Sentinel & Interceptor Are The Safest Heartworm Preventatives | Dogs

By RebeccaFoxton
Total views: 7
Word Count: 523

Heartworms can threaten the life of your pet; therefore you should carefully select a heartworm prevention medication that will provide your pet with the best care possible.

Proheart Six, first available in 2001, is a medication administered as one injection once every six months. This was originally seen as a safe & simple way to provide heartworm prevention every six months. However it peaked the FDA's attention after more than 5,000 reports were filed detailing poor reactions, which included 415 deaths.

The results from the investigations conducted by the FDA proved that ProHeart 6 caused a much higher amount of deaths than regular, monthly heartworm medications. The comparison of ProHeart 6 with 138 deaths in one year, was overwhelmingly higher than the six deaths reported yearly from Heartgard heartworm protection and Sentinel. (FDA May 3, 2004)

As with most all medications, the possibility of an allergic reaction from the heartworm control is present and could cause death of the pet.

Here are the facts from the 2004 FDA source: Revolution heartworm protection averaged 36 deaths a year and more than eight and a half thousand reactions, so although the number of reactions was almost twice that of Proheart 6, the drug has been on the market longer so the average number of reactions was similar to Proheart 6, but the death rate of Proheart 6 was over three times as many.

Revolution is not necessarily unsafe. The high numbers of deaths are partially due to its very widespread use, however you should still educate yourself on the facts. Only 214 negative reactions were caused by Interceptor for canines, which is eight times less than Revolution. Interceptor averages a mere nine deaths per year, compared to ProHeart Six's average of 138.

Indeed between 1995 and 2004 only 84 deaths were recorded for Interceptor heart worm protection. Heartgard, which uses ivermectin for heartworm protection in its Heartgard chewables, had an average of 355 reactions and 6 deaths.

The parasite, flea and heartworm medication with the fewest adverse reactions and deaths is Sentinel. From 1999 to 2004, fewer than 900 adverse reactions were caused by this heartworm prevention treatment for dogs, averaging 233 per year in comparison with 1737 reactions caused by Revolution heartworm treatment, and the total number of deaths reported was 25, or an average of 6 per year.

ProHeart 6 should only be used for preventative heartworm control, and should not be used if heartworms have already become established. Monthly heartworm prevention and treatment is a popular choice, but numerous vets maintain that Proheart is safe. In 2007 Proheart 6 was still on the market as a heartworm prevention medicine despite the fact that it was recalled in September 2004.

Keep in mind that these statistics are resulted from millions of dogs that have received medications from all over the world. Since your pet is a member of the family and not a statistic on paper, you should speak with the family vet so that he can aid you in choosing the right form of preventative.

The devastating effect of heartworms in dogs should not be underestimated. Your pet can be spared pain and health problems with a simple monthly heartworm preventive medicine.

About the Author

Author Rebecca Foxton wants to help you bring your pet better health with Interceptor For Dogs. For an excellent source of nutrition tips for people with dogs and cats, read her Fortiflora article series on Dog Buffs.

You are here Articles > Pets and Animals > Dogs