Heartworm

Mosby

Mosby

Well-known member
My 3 year old Vizsla has heartworm. We have been giving all of our dogs Sentinel on a monthly basis and it clearly didn't work in his case. My other two are fine and he likely got it running in hunt tests late last year. We are going through the treatment protocol right now. He should be fine but it's a long treatment process and he has to be restricted and crated for months.

Things I learned. Merck(Sentinel manufacturer) will not cover or reimburse for the related Vet expenses, if you buy their product from Chewy. At least, that was their excuse. Evidently, the product has to be purchased directly from them through the Vet, for them to stand behind their product. I was told that Chewy orders through a third party distributer and not direct.

I sent Chewy an email relating my issues with the Sentinel products that I purchased from them and asked politely if they would help to cover related Vet expenses and they have not responded. I'm taking that as a no.

So both Merck and Chewy have left me hanging with a sick dog. I'm switching all three of my dogs off of Sentinel. In part because it seemingly didn't do its job and in part out of the principal of the thing. Switching to Heartgard. I won't be buying anything through Chewy anymore either. Going forward, I'm going to get our prescriptions directly from the Vet...which will likely cost more and require a 45 minute drive to pick it up but I'm going to eliminate the middle man for my dogs medications.

A tale of caution for those using Sentinel heartworm medication and/or getting medical prescriptions through Chewy.
 
That’s an awful story. I guess the drug companies have to save their money for those high dollar tv commercials they run every 2 minutes. Have you ever noticed the number of commercials involving drug companies, insurance companies, and/or alcohol companies? I guess we know where the money is. That being said, have you ever looked into administering Ivermectin to your dogs? I bought a shorthair from a reputable trainer years ago and before I left with my new buddy, he gave him Ivermectin thru the mouth and told me all about it. He said he never had an issue in all his 40 something years of training and trialing hundreds of dogs.
So I went to the vet supply store and bought some for $35 and it lasted forever. I give him 1cc every month and have done the same for the new bird dog also. I have had the dog for 10 years now and my newest is 2.5 and have had zero issues. I asked my vet about it and he said, “that’ll work” and left it at that. I encourage you to look into and ask your vet. But, like I said I have had no problems and saved quite a bit of $
 
I bought this 8 months ago and we give to our 3 dogs-2 shorthairs and a yorkie. Ten years ago it was $35 and it is still $35. It lasts 5 years for a 55 lbs dog.
 
I know a GSP breeder that gives his own shots but he has over 30 dogs in his kennel. I normally have 1 to 3 dogs and never bothered with it and always relied on the vet to provide what they need. I'll talk to my vet about it though. Thanks.
 
Mosby said:
My 3 year old Vizsla has heartworm. We have been giving all of our dogs Sentinel on a monthly basis and it clearly didn't work in his case. My other two are fine and he likely got it running in hunt tests late last year. We are going through the treatment protocol right now. He should be fine but it's a long treatment process and he has to be restricted and crated for months.

Things I learned. Merck(Sentinel manufacturer) will not cover or reimburse for the related Vet expenses, if you buy their product from Chewy. At least, that was their excuse. Evidently, the product has to be purchased directly from them through the Vet, for them to stand behind their product. I was told that Chewy orders through a third party distributer and not direct.

I sent Chewy an email relating my issues with the Sentinel products that I purchased from them and asked politely if they would help to cover related Vet expenses and they have not responded. I'm taking that as a no.

So both Merck and Chewy have left me hanging with a sick dog. I'm switching all three of my dogs off of Sentinel. In part because it seemingly didn't do its job and in part out of the principal of the thing. Switching to Heartgard. I won't be buying anything through Chewy anymore either. Going forward, I'm going to get our prescriptions directly from the Vet...which will likely cost more and require a 45 minute drive to pick it up but I'm going to eliminate the middle man for my dogs medications.

A tale of caution for those using Sentinel heartworm medication and/or getting medical prescriptions through Chewy.
Click to expand...
Its still their product and if so, why or how does Chewy get the Sentinel product?
 
Good luck to your poor dog. You're doing everything you can for it and that is admirable.
 
Red Ryder said:
Its still their product and if so, why or how does Chewy get the Sentinel product?
Click to expand...
They told my vet that Chewy gets their products through a third party and not direct from them.....as such.....they won't stand behind their product or help to cover the cost of treatment. That's all we were told. Our Vet said he argued with them but they wouldn't agree to cover our related expenses.

