Should you give your Addison’s dog Advantage or Heartguard?

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Do you give your Addison’s dog Heartguard or Advantage for heartworm control? These medicines can put a major stress load on your dog and come with a whole host of potential side effects.

Product information found inside the Advantage package states that you should not give the medication to breeding, pregnant or lactating dogs, small dogs or puppies under seven weeks old. Merial states that Heartguard is safe for puppies over six weeks. However, neither medication has been safety tested on Addison’s dog’s, and the list of possible side effects is disturbing:

Merial lists the side effects from Heartguard as anorexia, ataxia [lack of coordination of muscle movements], convulsions, depression/lethargy, diarrhea, hypersalivation [excess salivation], mydriasis [pupil dilation], staggering, and vomiting, 1 out of 100 dogs will experience vomiting and/or diarrhea. In clinical trials, Advantage didn’t fare much better: Bayer reported that 10% of dogs had itching and scratching, 1.5 percent of dogs stopped eating and the same percentage became lethargic. Other side effects reported including a dog becoming depressed and weak several days after application of the medicine, and bloody stools, coughing, lethargy and eye/nose discharge. Granted, these side effects usually occur at higher doses and not with the low doses found for heartworm treatement–but considering your Addison’s dog is immune compromised, you may want to consider alternatives.

collies may be more sensitive to Heartguard

Heartguard also comes with a strong warning for Collie owners; collies and related breeds (i.e. Shetland sheepdogs, Australian shepherds, or Old English sheepdogs) may be more sensitive to the Heartguard ingredients. Out of five Ivermectin-Sensitive collies who were tested in clinical trials, four had to be euthanized after receiving Heartguard. There is a test that your veterinarian can perform to detect ivermectin sensitivity: a DNA test for P-glycoprotein mutation identifies ivermectin sensitive dogs.

Obviously, your decision to give Heartguard or Advantage to your dog will depend upon many factors, including where you live, what condition your Addison’s dog is in, and what risk factors your dog has for mosquito bites. You’ll want to discuss these risk factors with your veterinarian so that you can decide whether it’s worth giving these medicines to your Addison’s dog.

Reference

* Heartguard–Protection to Live
* Heartguard Chewables Product Information
* Bayer: Advantage Multi for Dogs product information