Dog People--advice wanted!

As someone who has rescued an abused dog (neglect) .. YES you MUST use the HG. The dog I adopted was recovered due to abuse by neglect .. and guess what his #1 problem was ...... EXTREME heartworm infestation. It was bad enough that the vet wasn't sure he would survive the first dose of HG because he was so weak .. and then if the HG killed to many at once, they could break free and clog the heart.

I am happy to report that he is 100% heartworm NEGATIVE .. but he gets HG one a month .. EVERY month on the FIRST Saturday of the month.

Don't think that just because your dog is "indoors" they can't / won't get heartworms. That is just a built in expense of pet owning .. much like dog food.

Just a not for those looking for the cheap way out. cheaper is not always better. Stay away from anything made by Hartz, I worked at a vet and we had numerous ailments and deaths due to Hartz products. Just a warning. I don't know how stores are allowed to sell products that are known to be harmful.

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

What? That makes me sad. Heartworm disease is 100% preventable and if you own a dog, you should take care of the dog.

Yeah...not everyone can afford the top-of-the-line stuff, but there is no reason to cheap out on it, either. Do your research, find a product that both you and your dog are happy with. Don't buy something just because it is cheap.

I live with my MIL. I have a Chorkie (Chihuahua/Yorkie mix) and she has a Chihuahua. Both of them are the same size and should be the same weight. They both get fed twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. I feed my dog Blue Buffalo dry food (which I realize not everyone can afford) with a fish protein instead of chicken or beef, as recommended by her vet for dry skin problems. She now has no problems with dry skin, has a beautiful coat, has a healthy digestive system (I could set a watch by her bowel movements :laugh:) and is a healthy 7.4 pounds.

My MIL's dog, on the other hand, gets fed only wet food, I think it's Pedigree, and it's made with chicken by-product, "meat by-product" (would love to know what that is O.o) and artificial coloring, among many other things. She has many bowel movements per day, has terribly dry skin, and is 11 pounds, which led to her having hip problems. No matter how hard they try to get her to lose weight, it is not coming off, but they refuse to switch brands. They say she "only will eat wet food",but more than once I have caught her having a few kibbles left over from my dog's food. I even offered to let them use ours and we can both pitch in on the next bag. Sometimes, buying cheap food may help you in one aspect, but the money they are now spending on vet bills trying to control her weight could have been spent buying better food.

I get mine at 1800petmeds.com and never had any problems. My big old dog now has to take fish oil for his joints - recommended by his vet. I just get that at any store and I take what he takes. I love that dumb old dog!

I don't, because of the expense and because we rarely see a mosquito here. Maybe two per summer.

YES


heartworm protection is super important. It's one pill once a month... super low maintenance and easy.

And, you don't have to worry about forcing them to take it...most are chewable and beef flavored.

People, take care of your animals or don't have them. It IS a choice.

Thank you.

Poor baby But at least she has a good, responsible momma looking after her! :flowerforyou: I grew up with two shepherds, the first one died when I was about 16, the other died about a week ago. They both had problems with their joints, I guess it's common with shepherds.

So sorry about the loss (have you read Rainbow Bridge)
Oh it is so are digestive issues. She's got both. We've only had her since November. She's a great dog. We suspect someone dumped her (the rescue found her as a stray)... because of all her medical issues.

Oh we also have to give her a B12 shot once a week. This poor thing.

My advice, get the dog a good home. These things are necessary, if your skeptical about this then how will you face a real vet bill should something come up. Gold fish, cheap, don't eat much and easy to flush

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!!

I agree. We don't give our dogs Heartguard because they're not around other dogs other than each other too often. And we are outside with them and constantly watching them when they are. We do give Frontline though because we have a cabin out in the country and they're always out running around the fields. You should not have pets if you can't afford or don't want to take care of the things that they need!