Seems like companies like Merck would prefer that you order through Chewy.....it reduces their perceived liability and gives them an argument to decline liability when their products don't work. Those monthly heartworm treatments they sell aren't cheap either.
 
Mosby said:
They told my vet that Chewy gets their products through a third party and not direct from them.....as such.....they won't stand behind their product or help to cover the cost of treatment. That's all we were told. Our Vet said he argued with them but they wouldn't agree to cover our related expenses.

Seems like companies like Merck would prefer that you order through Chewy.....it reduces their perceived liability and gives them an argument to decline liability when their products don't work. Those monthly heartworm treatments they sell aren't cheap either.
Click to expand...
Sounds like flannel mouthing to me, its still their product and their true concern is contingent liability. Good luck with your dog.
 
There are several YouTube videos. Calls for 1/10 of a cc per 10 lbs. so a 50 lbs dog gets 1/2 cc. I usually give both of my dogs a full cc because the trainer I got first dog from showed me that way. Pull the amount thru with a syringe and then unscrew needle and I put on a piece of bread with peanut butter. There is an expiration date on the bottle and so it’s probably prudent to use ivermectin that has not expired. That said we keep ours in the pantry in the house and if I can’t get to vet store I will go ahead and give a dose and pick up a new bottle when I get the chance
 
Ive been administering ivermectin in a paste form ( horse wormer tube) . I’ve been doing this for thirty years- never had an issue with heartworms. I’ve had dogs on this medication all their lives till they passed of old age- never had any organ issues. $10-$12 will buy you a tube rated for 1250 pound animal. I use 1 notch per 50 lbs of dog.
Sorry you’re going through this mosby.
 
My Chewy experience wasn't nearly as bad as that. Sorry to hear it and hope for a full recovery. Last year I purchased enough Frontline plus to get three dogs through the summer. Noticed the dogs itching not long after 1st application but didn't think much about it. Then started seeing tics on them that should have been dead. Second dose did the same thing. It was not killing the tics. Junked the whole lot and went to the Vet and bought the same thing. Tics didn't even live a day after attaching. We still buy treats and such from them but no more medicine. Now my vet tells me that they can no longer sell liquid flee and tic, only oral. So, I'm going to get some from the farm store and cross my fingers.
 
From gundogdoc:
On the heartworm front I use Interceptor Plus in my dogs and have for at least the last decade. My recommendation is for the milbemycin oxime-based products. As far as the products I avoid, I would no longer consider using the ivermectin-based products in my own dogs. I certainly do not recommend the dosing of the large animal product for dog use and even the heartworm products that contain low-dose ivermectin I no longer recommend. There is concern amongst some ophthalmologists about the possibility of retinal damage due to these drugs in some dogs. We certainly do not have this completely worked out but there is enough of a concern that it has changed my habits.

Link
 
TGM,
Thanks for the post. I certainly don’t want to cause retinal damage to any of my dogs. I’m assuming you’re a veterinarian. If so, have you seen the problem/problems associated with ivermectin? My oldest dog is 10 years old and as far as I can tell his vision is as good as it has ever been. Are there any other problems with ivermectin? Are there studies showing the ill effects of ivermectin in dogs that we can read up on?
This reminds me of a friend of mine who quit taking his cholesterol meds because he read about joint pain associated with his statin. The doc asked him, “would you rather have a heart attack or a little joint pain?”
Thanks for the input there is always more than one side to everything and rarely does something like this have a simple solution. I am a layman but would appreciate more information.
 
Sorry for the confusion. I”m not a vet. Just trying to provide a reference. What I posted is from gundogdoc who is a vet. I provided the link to his blog which provides additional info. Here it is again in case it didn’t work.

www.gundogdoc.com

Parasite Prevention--Not all Are Equal

Heartworm and flea and tick preventatives present a lot of options. In this article I break down what I use, recommend and why.
www.gundogdoc.com www.gundogdoc.com
 
My vet has competitive prices on heartgard and nexgard. I suppose a bit more, but only if I really shopped around. In addition - those meds are supposed to require a vets signature. The product rebates automatically apply to the upfront cost of the medicine (I do not touch a form). I am a believer in both the Heartgard plus and nexgard (ticks) products.

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