SeinkosMom Posted September 12, 2005 Report Share Posted September 12, 2005 I've heard HeartGaurd is a bad heartworm preventative to give Collie breeds. My old vet prescribed this to my girl a few months ago (she's now on Sentinel) and so far I've gotten conflicting "opinions" on the validity of the claim that it's bad for Border Collies. My new vet believes that it's not worth the risk so changed her to the Sentinel...the old one of course maintains that it's just fine for BC's....which would be inline with the picture of the Border Collie that Heartgaurd puts on the box Would be an odd thing to do if it's not recommended for that breed...anyway...just curious what you guys think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted September 13, 2005 Report Share Posted September 13, 2005 I'm sure others will have more relevant (countrywise) information - and you might find some threads on this by using the Search function - top right hand corner of the page. However, FWIW, vets in this southeastern part of Australia at least say they have no problems with Heartguard use in Border Collies - at least provided it's used according to directions. I've used it on my dogs when they go to the mainland, and one vet I spoke to had her own Border Collie on it. I guess, if it's Seinko you're talking about, given that her immune system will be somewhat compromised, you might want to do some more checking. Maybe Merial could help if they have a question facility on their wensite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pipedream Farm Posted September 13, 2005 Report Share Posted September 13, 2005 Your new Vet does not have all the available info. 1. The drugs in all heartworm meds are in the same class. All have been tested with Collies (not Border Collies) that are known to be sensitive to these drugs when the manufacturers determined the safety range of these drugs. All are shown to give NO adverse reactions at the doses used to prevent heartworms. 2. A mutant gene has been found that is responsible for this drug sensitivity and a genetic test has been developed for this gene. So far over 300 border collies have been tested in this country and NO pure bred border collie has been found with this mutant gene. Review these two threads http://bordercollie.heatherweb.com/cgi-bin...1312;p=1#000009 http://bordercollie.heatherweb.com/cgi-bin...1158;p=1#000000 Print this scientific article Breed distribution and history of canine mdr1-1 delta, a pharmacogenetic mutation that marks the emergence of breeds from the collie lineage for your Vet. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.