roscoe11 Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 Hey what is the cheapest way to guard against fleas and heartworm. I was using trifexis but it is expensive and money is tight right now Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 For heartworm, Ivomec sheep drench. http://www.dogaware.com/health/ivomec.html#08sheepdrench Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackdawgs Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 One of the local instructors tried to save a few bucks and dosed her Aussie with livestock ivermectin. The dog almost died, spent a significant amount of time in the hospital, and the vet bill was so huge the person had to ask for help paying it. if there is any chance that one of your dogs has the MDR mutation, don't use livestock ivermectin. It is very easy to overdose the stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 If you have a local Costco, their price for Frontline is a few bucks lower per dose. You do have to buy the 6 dose package, but I'll be buying mine there next time. I also have used diatomaceous earth, food grade, on my carpets in the summer. It kills fleas and since fleas live in the carpet, not on your pet, it is a big help. Check out www.bugman.com for directions and more info. DE is very reasonably priced. Ruth and Agent Gibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 Flea and tick is going to depend on what works in your area. I used Bio-spot for years and it worked fine/dogs tolerated it well and it was cost effective but I haven't used in a couple years and they've since changed the formulation. I'm currently using Advantix II but I bought the dose size that was double what my dogs needed then drew it off with a syringe and applied the propper amount for each dog's weight. This method saves about 50% since the cost is pretty similar regardless of amount in the package. My cost is about $6/month per dog this way. For heartworm prevention ask about a generic. I ask for a prescription and buy a generic from a reputable online pharmacy. Cost is about $4/month per dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maralynn Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 And remember - some flea and tick prevention (including advantix) is not safe for use around cats. So be sure to check that out if you have a cat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 Re: ivermectin. If the human gives a huge dose, it will cause problems, as would any other HW preventive. The standard preventives are ALL the same class of chemical. Conversely, at the CORRECT dose for HW prophylaxis, even dogs homozygous for the mdr1 mutation can generally take the preventives without adverse effects. For those who are uncomfortable with the DIY HW preventives, the generic versions of Heartgard (also ivermectin) are pretty reasonable. What you use for ticks and fleas will larely depend on what works in your location, but buying the largest size and splitting doses is one option for saving money. As was noted there are some generic forms of Frontline available. I don't know how well they work-- it's the same active ingredient but in a different formuation for the carrier, so you'd just have to try it. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 Double post.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 One of the local instructors tried to save a few bucks and dosed her Aussie with livestock ivermectin. The dog almost died, spent a significant amount of time in the hospital, and the vet bill was so huge the person had to ask for help paying it. if there is any chance that one of your dogs has the MDR mutation, don't use livestock ivermectin. It is very easy to overdose the stuff. Cattle ivermectin is 1%. The sheep drench is 0.08% and much easier to dose correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoe11 Posted July 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 From what I am reading ivermectin is only problematic in dogs with the MDR1 gene mutation in high dosages, for example when treating mange, or other parasites. The way I am understanding this is if you are using ivermectin to prevent Heartworm (thus using a relatively small dose) it is safe even for dogs with the MDR1 gene mutation. It sounds like ivermectin is the active ingredient in a lot of the Heartworm prevention solutions, so If you have ever used Heartgard etc. then your dog has ben given ivermectin. The web site above posted a good chart on how to dilute ivermectin so over dosage is less of a threat Thanks everyone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoe11 Posted July 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 Anyone have a source for the 0.08% sheep drench ivermectin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. Festerling Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 Roscoe, which website are you referring to? I also do the ivermectin. Used to dilute but am thinking to go straight. For fleas, I have used almost everything. I find none work the whole month. At the moment, regular Advantage seems to do the trick. Some of my guys never react to fleas....others are super touchy. So it is hard to tell. I have also started using fly sprays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted July 5, 2014 Report Share Posted July 5, 2014 Roscoe, which website are you referring to? I also do the ivermectin. Used to dilute but am thinking to go straight. For fleas, I have used almost everything. I find none work the whole month. At the moment, regular Advantage seems to do the trick. Some of my guys never react to fleas....others are super touchy. So it is hard to tell. I have also started using fly sprays. I think he means the Dog Aware link I provided. Anyone have a source for the 0.08% sheep drench ivermectin I use Jeffers. http://www.jefferspet.com/privermectin-sheep-drench/camid/LIV/cp/0030469/cn/3300/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoe11 Posted July 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2014 Gideon's girl posted this website For heartworm, Ivomec sheep drench. http://www.dogaware....l#08sheepdrench Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted July 6, 2014 Report Share Posted July 6, 2014 One of the best ways I've found to save money on flea preventatives (besides using them only if they have fleas and not actually to prevent them, as I rarely find fleas on my dogs) is to buy the size for the largest dogs and then divide the dose by weight. There are some websites that give the dosage by weight. so you're actually able to dose it much closer to your dog's actual weight than the broader range in the premeasured applicator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted July 6, 2014 Report Share Posted July 6, 2014 This is how I did it. It's easy, effective, and economical. One of the best ways I've found to save money on flea preventatives (besides using them only if they have fleas and not actually to prevent them, as I rarely find fleas on my dogs) is to buy the size for the largest dogs and then divide the dose by weight. There are some websites that give the dosage by weight. so you're actually able to dose it much closer to your dog's actual weight than the broader range in the premeasured applicator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gideon's girl Posted July 6, 2014 Report Share Posted July 6, 2014 This is how I did it. It's easy, effective, and economical. That's what I used to do too. I think I still have giant Frontline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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