Hey guys,

My name is Alexis and I have a 10 week Siberian Husky puppy named Bailey. She is my first husky but we have previously adopted an Eskimo Spitz. I live in Raleigh, North Carolina and Bailey is mostly an inside dog. If we are working in the yard we just tie a long leash to a post and let her play while we work. I also plan on taking her for hikes and to dog parks so she could be exposed to a host of parasites.

The surrounding areas seem to have heart worm problem so I want to get her on it at some point but I have researched when to start her but all it is, is companies telling me to get her on it as soon as possible (probably to see more). At her first shots at 8 weeks the vet gave me Trifexis to try and it runs out in a about 2 weeks but is too expensive to keep her on. She is about 15 lbs now so she is heavy enough to get her started.

What age would y'all recommend starting her and is there a brand y'all prefer? Would a flea collar work or have y'all found that their fur is too thick?

Also, I have the same problem with fleas/tick/worm prevention. What age would y'all recommend starting her and is there a brand you have found that works well. I am looking for one that works well but is not too expensive.

Thanks and I hope y'all can help!

Flea collar won't cover the heartworm. For heartworm, fleas, etc, try https://www.advocate-spot-on.com/en/for-dogs/heart-lung-skin-worms/, however it does not cover ticks.

If I am in your shoes, I would do her prevention now as she is expose to the world and spring is here, many nasty things are active. But I would not take her to dog park until her jab is complete.

A lot will depend on your fleas and ticks. Some areas certain brands work and other areas might have a resistant batch of bugs. I used to use Fiproguard. It is just the one chemical, so you are lessening their exposure to the cocktail. It worked for me for a long while and then last year we ran into a batch of fleas that weren't deterred by it at all. There is a stronger Fiproguard Plus but I couldn't get it in the right size so now we are on AdvantageII and it has worked. My cat has a Saresto collar and so far it has worked well for her but they are expensive up front but cover for several months. None of those will do heartworms. I just use Ivermectin like you get at the farm store. Again, a little more cost up front but you give very little of it and a bottle is good if stored in the fridge for up to 3 years. At her weight right now though dosing of ivermec would be difficult. My personal feelings on all the meds is try to go holistic if possible until all shots are done and she's had time to work through all the chemicals from the. Pups get a lot of stuff pumped into them at the start of life and I prefer to spread those chemicals out as much as possible. So maybe start her on an apple cider vinegar spray to deter bugs. Look into garlic as well. We have some information on here about safe garlic usage in dogs. Don't just start feeding her cloves of garlic. lol. Some have had great luck with it.

Alexis, I have the pleasure of living in one of the few areas in the US where none of the bugs are a problem (it's deep southwest Texas, by Big Bend National Park, btw) so I can't recommend any current good solutions to your problem.  You, on the other hand, are in one of the more active areas for those same bugs.  My mom lived in northern Florida and South Carolina for a while and it was one constant fight to debug her dogs ....

As you may have noticed, people seem to be out with their dogs - or maybe just out - over the weekend so messages don't even get an acknowledgement until they're back to work on Monday.

Talk to your vet and see if they will give you recommendations for those drugs that work best with the dogs there - and yes some do work better for different strains of fleas and ticks.  Carefully explain how limited your funds are and that you're doing your best, well, money just doesn't stretch as far as we'd like.  

If you'll excuse me a couple of comments are in order.  You've adopted a friend, one who - as she grows older - is going to be very active,  Tying her to a tree while you're outside isn't going to work for long.  I think you realize this, just - as the saying goes - just saying.

Now, even more abrupt - you seriously need to get her on the necessary medications.  Again, I think you realize that.  If you have to deny yourself something you 'need' to protect her, then that's what you're going to have to do.  Heartworm treatment (acording to PetcareRX) runs from US$400 to US$1,00, another site raises the upper limit to US$1,500.  Prevention comes in at about US$5.00 a month.  What you have are three choices:

• Get your dog on heartworm preventative.
  
• Save all you can to prepare for an expensive and cruel treatment.
  
• Be prepared to put her down when the heartworms become too invasive.
  

As I said, I'm being abrupt but that's about what it boils down to.  I know that you're trying to do your best and sometimes that's harder than at other times.

