Pet Drug Shortages

Joanne emailed me this and asked that I share it with the group

http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedailyvet/jcoates/2011/sept/drug_shortages_in_vet_medicine

This is interesting. I've seen a couple of folks here write about this. I'm interested very much in the shortage of heartworm medicine, I'm about out and wonder how all the shelter and foster dogs will get along without it. I believe I'm going to stretch out their doses.

It's just the treatment to kill an adult infestation of heartworms that's not available (I think - didn't read the above article yet).

Your monthly prevention kills any babies, so that's how it is a prevention. For our rescues who have no more meds to kill an infestation, we are going to have to use the HW monthly prevention to kill the babies and let the adults die off on their own. They live around 16-18 months supposedly.

Brenda wrote:It's just the treatment to kill an adult infestation of heartworms that's not available (I think - didn't read the above article yet).

Your monthly prevention kills any babies, so that's how it is a prevention. For our rescues who have no more meds to kill an infestation, we are going to have to use the HW monthly prevention to kill the babies and let the adults die off on their own. They live around 16-18 months supposedly.

you're right Brenda - it's the stuff to treat dogs w/ heart worms already, not the preventive like heartguard and such.

TxAllieGrl wrote:

Brenda wrote:It's just the treatment to kill an adult infestation of heartworms that's not available (I think - didn't read the above article yet).

Your monthly prevention kills any babies, so that's how it is a prevention. For our rescues who have no more meds to kill an infestation, we are going to have to use the HW monthly prevention to kill the babies and let the adults die off on their own. They live around 16-18 months supposedly.

you're right Brenda - it's the stuff to treat dogs w/ heart worms already, not the preventive like heartguard and such.

Yes, I asked my vet's office about it during one of our last visits and they told us the same thing.

Whew, I'm safe then. Mine are on Heartguard all year around and Jasmine was put on Revolution about 4 months ago. I once rescued a ten year old Pug who was found to have heartworm, ended up taking her to the University of Illinois for treatment (no local vets would touch it then, many years ago) and Phoebe did very well, lived with me until she was 16. She was such a sweet old girl, had produced so many puppies until I got her and had her spayed.