Question on dewormer and flea/tick meds..

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

On February 24th, the rescue center gave Simon a dose of Drontal Plus (dewormer).  I don't think they did it because he had worms, but rather as a preventative.  Last week, when we visited the vet, she was only able to get a small stool sample (which she found no worms in) and she gave us another dose of Drontal for me to give him this Wednesday (two weeks after he was given the first dose with the rescue center).  Any idea why she would do this?  From what research I've done, IF he had worms... the first dose of Drontal Plus would have taken care of it, so why do a second does so quickly after?  Any thoughts?

Also... I'd love feed back on flea/tick prevention.  Not sure what brand to use.  I think I'd prefer an oral (so it's not on the skin and the kids could possibly get it on themselves), but maybe the topical works better?

[Cortezcapt (Derek) 156]

I don't know why but we did 2 doses of the dewormer when we got our puppy from the shelter.

We use the heart guard for heartworm and I think nexguard for flea and tick. Both are chewables and seem to work as we didn't have a flea problem last year. We tried the trifexis but ours couldn't keep them down which we were warned about by the vet. If you can get them for double the weight of your dog and only give half a month is usually cheaper then buying a years worth of the actual weight.

Next year when it's time for shots ask the doctor about an antibody titer test. Rabies in most states if not all are mandatory but the other shots see if he needs them. Most don't need all the vaccinations they try to give annually.

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[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Sounds like they may suspect he could have some parasites even though the fecal sample was clear?  Some types of parasites can require more than one dose to be completely cleared out (whip worms come to mind), but if they didn't specify why I'd probably ask them.  Some vets do go overboard on stuff like this, or at least follow protocols that are a little more heavy-handed even though there's new information that may suggest it's not necessary.

The rescue group I volunteer with tends to be cautious about giving new rescue dogs too much too soon unless it's completely necessary.  The dogs are generally stressed to begin with - which can effect their immune systems, just like in people - and overloading them with vaccines, preventatives, etc. all in a bunch can do more harm than good.

That said, the risk of infection/contamination is part of the equation too.  If a dog is in a very controlled environment without a lot of exposure to other dogs or places he could pick something up, and/or you don't live somewhere where particular diseases or parasites are a big problem, you can have some leeway when it comes to how much and how often.

I honestly haven't gotten a lot of good feedback on the oral preventatives and have heard of some bad reactions.  Most of my dog friends and fellow rescue peeps go with topicals, but that's another one that can vary based on where you live and what the risk is. 

Here we don't have a big flea/tick problem and I can get away with the herbal preventatives during spring/summer/fall (we don't treat in winter).  We use Sentry Natural Defense topical.  The one time they get the "heavy duty" stuff is when we go to Florida.  Those FL fleas are tough buggers!  For that trip, we use Advantix II. But be careful because some of those aren't recommended if you have cats in the house.

[keith_h 420]

Based on what I read the medication is not effective against immature worms that might be traveling through the body. I suspect the second dosage is to ensure any worms that might have matured in the interim are also treated. Here's the full Q&A:

"What results can I expect?
Drontal Plus will kill roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms and whipworms. These worms may either be too small or may be digested, so you may not see worms in the stool. This medication will kill adult worms, but not immature worms that may be migrating through the body. It will not prevent reinfection. For these reasons, periodic deworming is often recommended. "

I can't speak to the flea/tick treatment as when we had a dog the only thing available was a collar. I know my older daughter uses the stuff you put on the back of the neck with her cats and after the day or so you don't even know it was there.  

While we're on the subject don't forget heartworm treatment. I don't know what the standard is today but we use to use Heartgard which was given once a month. It can cause problems with some breeds so check with your vet for the best treatment to use for your puppy. 

[Travisma 1,317]

Don't give the different meds to the dog at the same time either.  Give them a few days apart.  And make sure you keep up on the heartworm medication, or the vet will want to retest before issuing another prescription.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

1 minute ago, keith_h said:

While we're on the subject don't forget heartworm treatment. I don't know what the standard is today but we use to use Heartgard which was given once a month. It can cause problems with some breeds so check with your vet for the best treatment to use for your puppy. 

Heartworm prevent is definitely important. We use Sentinel (same kind of thing) and give it regularly all year except for in winter.  Heartworm is carried by mosquitoes and we're lucky enough not to have any of those for a few months of the year up this way.  :)

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

1 minute ago, Travisma said:

Don't give the different meds to the dog at the same time either.  Give them a few days apart. 

Good advice.  I try to plan it out so that we have a week or 2 in between if possible.

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

Thanks Keith.  I actually just got off the phone with the shelter (I was asking if they knew what food he was on, before the previous owner surrendered him); the vet tech said that same thing about the two doses:  that it would not kill the worms that had not hatched (yuck!).  I'll give the second dose... but probably in another week to settle this upset tummy that he has.

