Is Interceptor as effective at preventing Heart Worm as Heartgard?

Yes, Interceptor is as effective as Heartgard. Possibly more effective,
based on the fact that a US executive of Merial (makers of Heartgard) is
suing the company, saying that she was fired when she brought to
attention the fact that some of the scientific information on the
product showed that it was less effective than the company claims....
Company claims 100%
effective against heartworm.... but it's probably only 95-98% effective,
according to those studies cited by the employee.

Interceptor also knocks out more intestinal parasites than Heartgard, if
memory serves me right.... one more.... it gets the hookworms (a common
problem in the Deep South). My vets switched to Interceptor several
years ago, based on that hookworm issue.

Jo Wolf

"Jo Wolf" wrote in message
...
Yes, Interceptor is as effective as Heartgard. Possibly more effective,
based on the fact that a US executive of Merial (makers of Heartgard) is
suing the company, saying that she was fired when she brought to
attention the fact that some of the scientific information on the
product showed that it was less effective than the company claims....
Company claims 100%
effective against heartworm.... but it's probably only 95-98% effective,
according to those studies cited by the employee.

Interceptor also knocks out more intestinal parasites than Heartgard, if
memory serves me right.... one more.... it gets the hookworms (a common
problem in the Deep South). My vets switched to Interceptor several
years ago, based on that hookworm issue.

Jo Wolf

Thank you.

"Jo Wolf" wrote in message
...
Yes, Interceptor is as effective as Heartgard. Possibly more effective,
based on the fact that a US executive of Merial (makers of Heartgard) is
suing the company, saying that she was fired when she brought to
attention the fact that some of the scientific information on the
product showed that it was less effective than the company claims....
Company claims 100%
effective against heartworm.... but it's probably only 95-98% effective,
according to those studies cited by the employee.

...................I don't think any of them are 100% effective. That was
the crux of the issue. Everyone else was honest, Merial was not, making
their product look soooooooo much better.


Interceptor also knocks out more intestinal parasites than Heartgard, if
memory serves me right.... one more.... it gets the hookworms (a common
problem in the Deep South). My vets switched to Interceptor several
years ago, based on that hookworm issue.

..............I don't believe Heartgard Plus is 100% on hooks. So people
think they're 100% covered and they're not. I prefer not to treat for stuff
that's imaginary.


To the OP
Heartworm meds:
http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdj...revention.html
Scroll down to Resources and you can read the study summaries under FDA
Center for Vet Med links for each kind of drug.

buglady
take out the dog before replying

On 8/6/2011 12:38 PM, tom wrote:
Is Interceptor as effective at preventing Heart Worm as Heartgard?

Actually neither one prevents heart worm. It poisons the worms after an
infection. It also poisons dogs. History shows that heart worms spread
quite rapidly after vaccines came into use.

http://web.archive.org/web/200504061...es/spreadf.gif

"Char" wrote in message
m...
On 8/6/2011 12:38 PM, tom wrote:
Is Interceptor as effective at preventing Heart Worm as Heartgard?

Actually neither one prevents heart worm. It poisons the worms after an
infection. It also poisons dogs. History shows that heart worms spread
quite rapidly after vaccines came into use.

http://web.archive.org/web/200504061...es/spreadf.gif

Assuming what you state is true, how does one attribute\imply the increase
is due to the use of vaccines?

Heartgard Plus doesn't kill hookworm at all, is what my vet told me.....
I was speaking about it's effectiveness against heartworm.... :-(

Jo

Tom, as usual, Char has her own unique version of non-science.

The heartworm preventives kill the larvae stage of the heartworm. One
dose a month. Next month's dose kills any that have hatched in the
intervening month. That's why, if you live "up north", you've been able
to give the preventive for amonth or two after the normal mostquito
season, and start again in the spring. Down here in the Deep South we
have mosquitoes (and fleas) all year, so we give the preventive all
year. So she was partially correct.

There are still a few spots in Canada and the US where the mosquito load
is low enough to make it reletively safe to not give the preventives.
But these spots decrease each year. For instance, when I moved to
California from hot humid San Antonio, Texas, to San Bruno, Ca, in the
San Francisco metro area, in 1980, the vet had me give him preventive
for the first 6 months I was there, then stop. A friend who lives two
blocks from my previous home has had to give heartworm preventive to her
dogs since the early 1990s.... she doesn't recall the exact year.

