Preventative Heartworm Medicine

admin on 07 1, 2009

Heartworm disease is difficult to treat but simple to prevent. Using a regular heartworm medicine ensures any heartworm parasite transmitted to your pet via a mosquito bite is destroyed before it can do any damage.

Best Selling Heartworm Medicine

Here at Online Pet Meds we offer a wide range of heartworm medicine at discounted prices. Much of the range is available prescription free and we offer both branded and generic heartworm meds. For our full range check the links at the side.

Our best selling heartworm medications are the following:

Heartgard for Dogs from $30 for 6 months
Nuheart (Generic Heartgard) from $15 for 6 months

Heartgard Plus Chewables from $29 for 6 months
Generic Heartgard Plus Chewables from $21.99 for 6 months
Interceptor for Dogs from $27.99 for 6 months

Revolution for Dogs from $39 for 3 months
Revolution for Cats from $33 for 3 months

Advantage Multi for Dogs (Advocate) from $39 for 3 months
Advantage Multi for Cats (Advocate) from $31 for 3 months

*Prices correct at time of publication

Heartworm Medicine – Prescriptions

Most of our heartworm medicines are currently available without a prescription. These include Proheart, Revolution, Advantage Multi, Heartgard, Heartgard Plus, Nuheart, Valuheart and Generic Heartgard.

To enjoy a prescription free purchase you must buy at our secure store, through the product links on these pages. If you browse around the secure store you will notice a request for a prescription when purchasing. Just click back to these pages and re-enter the store via these product links to purchase each item without a prescription.

This is a limited offer, we do not know if or when we will be forced to request a prescription for all heartworm medicine sales.

Types of Heartworm Medicine

There are three types of heartworm medicine for dogs and cats available now. Heartworm Pills given monthly or daily. Topical Heartworm Medicine administered monthly and a Heartworm Injection (given annually or bi-annually).

Heartworm Medicine by Injection

The heartworm injection is used rarely in the United States but widely available in Europe and Australia. If you are interested in giving your dog heartworm medicine via injection, visit your vet and ask about Proheart 6 (or Proheart SR12 in Australia).

Heartworm Pills

Heartworm Pills are the traditional method of preventing heartworm for dogs. Until the last few decades these had to be given to dogs, at risk of contracting the disease, every day.

For more information on individual heartworm pills and cheap prices have a look at the articles relating to individual brands of heartworm pill:

Nowadays most pet owners prefer the convenience of a monthly heartworm pill. These are given to your pet every 30 days. Once administered they destroy any larval worms contracted during the previous 30 days. Some heartworm pills also destroy other internal parasites eliminating the need for a seperate dewormer.

If changing from a daily to a monthly heartworm pill always give the first monthly tablet within 30 days of the last daily one. This ensures complete heartworm control.

Topical Heartworm Medicine

Heartworm medicine can now be given via topical or ’spot on’ treatments, rather like Frontline Flea Treatment. These topical heartworm medications are growing in popularity as many pet owners prefer the convenience of using such products.

Each make of topical heartworm medicine is given to your pet every 30 days. Just like the monthly pills, these work by destroying any larval heartworms contracted during the previous month. They are administered by placing the liquid treatment onto the skin between the shoulder blades. From here it is absorbed into the bloodstream to destroy the parasites.

For more information on topical heartworm medicines and cheap prices have a look at the articles relating to individual brands of heartworm medicine:

Some of the topical heartworm medicines now combine control of other internal and/or external parasites too, so reducing the number of different medications needing to be given to your pet.

Heartworm Disease

Heartworm disease has been recognised for over a century. It is a problem passed to dogs via an infected mosquito bite. As such it is most often contracted during warmer months when mosquitoes are most active. Primarily a problem for canines (both wild and domesticated), heartworm is increasingly being diagnosed in cats too (though the numbers are much smaller than in the canine population). This has led to the introduction of a small number of cat heartworm medicines.

Areas with the highest incidences of heartworm disease are those with high mosquito populations, such as those close to river deltas. But, heartworm disease is a growing problem worldwide. The American Heartworm Society recommend all dog owners, in all states use heartworm medicine regularly. With no form of treatment available for cats once the disease is established, more cat owners are now using preventative heartworm medicines particularly in areas with a high number of cases in the canine population.

Using Heartworm Medicine

Whichever type of heartworm medication you choose there are a few rules to follow to ensure your pet receives maximum protection from the disease.

Firstly, your pet will need a test for heartworm disease each spring, to be carried out by your vet. This is because preventative heartworm medicine cannot eradicate the disease once established.
Secondly, no heartworm medication can be guaranteed 100% effective if not given regularly. But, used correctly whenever there is mosquito activity these preventatives WILL stop your pet contracting the disease. Monthly treatments must be administered every 30 days. Whenever changing from one medication to another ensure the new treatment is given within the appropriate time-frame. Home administered heartworm medication destroys heartworm already contracted since the last treatment. They do not prevent future cases of heartworm.
Thirdly, heartworm medicines are extremely ‘animal specific’. Never use a product labelled for use on another species or size of animal.

Even house pets can suffer from heartworm disease as the mosquito is often able to find its way into our homes. Pets in areas with year round mosquito activity will need year round heartworm medicine. Animals in areas with only seasonal mosquito activity may be protected with a six-monthly treatment regime. Speak to your vet when you get your pets tested for heartworm, about the risks in your area.

Discount Heartworm Medicine

Whichever form of heartworm preventative you choose, do check our prices first. We offer the absolutely lowest prices available on a wide range of pets medicines including branded and generic heartworm medications, most of which are available without a prescription.

Online Pet Medicine