The American Heartworm Society now recommends that Dog owners give a heartworm treatment for each month of the year. Now, this is controversial in itself as many Dog owners, such as Liz, and many others are reticent to over-medicate their pets.

This is completely understandable and any Dog medication should only be given when absolutely necessary. Heartworms are a problem in some areas and a very minor one in others. It is, for the most part, down to the levels of mosquitoes present in the area and the concentration of them at different times of the year. Without mosquitoes carrying the problem from Dog to Dog there is no risk of your Dog becoming infected with the early stages of the microscopic worms that develop in to adults over the course of many months once introduced to your Dogs body.

Because there is a risk of heartworms in many areas many pet owners buy expensive heartworm medication. There are a number of well know brands on the market such as Heartgard. All are very effective at eliminating heartworms before they can cause problems to a Dogs health.

The problem is that many Dog owners, especially owners of multiple Dogs find it difficult to afford such treatments on a regular basis. Even simply treating with a heartworm medicine for the mosquito season can be a costly exercise.

Luckily there is a much cheaper option for those wishing to give a monthly heartworm treatment to their Dogs, for whatever period their judgement tells them is suitable. The answer lies in purchasing generic heartworm medicine. There are a number of different options for generics but the one thing that they all have in common is that they are extremely low in price. The average is less than $20 for a six month supply. Let’s take a look at the best generic heartworm medication and the choices we have.

Valuheart Heartworm Medicine

Valuheart, coming in at less than $20 for six months is a generic form of Heartgard. It contains the exact same active ingredient (in this case Ivermectin). It works in exactly the same way but for a fraction of the cost.

Ivermectin works by making a change to the nervous system of young heartworms and results in their death with no harm to the Dog. It has also been quite effective and drastically lowering the number of mites and some forms of lice.

Valuheart is probably the best know of the generic heartworm tablets available and as it contains the same active ingredient as Heartgard it is advertised as an effective replacement.

Nuheart Heartworm Pills

Nuheart is another popular generic and again is an ideal substitute for the more expensive branded names. Nuheart comes in meaty flavors making it seem far more like a tasty treat to your Dog rather than a medication.

Nuheart has one distinct advantage over nearly all other heartworm pills, generic or otherwise. That is that it can be dissolved in water. Many Dogs will simply refuse to take a tablet and seem to have the uncanny knack of finding them however we try to disguise them. If your Dog is anything like 2 of mine are then a soluble heartworm pill is the ideal answer. It can be dissolved in a small amount of water and added directly to the Dogs food. A perfect solution for fussy Dogs.

Proheart Heartworm Treatment

The last of the generics is Proheart. Moxidectrin is the active ingredient but the end result is the same as all other heartworm medications. Coming in at a few dollars more than other generics it is slightly more expensive but still a very low price. There has been a lot of controversy over Proheart 6 or 12 which was a yearly injection for the treatment of young heartworms. This is a monthly pill though, not the yearly injection.
It is extremely effective and works in the same manner as the other generic heartworm treatments.

What To Choose?

Of the three best generics available I would choose either Valuheart or Nuheart. They are a direct substitute for Heartgard and are are the cheapest way possible to treat for heartworms in pill form. Nuheart would be my choice for Dog that do not like to swallow pills and is an ideal choice.

Of course, if you have never administered a heartworm treatment to your Dog in the past or if it has been over 3 months since they last had a treatment then they must be given the all clear by your vet. It is a simple test to determine the presence of heartworms in the adult stages.

If a Dog that has adult heartworms is given a monthly preventative then there can be serious consequences. The treatment for adult heartworms is very different to the monthly treatments so never take the risk. If you give a monthly treatment all year round then you do not need to have your Dog tested. If this is not the case though then you should ensure that it is safe to give the monthly pill before commencing treatment. Your vet will advise you of the safest course of action.

Whatever you decide, and how often you decide to give your Dog a heartworm treatment, be sure to look in to generic heartworm medicines before you spend more on what is often the exact same product in all but name.

Article By David T who runs heartworm-medicine.info