Maybe I thought it was for puppies because it had a puppy pic on the pamphlet

I just picked up Sentinel yesterday for my guys. I don't know much about it, other than my parents used it on theirs for a long time. I mainly chose it because it does : heartworm, round worm, whip worm, hook worm, flea eggs & larvae and tape worm. Reiko recently picked up tape worm ( I think recently, I had just started seeing the worm segments in his poop) YUCK.

I use Sentinel and have had great results. It eliminates the need for topical flea medication, which is great. Also use Capstar as needed if we go to the park etc and they pick up fleas. My pit/lab mix had a horrible reaction to Advantage several months ago....eyes swollen shut, wheezing etc. Scared us a lot ........not willing to use topical flea meds ever again. Also the Huskies coats are so thick it was a real hassle to try to get it on their skin instead of all over their coats (and me). I really do like Capstar. Rarely have to use it and it is really effective.

Just an update since we use whatever HW prevention is cheapest for us at the time of our prescription renewal. My dogs are off of Iverhart Plus and are now on Heartguard Plus. Same thing, different brand.

I messed up and didn't get Roxy's heartworm test in a timely manner, so she went about three months without any heartworm medication at all.

I took her yesterday to the vet and got her tested, clean bill of health, and purchased her normal medication, Interceptor. Today, I have noticed that she has been throwing up small amounts of foamy saliva... and I realized, that the whole time she wasn't on her medication, she didn't throw up at all...

So I'm guessing maybe she is having / was previously having a negative reaction to her medicine. But I looked up on the interceptor and found that this type of reaction should only be if they already have an infestation or from the already dead parasites... but she tested negative?

I think I'm going to switch her heartworm next month...

Sounds like she's just reacting to the Interceptor. I would try something different next month as well and see how she does. There are several other options that you can try.

Is there a chance that she could have vomited up the Interceptor that she was given? If she regurgitated the Interceptor then she may not be protected for the next month.

We use Iverheart plus, and give it based on the 42 day schedule. My vet is fine with this as long as I get them tested every year. I just don't like giving them that stuff too often. Don't like giving my babies chemicals, but don't want to run the risk of them getting heartworm. Only give it over the warmer months though, since its cold here much of the year. We started out on the Heartguard, which my dogs would actually eat. They think the Iverheart tastes yucky, and I have to hide it in something to get them to eat it. But Iverheart costs less, so thats what I went with.

Valerie- I've been using the ACV & Garlic mixture on Demon since I first read about it and done some research and I've told my friend about it. She's wondering if the ACV & Garlic mixture is ok to use on pregnant dogs or will it hurt the pups? Also can you use regular store-bought ACV, will it just not work as well or not work at all?

Heartgard

Niko was on Heartgard (yummy treat-like chew), but got switched to interceptor (yucky pill) when he tested positive for whipworms. The Vet Tech said that both protect against heartworms, hookworms, and one or two others, but interceptor ALSO protects against whipworms too. Interceptor is *maybe* a dollar more per dose at my vet.

To keep from forgetting I have a reminder on my google calendar!

I also read that you don't need to give it to them in the winter b/c the mosquitos die, but if you do stop you have to do a blood test before you can start up again. So I was going to just do it year-round.

So the price of interceptor is going up in November? How much of a difference?

CrazyDogs wrote:

Valerie- I've been using the ACV & Garlic mixture on Demon since I first read about it and done some research and I've told my friend about it. She's wondering if the ACV & Garlic mixture is ok to use on pregnant dogs or will it hurt the pups? Also can you use regular store-bought ACV, will it just not work as well or not work at all?

I have no idea if they are safe for a pregnant or lactating mother. I wouldn't use them in that situation without getting an all clear from a vet just to be on the safe side.

You have to use the unpasteurized ACV with the "mother" to get the benefits. The typical stuff at the grocery store is pasteurized so it will not give you the benefits you're looking for.

Be careful of to much garlic its a potent blood thinner to dogs.

Kale is on Triflexis. He was originally on Sentinel, and then just on Advantage since we don't really have a HW problem where I live at all, but we have been going into the foothills more often so I started him back on HW control. The cool thing about Triflexis is that it is also does flea control and intestinal parasites as well.

What are the signs and symptoms of heart worm infection? Is a surgery needed?

If a dog shows signs of the disease its usually to late to save them. Regular blood tests are needed to determine infection. Please use preventive.

That's not exactly true, Seamus was greying in the face, fatiguing easily, and caughing (all symptoms of HW) and we were able to cure him just fine.

Surgery is needed in the more advanced cases because the dying/dead worms can clog veins/arteries and result in death. They need to be surgically removed. There are other options in treatment for less advanced cases but i've been through it and it's expensive and a big stress on you and the dog. An ounce of prevention...!

I have been giving Kemba Sentinel, since it was what the vet recommended. Does anyone have any experience with Sentinel?

Bella's vet has her on Interceptor.

Sentinel is a good product in my experience. It prevents intestinal worm (other than tapes), heartworms, and fleas from developing. I had Kale on sentinel but we have more of an adult flea problem so I switched to one that took care of the parasites and the adult fleas.

A family member is dealing with a new dog who has heartworms bad. He's a 7yr old golden. We're not sure if he should be treated with the shots (quick method) or just keep him on doxycycline and heartworm preventative (the slow method). I'm just afraid he has heartworms so bad (he was an outside dog his whole life in FL and has never been given heartworm preventative) that the shots would cause too many to die at once and that would kill him! I dunno. I also heard the shots aren't being made right now for some reason, so there's only a limited supply left. We might not really have a choice if we can't find a vet who still has some. Oh and his liver is messed up to because of the heartworms.

I use iverhart plus for my girls.

Thought i'd update this as after some long research (and a LOT of math) we've decided to ditch the branded pills and treats for heartworm protection and just buy it straight out of the bottle. At one of the feed stores around here I purchased a 50ml bottle of Ivomec (ivermectin- label use for cattle/swine) and have been treating my dogs this way. I paid $60 for the bottle, and will essentially give me heartworm protection for around 50 months (more since we're doing 45 day cycle) for all of my dogs.

For anyone who's interested the formula is .003ml/lb. There is another formula floating around that says .1cc per 10lbs but after much research this is much more than is needed.

So, Mickey (65lbs) gets 0.2cc Ivomec every 45 days orally (I put it on a cookie.) Measuring out can be tricky, especially for smaller dogs (there is a formula for dilution) and you really need a 1cc syringe for best accuracy. Just thought i'd share as this.

I considered doing this as well but worried about dosing issues so I decided to stick with traditional monthly pre-measured pills like the Heartgard Plus my dogs are on now. You can get the livestock ivermectin at most co-ops and feed stores. I just don't feel comfortable dosing myself, I'd rather pay more and have piece of mind than have to worry...especially with my little ones. My dogs are on a 45 day cycle as well. Plus I like having the added monthly intestinal wormer for hooks and rounds that come in the canine HW pills.

We used to use Revolution and deal with those oily spots only our dogs' back (it can get messy if they roll in the grass or dirt), but we've since switched to Sentinel which is a tablet. I think we lose tick protection but it's a minor issue where we live.

Is trifexis any good??

We really like Trifexis, and really haven't had any problems. This area is known for crazy mutant fleas too, and we even had a little rescue pup in the house that had fleas and have not had an infestation.