Dog Owners--Proheart 6 caution (heartworm med.)

[Jockaroo]

My mom just called to check on what heartworm preventative we use for our Scotties. There was a news report that she heard that said Proheart 6 (injection every 6 months for heartworm prevention) has led to complications and deaths of dogs. The manufacturer (Wythe) has voluntarily recalled this medicine pending an FDA investigation.

I googled "Proheart 6" and a variety of articles come up. One is a press release from the company confirming the voluntary recall and halt of production, and a statement the drug has acceptable levels for adverse reactions. Other articles from Vets question the drug.

If you are using this medication for your dogs, you might want to check these reports and be aware of this potential for problems. My vet actually gave me literature to study about this med. but we don't have problems remembering the oral doses and luckily did not opt to use the medication.

I know many of us on this board adore our puppy dogs and I wanted to share this information.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Important info! Thanks for sharing.

My vet says using regular Heartguard is best and she recommends one pill every 3 months only during mosquito season (in Florida, though, that would probably be year round).

My two little dogs get no heartworm pills at all. We just don't do many outside activities during the summer. I cannot see pumping an insecticide into them every month when they weight all of 10 pounds...combined. They get plenty of exercise indoors.