After looking at what heartworm medicine for Dogs we can purchase it is also important that we undertand just how heartworm medicines work. Heartworm meds, as we have seen, are available from all the leading pet med brands such as Frontline and there are also more generic heartworm medicines that will save a little but not very much. They all work in a similar way but as I am most familiar with frontlines Heartgard Plus we will take it as our example.

Heartworm meds such as Heartgard are used to prevent canine heartworm disease by eliminating the tissue stage of heartworm larvae (Dirofilaria immitis) for a month  after infection. This means that the heartworm medicine for Dogs will effectively rid your Dog or Cat of the larvae that they may have been infected with by the mosquitos that carry them.

You should start the treatments no later than a month after your pet has been exposed to mosquitos but it is highly recommended that you begin treatments with heartworm medications a month before the beginning of the mosquito season. You should also continue giving heartworm meds for a month after the end of the mosquito season.

Once heartworm medicine is given to your Dog or Cat it will kill Dirofilaria immitis for a month. This is the larval tissue stage of the worms.
What it does not do is kill the heartworms in the more adult stages. This will require treatment by your Vet. This is why it is always recommended that you have your pet checked for heartworms before you use heartworm medicine. If you think your pet may already be infected with the more adult heartworms then consult your Vet for an effective treatment.

To avoid this always provide heartworm medication whenever you believe there may be a risk to your pets health. It is quite expensive to have your Dog treated for adult heartworms and it will require a serious lack of activity on their part for a few weeks after treatment. This is why it is extremely important to prevent heartworms in the first place.

The heartworm meds will destroy the worms at the larval stage but will not kill the adult worms that can cause major blockages in the heart. By using a medicine early you can catch the worms when they are still small enough to be killed. Heartgard will eliminate these small worms if used up to a month after the animal has been exposed to mosquitos that carry the worms. This is why many Vets recommend a year round treatment to prevent the heartworm problems from ever occuring.

If you live in an area that has even a slight risk of heartworm then this is what is recommended. It is much cheaper to prevent heartworms than to treat an animal once it has the adult worms. It is extremely dangerous for your pet and very costly for you. A simple monthly treatment is definitely what is recommended so that your Dog or Cat never has to be treated for adult heartworms.

As we can see heartworm medicine for Dogs will destroy the early stages of the heartworms. It is very important to use the heartworm meds before the adult heartworms can grow. This stage is not reached for months but to prevent a life threatening danger to your Dog or Cat use the preventative medicines to stop them heartworms from ever reaching that stage.

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