Hey! No they should not be able to get heart worm disease. However, the company makes us do yearly heart worm tests to refill prescriptions as a precaution. I hope this helped! Dr. Lindsay Butzer PLEASE CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBvlURdNKSJ2oRbzUB1_JQw

Hey! If you missed 1 or 2 months you are fine to give it to her today. The worms in her blood will not be big enough yet to cause any harm and the heartgard will kill them. I hope this helped! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey! Your almost at the right place! You can make an appointment with a vet online at VET LIVE here on Petmeds and they can help get it for you sent to your front door. HERE IS THE LINK: https://www.1800petmeds.com/vetlive I hope this helps! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey! I think a weight loss diet is not a bad idea. Broad could also be his body type, but if you cannot feel his ribs easily then you are safe to put him on a diet. I like to use Blue Buffalo GI sold on Petmeds.come or Or even better Blue buffalo W+U I will put the link below to this food. Also, make sure no people food such as bread or pizza crust is being fed as this causes the most weight gain. I hope this helped. Dr. Lindsay Butzer BLUE BUFFALO DIET FOOD: https://www.1800petmeds.com/blue+natural+veterinary+diet+w%2Bu+weight+management+%2B+urinary+care+dry+dog+food-prod61212.html

Hey! I would have them tested first before starting. There is a low % that something will happen in cats since they are not the definitive host for heart worms and normally are not as affected as dogs. I hope this helped! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

HEY! You dont need to be worried! Missing 2 months is ok. It takes 7 months for the adult worms to mature to the point where they can cause a problem. However, missing alot of months some worms can grow to adults. So just try your best to do this every month. I hope this helps! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey Laura, I use Intercepter Plus with my dogs, and I think its great! You can continue to use this. Heartgard works great too. Its really up to you at this point! I hope this helped! Dr. Lindsay Butzer PLEASE CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBvlURdNKSJ2oRbzUB1_JQw

HEY! Heartworm tests can range from $30 to $75. It depends what type of test they use. With a Snap 4DX test it is around $30. This is an in-house test your veterinarian can do. I hope this helped! Dr. Lindsay Butzer But side note, cats rarely get heart worm disease since they are not a good host for this parasite. But they can still get it and if they do its very deadly for cats vs more treatable for dogs. PLEASE CHECK OUT MY VETERINARY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBvlURdNKSJ2oRbzUB1_JQw

Hey! The reason you need a script is because you first need a negative heart worm test. If the pet is positive for heart worms then giving the medicine can kill the worms causing blood clot or allergic reactions and you need steroids to help combat this and other medications your veterinarian would discuss with you further. If your pet is negative then using the preventatives is perfectly safe to keep going. I hope this helps! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

HEY! You can just use Ivermectin (feline heartgard) or Intercepter to prevent heart worm disease in cats. Also, If your cat is indoor you have a low chance of getting heart worm disease please see this written by the FDA. "Cats can also get heartworms after being bitten by an infected mosquito, although they are not as susceptible to infection as dogs. A cat is not a natural host of heartworms because the worms do not thrive as well inside a cat's body. Both indoor and outdoor cats are at risk for heartworm disease." So I would suggest trying to give your cat the INTERCEPTER pill once a month. This is sold online at Petmeds.com and here is the link. https://www.1800petmeds.com/interceptor-prod100142.html Fleas are a very big issues in cats! Make sure they are on flea prevention too. I hope this helps! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey! If you give hime 1 heartgard pill he will most likely be okay and this may help him prevent heart worm disease if he's living outside. The problem is if he has a severe case of heart worms in his heart, and the heardgard pill kills an adult worm, that worm can clog an artery and cause a stroke or death. However, this is very rare, but this is the reason we test for heart worm disease before giving heart worm preventions. I hope his helped! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey! They both are macrocyclic lactones that kill heart worms. You can switch back and forth and it is safe and OK. I hope this helped! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey! Just give the heart worm medication and that starts over your new monthly time. If you miss 1 month your dog will be ok, and the medication will kill the small microfilaria if there are any. I hope this helps! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey! There are no natural Heartworm preventives that 100% protect against heart worm disease. Ivermectin is really safe which is the main ingredient in Heartgard for dogs. Giving this monthly shouldn't have any effect on MCT spreading or growing. Ivermectin has been around a long time as an anti parasitic and is very safe. I hope this helps! Dr. Lindsay Butzer

Hey! Heartworm disease can be treated with a slow kill method of giving her "Ivermectin" Heartgard medication 1x a month every month also with giving antibiotics (doxycycline) and prednisone for inflammation due to worms dying. This is a complicated case it sounds like with your older dog and you have to trust your veterinarian. All dogs with heart worm disease will have heart valve and structural artery damage from the worms burrowing in the vessels. This will cause heart disease and the dogs can die from heart disease due to heart worms. This is a bad disease. I am sorry! There is nothing you can do over the counter and have to listen to your local veterinarian. Do not be afraid to get different opinions from other vets. I hope this helps! Dr. Lindsay Butzer