Now, however, in a small area of the Mississippi River Valley starting
about 100 miles South of St Louis and for another 200+ miles, vets are
reporting, and a study has validated the observations, that they are
seeing dogs that (they have been selling preventives to owners on a
schedule that indicates regular administration) are testing positive for
heartworm. The study (it has not been repeated yet, so there is just
the one, done by a vet school) showed resistance to ALL of the chemicals
in current use as heartworm preventives. At this point, the resistance
appears to be equal toward all three of the drugs. The area where this
is occuring has not changed in several years. The numbers of infected
dogs is a low percentage at this time.... but enough to cause concern.
The heartworm association has not significantly changed recommendations
for administration.... except to recommend year around monthly dosing,
rather than the winter break, or the stretch to 6 weeks that some of the
holistic gang has been advocating amongst themselves and dog owners they
know. Annual testing is unchanged. I obtained this information from
the emerging infectious diseases (veterinary) email group for medical
professionals. It is available in detail on the heartworm assn's site,
which I can't access with my non-computer equipment.

My background in science and pharmacology at the university level give
me no reason to believe that vaccines have a durn thang to do with
heartworm infection and prevalance of mosquito vectors. The removal of
DDT from legal insecticide status.... now that I'd believe. It was
highly effective against mosquitoes. Char is rabidly
anti-immunization.... blaming anything from ingrown toenails in polar
bears to ear mites in kangaroos on vaccines, and claiming that they
don't work. If a quack says it or writes it, she believes it.
Apparently she took only the minimum number of science courses required
by her school system's curriculum.

Jo

"Jo Wolf" wrote in message
...
Tom, as usual, Char has her own unique version of non-science.

My background in science and pharmacology at the university level give
me no reason to believe that vaccines have a durn thang to do with
heartworm infection and prevalance of mosquito vectors. The removal of
DDT from legal insecticide status.... now that I'd believe. It was
highly effective against mosquitoes. Char is rabidly
anti-immunization.... blaming anything from ingrown toenails in polar
bears to ear mites in kangaroos on vaccines, and claiming that they
don't work. If a quack says it or writes it, she believes it.
Apparently she took only the minimum number of science courses required
by her school system's curriculum.

Jo

Thank you for your insightful response.

Jo Wolf wrote in rec.pets.dogs.health:

Tom, as usual, Char has her own unique version of non-science.

The heartworm preventives kill the larvae stage of the heartworm. One
dose a month. Next month's dose kills any that have hatched in the
intervening month. That's why, if you live "up north", you've been
able to give the preventive for amonth or two after the normal
mostquito season, and start again in the spring. Down here in the
Deep South we have mosquitoes (and fleas) all year, so we give the
preventive all year. So she was partially correct.

Yup. I live in a high mosquito area being bordered by 'the great
dismal swamp' (actual name of it) although others are worse. Dogs here
automatically get (unless you refuse, no state law requires) a variety
of wormers and tests semi-annually if you do regular vet trips. The
cat gets one too incase the dogs bring something in (grin).

Whatever it is, they like the taste of it.

Now, however, in a small area of the Mississippi River Valley starting
about 100 miles South of St Louis and for another 200+ miles, vets are
reporting, and a study has validated the observations, that they are
seeing dogs that (they have been selling preventives to owners on a
schedule that indicates regular administration) are testing positive
for heartworm. The study (it has not been repeated yet, so there is
just the one, done by a vet school) showed resistance to ALL of the
chemicals in current use as heartworm preventives. At this point,
the resistance appears to be equal toward all three of the drugs.
The area where this is occuring has not changed in several years.
The numbers of infected dogs is a low percentage at this time.... but
enough to cause concern. The heartworm association has not

Scarey. Having 2 previously heartworm infected dogs, it's heart
breaking on how it can affect them. Aunti Mabel however once treated,
shows none of the debilitating damage so is presumed to have been
caught quickly enough in treatment.

My background in science and pharmacology at the university level give
me no reason to believe that vaccines have a durn thang to do with
heartworm infection and prevalance of mosquito vectors. The removal
of DDT from legal insecticide status.... now that I'd believe. It was
highly effective against mosquitoes.

Yes. The DDT had to go though as it caused other problems in the
environment. Here, we struggle with a combination and when it gets too
bad, they use crop-duster like planes over the whole area to knock the
mosquito population down. I havent seen any this year as it's been
dryer than normal for us but some years, you get a warning that they
are spraying the city again.

I've mentioned our local bat-cave. We *like* the bat-cave. Local
radio says they fed them the anti-rabies stuff again and to be careful
if you see one in your yard but just leave it alone then check to make
sure you have no standing water. If you have a rain-catch barrel, add
a thin layer of vegetable oil to the top and it is fine to use for your
plants. Mine has a bung hole with a spigot at the bottom and i water
my container garden from it. A cheap corn oil (wesson) at the top
about 1/4 inch thick works for me. Replace oil after a heavy rain if
it overflowed (grin).




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