On the heartworm...they did explain the importance of that to me; I purchased six months of meds from the shelter (Heartgard). 

Thanks Derek.  I know a gal who uses Nexgard, but when I googled the brand... there were some pretty negative reports    

Mo... good to know there is a more natural remedy.  I like natural, but I also do not want fleas or ticks (yuck again!) in our house... so, I'm not sure what I'm going to do just yet.  I know the shelter uses Advantix.  I may need to do some more research here.  Maybe I'll apply it and then tell the kids hands off for 48 hours.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

19 minutes ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Mo... good to know there is a more natural remedy.  I like natural, but I also do not want fleas or ticks (yuck again!) in our house... so, I'm not sure what I'm going to do just yet.  I know the shelter uses Advantix.  I may need to do some more research here.  Maybe I'll apply it and then tell the kids hands off for 48 hours.

Totally agree on the fleas/ticks.  If fleas in your area are anywhere like they are in FL, I'd probably go with the Advantix too.

The only times our dogs have picked up fleas have been in FL and we were using the herbal stuff at the time.

Ticks are another story.  They're pretty terrible up this way and nothing really works all that well when it comes to prevention.  We check the mutts regularly in the summer, which at least helps in getting rid of them before they can transmit any nasty diseases.

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

27 minutes ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

 Ticks are another story.  They're pretty terrible up this way and nothing really works all that well when it comes to prevention.  We check the mutts regularly in the summer, which at least helps in getting rid of them before they can transmit any nasty diseases.

Yuck.  Simon is an indoor dog and, with Tom's back, our camping trips do not include a lot of hikes... actually the Fort is probably about as wooded as we get.. so I'm really hoping that I never see a tick!  Yuck!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

5 minutes ago, twiceblessed....nacole said:

Yuck.  Simon is an indoor dog and, with Tom's back, our camping trips do not include a lot of hikes... actually the Fort is probably about as wooded as we get.. so I'm really hoping that I never see a tick!  Yuck!

That'll definitely help!  :)

I've never seen a tick at the Fort.  Although we don't let the dogs go spelunking in the bushes at all, and the grassy areas are always mowed nice and short, which I'm sure helps.

 

[Dalspot ... Karen 21]

I use Iverhart Max - same stuff but cheaper, and I always order online instead of paying the high vet prices!  Most online sites will contact your vet for you for a prescription once you've placed the order even.

I only use a topical flea/tick treatment a couple times a year - I don't like continuously dosing if you don't need to.  I'm more concerned about ticks than the fleas, and fortunately my old girl has gotten to be quite the house dweller.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

NaCole, Sanford is an inside dog, but we have to use a topical about 6 months out of the year. GA fleas can be pretty bad. 

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

2 hours ago, Dalspot ... Karen said:

... I always order online instead of paying the high vet prices!  Most online sites will contact your vet for you for a prescription once you've placed the order even.

Same here.  We get our flea/tick stuff online as well - generally a lot cheaper.

[twiceblessed....nacole 433]

2 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

NaCole, Sanford is an inside dog, but we have to use a topical about 6 months out of the year. GA fleas can be pretty bad. 

Our neighbors have have a Shih Tzu as well and I remember her saying that one year. 

 

4 hours ago, Dalspot ... Karen said:

I use Iverhart Max - same stuff but cheaper, and I always order online instead of paying the high vet prices!  Most online sites will contact your vet for you for a prescription once you've placed the order even.

I only use a topical flea/tick treatment a couple times a year - I don't like continuously dosing if you don't need to.  I'm more concerned about ticks than the fleas, and fortunately my old girl has gotten to be quite the house dweller.

I just ordered a six month supply of Amazon. .. definitely cheaper than anything local. 

[Dalspot ... Karen 21]

On 3/9/2016 at 7:10 PM, twiceblessed....nacole said:

I just ordered a six month supply of Amazon. .. definitely cheaper than anything local. 

I never thought to look on Amazon.  I usually search for "discount xxxxxxxx" and compare sites plus shipping.  I'm a little leery tho of using Amazon due to not really knowing where things come from - or how they are stored - at times.  I will check it out tho next time we need heartworm meds.

[Mtnmanky...aka Leon 72]

For fleas and ticks, we bath our dogs about once a month during the summer using Pert shampoo (or the Walmart generic).  I was skeptical when someone told me about it, but that has kept the fleas and ticks under control and kills the few ticks they do pick up.  Out on the farm in Kentucky we do have ticks, and this works for us.

[PrincessNana 15]

I use Heart Guard for heart worms and Comfortis for fleas and ticks.  We travel a lot so we want to keep our pets protected. Last summer, we did find a few ticks at Fort Wilderness, but on my sons dogs who only use a topical.