First - check with your vet about any of the options we present. Generic ivermectin tablets are a cheap way to go - I use these from Australia. But...you need to check with the vet re dosage and age.

https://www.pets-megastore.com.au/dogs-and-puppies/heartwormers/vetaheart-tablets/vetaheart-tabs-sml-dogs

I use this once every 4 months for tick prevention and for the insect growth regulator for flea larvae:

https://www.amazon.com/VetGuard-Treatment-Small-Month-Supply/dp/B00BT0R2AG/ref=pd_bxgy_199_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00BT0R2AG&pd_rd_r=37HGX8QJY11QPSVAPSMR&pd_rd_w=0nxyX&pd_rd_wg=BFDvc&psc=1&refRID=37HGX8QJY11QPSVAPSMR

This I use once every 3 months for controlling adult fleas (dose it 3 weeks after the first vetguard plus dose than once every 3 months):
https://www.amazon.com/SENTRY-Fiproguard-Topical-Month-Supply/dp/B004SP46SK

This I use every 6 weeks when alternating with the vetguard (permethrin very effective with ticks, not so great with adult fleas)

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/freedom-45-flea-tick-spot-on-for-dogs-33-lb-or-less-pack-of-3

This is a complicated regimen based on MY geographic region and works really well, keeping total exposure to chemicals and cost minimal. You need to write out the schedule on a calendar keeping in mind the following parameters: Permethrin is excellent for ticks and works for about 6 weeks, lousy for ADULT fleas with protection dropping precipitously after 3 weeks. Fipronil gives excellent control against ADULT fleas for 3 months. Good control of ticks for about a month. The pyriproxyfen prevents maturation of flea larvae for about 4 months. Vetguard plus has permethrin and pyriproxyfen, Freedom 45 has permethrin only and Sentry Fiproguard has fipronil only.

If that is too complicated, then I have heard excellent results with the Seresto Collar which lasts 8 months. I don't use it because my guys play rough hauling on each other's necks. Also, my wooly has extremely thick neck fur and I'm not sure it will work with him.

I use this for intestinal worms:

https://www.pets-megastore.com.au/canine-allwormer/canine-allwormer-10kg-22lbs

https://www.chewy.com/seresto-8-month-flea-tick-prevention/dp/46495

Living in the southeast you absolutely must use heartworm control ASAP. Also, you will have year round flea/tick pressure.

The trifexis covers most everything EXCEPT ticks. There are some nasty diseases carried by ticks, some are killers. Definitely need tick protection - even in the yard. Many wild animals carry ticks so even though only in your yard, you still should be checking for ticks and using a preventive as soon as she is old enough. Looked at that way, maybe Trifexis is not so expensive.

http://www.lambertvetsupply.com/Trifexis-Rx_p_2153.html

Hi Alexis and welcome to the forum! I give my girls this for heartworm and for most worms that dogs can pick up https://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=9464 You need a prescription and sometimes my vet will give me a $5 off coupon, every little bit helps I do every 45 days for this. For the price I will say it is the most cost effective heart worm prevention along with all other worm prevention, except for tape worm. Tape worm is the least worrisome worm a dog can get, but also probably the most difficult to rid of, since there are 2 types a dog can get, and it requires praziquantel to rid of, I don't use a preventive for tape and only administer as needed. For fleas and ticks I use Fiprogard https://www.chewy.com/sentry-fiproguard-flea-tick-squeeze/dp/56408?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=hg&utm_content=Sentry&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrqbFuqK_2gIVD5JpCh17_gLbEAQYASABEgIZsvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds I have been using this for almost 5 years now and have great success with no fleas and no ticks. I vary how often I apply it, so in winter if we have had enough days below freezing I apply every 3 months, in the heat of the summer I apply once a month, typically every 60 days is when I use it. It is effective against fleas for 3 months, as long as the dog has had no flea issue prior. And have found it to be effective on ticks just as long, however, ymmv dependent on how bad of a tick problem is in your area. In the summer I also use garlic to help with the prevention of fleas and ticks. The Fiprogard can be used at your pups age, and I would do so ASAP so you have no flea issues to deal with. I like it also, because, after 24 hours they can swim, and is only applied between the shoulder blades and not down the back like some other products. I also like not having to use multiple drugs for prevention. The Heartgard I would also use ASAP, this way she is young enough to prevent the issue, since it tales around 6 months for a dog to display heartworm issues. Again it is a minimal dose and prevents most worm issues. I space the flea meds and the heartworm meds 2 weeks apart. And that is it. I am a minimalist, I do not want to be giving too much of anything, yet want my dogs to be protected. These 2 products are relatively inexpensive, the Fiprogard is around $20 for 6 months of protection thru Chewy. And I get the heartgard from my vet at around $55 for 6 months of prevention. So very inexpensive as well, just the upfront cost is. I will also caution you, sometimes the cost makes us look at other avenues on getting items, such as the heartgard, thru out of country places, and there has been numerous articles out there where buying out of country you get counterfeit items and you have no idea what you are getting. So I choose to purchase thru my vet, or get a prescription and go thru Walmart pharmacy, Dr. Fostersmith, or a company that has actual vets. 1-800 pet meds has been proven to be selling counterfeits, so be careful where you get your meds from. The Fiprogard I have purchased thru Tractor Supply, Dr Foster Smith or Chewy with out any issues.