Dog People--advice wanted!

Options
emiliewright
emiliewright Posts: 148 Member
in Chit-Chat
Do I really need to spend all this $$ on heart gaurd and frontline for my shih tzu???

I called the vet to check what I needed and it was outrageous!

Any suggestions or advice please?
«134

Replies

  • Katina3333
    Katina3333 Posts: 259 Member
    Options
    I don't use any of that stuff... I'm all about low maintenance animals. Don't like the food that I feed the other dogs, too bad, you'll eat it when you're hungry enough. lol
  • katrwal
    katrwal Posts: 336 Member
    Options
    yes, yes you do. because watching your beloved pet die from heartworm or some other disease is horrible.

    now - getting the meds from the vet's office is stupid expensive - i agree. go online - there are online pet pharmacies that have it much cheaper - for instance, i buy a 6 month supply of a combo treatment for my dog, and it's $60US. :D

    best of luck to you.
  • pnut456
    pnut456 Posts: 67 Member
    Options
    Personally, I think it depends on what you do with your dog and how much outdoor activity they see. If they are not around a lot of other dogs, IE dog parks, doggy daycare, etc.. then they may not be necessary. I give my 3 heartguard but not frontline... I live in the city and they are not playing in the woods or in tall grass so I don't think the frontline is useful. If you do want your dog to be on the meds try calling different vets or even research online to see if you can get better pricing. You don't have to go through your vet for it. Good Luck!!
  • halips
    halips Posts: 134 Member
    Options
    Frontline is about 1/3 cheaper at Costo/Sams. Costco also makes a store brand that works and is about 1/4 of the price. To the best of my knowledge, Heartguard only come from the Vet, but you can ask for the prescription and fill it at places like 1800 petmeds where its a lot cheaper.
  • Quest529
    Quest529 Posts: 103 Member
    Options
    Yes (though, depending on your area you may not need to do year round). The cost and stress of treating heartworm or parasite infestations/illnesses is MUCH higher than using the preventative. Plus, having your pet suffer, is never worth it.


    If cost is what's stopping you, see if your vet offers a generic version of the heartmed. If they don't, get it online. Some companies will have coupons or specials on their flea/tick meds too.

    Iverhart (Iverheart sp?) is a generic heartworm preventative. We get six months for about $36.
  • DalekBrittany
    DalekBrittany Posts: 1,748 Member
    Options
    Coming from someone who had to watch her family dog die for 3 days (it took him THREE DAYS to die) because my parents didn't have the money for Heartguard and didn't have the money to have him put to sleep, yes. Anti-heartworm meds are worth it if you care for your dog. Flea medicine...that depends entirely on you. If you live in a city, you probably could forgo it, but don't forget about mosquitoes. If you don't, it depends on whether you want to prevent them, or when they eventually get fleas if you want to give them countless flea baths and have to wash everything in your house, lol. It's just easier to use Frontline.
  • raisingemilyjune
    raisingemilyjune Posts: 181
    Options
    DEFINITELY! Heartworm is a horrible and preventable condition, but if you are in the US definitely purchase online. It should be noted though, that in Canada we can't get those products online, we have to go to our vet. I pay $130/season for my 13lb Pug to have Revolution.
  • footiechick82
    footiechick82 Posts: 1,203 Member
    Options
    Absolutely!

    If you're in the US you got it easy -it's cheap! here in Canada it's over $100 bucks...

    If your dog gets heart worms... it's a very painful death... would you want that for him?

    Edit: online it's cheap cheap cheap! I use Revolution.
  • dward2011
    dward2011 Posts: 416 Member
    Options
    I buy our dogs' food and meds online. It is much less expensive that way. They eat grain-free high quality dry food, take heartworm pills every month, and get a flea/tick/mosquito drop/liquid every month.
  • britkip
    britkip Posts: 49
    Options
    YES! If you care about your pet at all do it and don't buy the cheap stuff cause that is bad for their livers and can kill them. Pay for the good stuff!!!
  • ElyseL1
    ElyseL1 Posts: 504 Member
    Options
    I don't use any of that stuff... I'm all about low maintenance animals. Don't like the food that I feed the other dogs, too bad, you'll eat it when you're hungry enough. lol

    Does this mean you feed your dog cheap food? If you have a large breed dog that can be very dangerous for them.
  • Tuffjourney
    Tuffjourney Posts: 971
    Options
    Yes.. your dog is worth it.
  • melsmith612
    melsmith612 Posts: 727 Member
    Options
    Heartworm medication is a MUST. Not to sound like a jerk but if you can't afford it then you shouldn't have the dog in the first place. This is essential preventative medicine.

    Flea/tick control is optional but unless you want to deal with vet bills and pest control later I would highly recommend using SOMETHING. I buy online typically because it's cheaper than most vet's offices.
  • cwaters120
    cwaters120 Posts: 354 Member
    Options
    YES! If you care about your pet at all do it

    ^^ yup. I love my dogs and make sure I take as good care of them as I do my family. They get regular check-ups, grain-free food, regular grooming and preventative care. Why have a pet if you aren't going to care for it and love it???
  • hannah0419
    hannah0419 Posts: 1,069 Member
    Options
    YES! Heartworm is carried by mosquitos… and everyone is right about the dire consequence for your pet. If they get it, you will need to spend thousands to save your pet. Ticks spread Lyme disease which will debilitate your pet. Fleas cause a lot of alley problems for your pet, your family etc. They infest your house as well.

    Vets have a huge markup on such supplies but your vet should be able to give you a prescription for the Heartgard. The best (cheapest) place I have found online is entirelypets.com

    Hannah
  • Tuffjourney
    Tuffjourney Posts: 971
    Options
    I have three labs and one cat. I only buy the best for them. One lab has diabetes, her medicine is 25 bucks a month(Thanks to Walmart) or it would be triple that. Then the needles. She has special food that I give her only available by her vet. It is 65.00 a bag and last almost a month. And that is just for her to eat. The others get their own special food. Yes, it is expensive and I would work over time just to do it for them if I had too. I dont, but they are so worth it. They are my :heart:
  • rbn_held
    rbn_held Posts: 681 Member
    Options
    Heartguard is a must. You don't want you dog to get heartworms. The treatment is really hard on them plus expensive. We adpoted a lab that ended up having heartworms. We got her treated and It was rough watching her go through that. We have 4 labs and they get heartguard regularly. I will state what I always state and I think someone on here beat me to it already. If you can't afford proper care for a pet then you should not own one. I don't mean to come off mean or rude but a pet is a family member and they deserve the proper care they need.
  • kgem4u2
    kgem4u2 Posts: 69
    Options
    Yes you do!! Try getting it from 1800 Pet Meds it is cheaper than going to the Vet
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    Options
    I asked my vet about 1800 petmeds and they warned me against it. Apparently, so they said, the company (a year ago or so) had many lawsuits against them for bad product which resulted in deaths. Not sure if the vet just wanted me to buy from them instead, I didn't research into it, but she was very serious in her warning.

    I've used Trifexis and Revolution which are combo flea and heartworm. Both were fabulous. Texas fleas are ruthless but we haven't seen a single one since.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,022 Member
    Options
    People, take care of your animals or don't have them. It IS a choice.

Categories