take it from me (and obviously Don Dial, who tested it for the makers of Heartgard in his kennel, and the others who posted) If you are buying the injectable ivermectin for cattle(that is 1% ivermectin, 99%propylene glycol carrier), 1/10 CC per 10 lbs is a good dosage. So if your labrador is 60 pounds, use 6/10 CC per month for him squirted into his mouth, or on his food, or on a piece of bread. It will keep him heartworm free, and he will not be troubled with earmites either. It is not an overdose. I've given PeeWee, a 50 lb pointer, twice that dosage PER DAY, rather than per month to control an outbreak of red mange on him for months at a time, with no ill effects. Oh yeah, and don't use ivermectin on anything that is collie or has collie blood.

I also use about a cc in a bottle of strongid puppy wormer and shake it well...usually my pups have quite a few fleas running
loose and under the house and it won't get tape worms but it gets
a lot that strongid doesnt..and I've never had any reaction to the med...One of my old (now deceased) Coon Huntin Buds had one
of his very old Walker Hounds walk dizzy after a 1CC dose..carried him to the vet and he had Heartworms...but he hadn't been worming him reg. and he lost a good old dog..
DD

I use the zymecterin horse paste once a quarter to the back of the tongue. Have dogs checked annually. HW free and they are 12 years old.

Interesting. I've wanted to try Zymectrin Gold but no-one I knew of could tell me the correct dosage. How much do you use?

No problem. Just remind me when you and the crew get here!

Pointer, I put half of 1 round from the screw measured plunger on a popcicle stick and slide it off on the back of dog's tongue. Been doing it for years at quarterly intervals and it has worked great. Never any HW, fleas, ticks, or ear mites.

Thanks NorthTex,

Gary

At what age are you starting them on ivomect? If you are using injectable ivomect for cattle, why not inject the dog? Is the generic ivomect as good as the brand name? What about the topical ivomect? Thanks for the answers in advance.

injectable ivermectin for cattle is 1% ivermectin...whether you by IVOMEC brand, Noromectin, or something else...I used some stuff from Mexico for years..it was at least 1/2 price, but it was 1% ivermectin in a propylene solution. I am not a vet...I would NOT recommend injecting your dog, since it was formulated for injection into CATTLE...not dogs. What seems safer, injecting him or squirting it in his mouth?
I would not use the pour on ivermectin, nor would I use Ivermection plus...since I know nothing about them or the dosing that would be appropriate....I would stick with what is known to be safe and effective, period...Why take a chance?

i just picked up a pointer, she's one year old and has never been on heart worm stuff. if i start her on half a CC (50lbs) of ivermectin per month, it should kill the baby and young worms and the adult heart worms should die off in a couple years right? my other pointer is on Heart Guard but i think i'm gonna switch her to ivermectin as well to save on cost. you guys that take in strays think that's a good idea?

i did a search on google and you can read how your dog will die if given ivermectin until you can't read anymore or your eyes fall out. my dad did it all the time, gave all his dogs ivermectin, so i may as well start now too.

If she has a lot of microfilaria in her system, this could cause the 'reaction' vets often warn about and could prove fatal.

Definitely get a dog tested before administering ivermectin. If the dog is a strong + for HW, you can kill the dog by giving it ivermectin.

alright, i will take her in and have her checked out before i give her any iverectin. just wasn't sure how much at risk she was for only being a year old. i rescued her from some owners that really did no training, no flea/tick meds, no heart guard, and i'm sure they abused her while trying to "train" her.

Ivermectin is the active ingredient, keep it the same and buy whatever is cheapest.