Canine Heartworms

Protecting your canine companion from heartworms is paramount at True Companion Animal Hospital.

Canine Heartworms in Spring, TX

Our comprehensive approach includes preventive measures to safeguard your pet’s health.

Canine Heartworms

ALL dogs should receive heartworm preventative! Heartworms are prevalent, dangerous, expensive, and sometimes difficult to treat!

In our area, heartworm prevention must be given year-round because of the prevalence of the mosquito population and the lack of a true winter.

Remember, no dog is entirely indoors. All go out at some time, even in their owner’s arms. Likewise, mosquitoes easily get indoors.

All monthly heartworm preventatives essentially prevent heartworms in the same manner. Remember that the mosquito bites and injects a larval stage of heartworm into the dog. Once in the dog, the mosquito larva goes through several molts and migrations on the way to adulthood within the pulmonary artery. Each molt and migration lasts between seven days and two months, eventually totaling up to five months.

True Companion Animal Hospital considers Sentinel and Interceptor the best choices for your dog’s heartworm preventative. You can trust that when we make a recommendation, we do it because we truly believe it is the best product for your dog.

We recommend Sentinel for the following reasons:

Sentinel combines heartworm control with flea control, which is not affected by bathing.
Sentinel controls the most intestinal parasites of any product available, including whipworm control. Whipworms are a common adult dog parasite. Because Sentinel is not topical, there is no concern that misapplication

In many cases, True Companion Animal Hospital recommends the use of the product Comfortis for flea control. In these cases, Comfortis can be administered along with Sentinel or a client may choose to administer Interceptor with Comfortis for affordability.

Oral Monthly Preventatives
These preventatives kill a larval stage that lasts 6-8 weeks. These heartworm preventatives do not remain in the pet’s system for four weeks; They are actually only there for 24 hours. It is the length of the larval stage that allows the product to be administered only once a month.

Interceptor (Milbemycin)

(Available in clinic)

Chewable tablet. Also controls three major intestinal parasites: Hookworms, Roundworms, and Whipworms.

PROS

Easy to administer
Not affected by bathing
Broad spectrum parasite control

CONS

Must administer flea control as a separate product.

Sentinel (Milbemycin/Lufenuron)

(Available in the clinic)

The same product as Interceptor but also contains a Program for flea control

PROS

Easy to administer
Not affected by bathing
Broad spectrum parasite control
Interrupts flea life cycle

CONS

Does not kill fleas, only sterilizes them.

Heartgard Chewable (Ivermectin)

Beef chewable. Controls two major intestinal parasites: Hookworms and Roundworms

PROS
Dogs love chewable jerky

CONS
Does not control whipworms!

Iverhart (Ivermectin)

Unflavored tablet. This is a generic, less expensive form of Heartgard.

PROS
Non-flavored tablet and harder to administer.

CONS
Does not control whipworms.

Topical Monthly Preventatives
These preventatives are applied to the external skin of the animal. The chemical remains in the body system for a full month after application.