Heartworm preventives: new info about product failures

[Squirt's Mom]

Hi ya'll,

We went to see our vet today and as I was checking out, I asked for refills on the heartworm med I have used for years. He told me they no longer sell HeartGard because dogs are getting heartworms while on treatment with it. He gave me some printed info about it and I found another study while searching for the links to what he printed for me. Here is the info about HeartGard for those who don't follow Trinket's thread -

Heartworm preventive efficacy study results revealed at NAVC

http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm.../detail/703785

In the following study HeartGard is Ivermectin/Pyrantel (group #1); Advantage Multi is imidacloprid/moxidectin (group #4)

http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com.../detail/714137

This is the article from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Dr. B gave me but to read the whole article you have to pay. A lawsuit has been filed against Merial, maker of HeartGard, by a former employee of that company. The lawsuit says, ““Merial has been aware of a serious lack of efficacy” since 2002, even as it continued to market HeartGard as “100% effective”. “ A study found that 20% of dogs treated with HeartGard “regularly contracted heartworms”. The article also says, “It’s not just the number of heartworm larvae that concern Delta veterinarians There are a growing number of anecdotal reports suggesting heartworms in South-Central states are resistant to medication, said R. Kelly Schwalbe, a spokesman for the Companion Animal Parasite Council.”

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2...says-20110621/

[ThreeJacksMom]

Thanks for letting us know about this. My dogs have been on Heart Guard for years.

[Squirt's Mom]

Just found this today -

http://www.askavetquestion.com/news/...cide-shortage/

August 15, 2011
Immiticide (melarsomine dihydrochloride), the drug that is used to treat a heartworm infection in dogs, is no longer available. The makers of this drug, Merial, have announced that they have completely run out of stock. The outage may last several weeks or months.

[Skye]

I adopted a rescue girl, we brought her to her forever home on a weekend and took her to the vet first part of week. she tested slight postive for heartworm, vet said to recheck it in month, she became very ill about 3 weeks later, and i took her in, they retested her and she had a strong positive. We were not able to get the heart worm treatment, it was not available, but he did give treatment of anitobotics and such, for nearly a year, and she has tested negative, i will have her tested again in a month (6 months ago she tested all clear) but i just want to make sure. I had heard nothing about heartguard failing.....that is what my girls are on and were in se texas......i will be asking my vet about this in morning without a doubt