Dog Wormers

[BruceC]

I know this is off topic but wondered if anyone could tell me if there is something to use for heart worms in dogs other then
"Sentinel" My wife brought a box with 6 pills ( one per month)home from the vets and I nearly CHOCKED on the price. Will Ivomec or Dectomax work without killing the dog Thank for any advice
Ryding Regency Meat have started a new cow plant in St Ann's this week federal inspection- hope to do 100 a day by end of June
Bruce

[whiteface]

This makes me think of the entire thread we were working on prior to this one regarding input costs and a more natural way to do things. I don't worm my dogs and haven't had worms yet...touch wood (the oldest is 17 and in damn near perfect health) and my vet is constantly on my case about the advantages of a "strict health program." I'm not against vets or "regular maintenance" of any kind but holy crap some of this crap is just outrageous in price! To answer your question though, I have little or no dog worming experience and Ivomec is recommmended about as much for horses as it is dogs (not!) and I accidentally spilled Ivomec on my saddle horse some years back while pouring the cows from horseback ( the cow swerved into the horse and "sploosh" there we were ) any way, the horse never dropped dead and it may even have taken the fleas off her I don't know since she wasn't especially full of bugs prior. I will say this, I'm not advocating that we put Ivomec on dogs or horses or even cows for that matter any more than we have to...
Nature is fairly amazing at keeping our animals in pretty good shape most of the time regardless of how much our vets seem to think they need "the works."
Right back to "you do what you have to or what works for you" though and if it makes your wife feel better putting Sentinal in the dog (especially since you've likely already paid for it!), don't go taking my advice on the "no medication will be just fine" route. After all, you don't have to answer to me!!!! LOL! And I won't "cut you off" if you kill my dog!!!!....
Well, maybe if you killed MY dog, I'd have to...
Have a good day and good luck!

[cakadu]

Bruce, where do you live? Sentinel has medication in it for heartworms and here in Alberta, that is not a problem - yet. Unless you live in an area that has heartworm problems, or are going to be travelling to a problem area and taking the dog with you, then worming for heartworms is not really justified. Regular dog wormers will do and they are much cheaper.

Does Sentinel also do fleas? Again, if fleas are a problem then there are also cheaper flea methods like the oily kind you put on their backs that lasts for up to a month and they are way cheaper too.

My bigger concern is that the dogs, especially the livestock guardians, have their shots for rabies and for parvo - which they can get from the coyotes that they keep away from the sheep.

I'm with whiteface and some of the others on overuse of medications, treatments etc. that ultimately end up causing a resistance if they are overused i.e. wormers like Ivomec etc. I know that you cattle people use them for things like lice and such so there are other considerations to be made in management decisions.

I had a go round with a vet about not vaccinating for blackleg and she would not believe that we don't have problems with not vaccinating. She would not believe that by not letting the sheep graze down to the bare ground we were actually avoiding some of the problem with blackleg. My understanding is that blackleg is in the soil, but if they don't get down to the soil, then how does it become a problem? It's not that our animals are not looked after because they are, but our philosophy has been if it ain't broke don't fix it.

We will use things when it is warranted, but when you have animals that don't overeat grain - and yes we have pigs that eat more than their fair share - but when they get full, they will actually leave grain in the trough rather than keep eating, so clostridial diseases aren't a problem either.

It seems to me that if you manage things before there are problems, then you are that much better off and keep your money with you rather than giving it to drug and chemical companies.

[grassfarmer]

I ponder the Ivomec thing yearly - this year will be time for a change. In the UK very few people treat adult cows for worms - sure if you tested the cows you would find worms but not enough that treating them makes any appreciable difference. I suspect the same will be true here, maybe more so due to the drier climate and killing frosts which must reduce the number/time exposure to worms. We always treated weaned calves and replacement heifers in their second summer on grass but beyond that we never treated adult cattle - they were as shiny and healthy as any cows here on similar grass. We are going to move to a "treat lice if they occur" program as it doesn't take very long to pour out $1000 of Ivomec. Why spend $1000 for nothing?

As far as blackleg goes Cakadu I understand your biggest risk will be sheep getting into exposed soil in a lower than usual dugout, eroded riverbank or I suppose even a gopher mound. Blackleg is certainly present and it's one I wouldn't mess with as people have got by for 10 years or more without injecting then have a wreck - when it hits the losses are immediate and severe in cattle - besides it's a fairly cheap shot so I use it.

[BruceC]

Problem is this is a Lab Burmmes cross that is moms best friend when I work nights. He will also be going on holiday in the Muskokas north of Toronto for a week at an Aunts cottage with lots of city dogs around. Thanks for the reply's
Sentinal is over $1oo.oo per year mainly for heart worm
Bruce

[ncurry]

You don't have to use the latest hi-tech solution. I use
a canine ivermectin product, Heartgard or
Heartgard30Plus. This was the very first hearworm
product out for canines and is still best bang for the
buck. Cost here in NS is around $45 for a box of 8
chewable cubes. Feed one a month as a treat and you
have a year's protection from hearworm.
The vet will do a blood test for presence of heartworm
before dispensing, this is the costly part here, but
necessary before administering or you could make
your dog very ill!!

[kato]

Sentinal treats for fleas as well. That's why it's so much more money. There is one called Interceptor that is just for heartworm. It's a lot cheaper. The pour on tick and flea things help too, because they repel the mosquitoes in the first place. I would treat any dog in Ontario or Manitoba because heartworm is here, no doubt about it. It's nasty when they get it too.

As for Ivomec, some dogs react to it. Especially anything with any kind of collie breeding, but we have seen a Lab react and die from it.

As for worming dogs, especially if you have children, DO IT! I know a teenage girl who woke up one morning completely blind in one eye. Just like that. Went to bed healthy, and woke up blind. Apparently, sometime when she was younger she picked up a roundworm from a cat or dog, and a larva migrated and eventually settled on her optic nerve. She will never see with that eye again.

To save the price of a worm pill, it's not worth the risk.