DevNull Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Which heart worm preventative is reccomended for Border Collies? I've heard that certain ones can be dangerous, but I'm not sure which ones. My vet doesn't really think any are a problem, but I'm sure somebody had told me otherwise. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 I don't know if any are recommended specifically for BCs. Molly is on the monthly Heartguard tabs. Beware of Proheart6 (6 month injection) - I've heard a lot of very bad things about it - online, from my vet and on a news story here just a couple weeks ago.) The FDA is currently investigating it's safety. Lots of dogs (upwards of 4000+) have gotten very sick and 400+ have died after receiving the injection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaggieDog Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 There is some concern about the use of ivermectin in herding breeds. Heartguard and Iverheart contain ivermectin. I've used Interceptor with Maggie since I got her and she's had no problems. My cattle dog X had a reaction to Heartguard (increased seizure activity; she's epileptic), but once we switched to Interceptor, she's been fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb Scott Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 I've always heard Interceptor was best for Collie-type dogs. We use it even for our weak immune system/seizure dog and have never had a problem. Barb Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyDoc Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 What is the concern regarding ivermectin in herding breeds? And why specific to herding dogs? -kevin- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 Herding breeds - primarily rough coated collies, but also other collies and Aussies - can suffer neurotoxicity from ivermectin, even at dosages that are safe in other breeds. BCs are more resistant to this effect than the "Lassie" collies, but if you don't have to take the chance, why do it? That said, if I had to choose between risking the side effects of ivermectin and risking the side effects of heartworm disease, I'd risk the ivermectin - in part because I have BCs, who are more resistant to the neurotoxicity, and in part because I've seen what heartworm can do, and it's truly nasty. However, since there are a variety of other preventatives available, you don't have to use ivermectin if you don't want to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 Oh, yeah - and as to the mechanism, I'm not sure... could be the cytochrome p450 enzyme system, but it could be something else as well, like transport proteins on the neurons or drug conjugation or something even more esoteric. I'm just speculating now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanna in OR Posted May 26, 2004 Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 Since I have a "Lassie" collie as well as a border collie, I wanted to be sure that the heartworm preventative we use didn't cause problems. A particular gene that exists in some "Lassie" Collies governs sensitivity to ivermectin (see Ivermectin Sensitivity in Collies ). This link goes to a short article about this sensitivity from Univ. of Washington Vet School. For both dogs, we use Interceptor, which has a different drug than Heartgard (which has ivermectin). Interceptor is also a once-a-month oral heartworm preventor, like Heartgard. My vet had me try Interceptor the first time with Willow (our "Lassie" collie) in a smaller dose and watch her for any side affects (lethargy, vomiting, etc). No problems. And Tenaya, our BC, has been on Interceptor since she was about 4 or 5 months old. Deanna in OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArmyDoc Posted May 27, 2004 Report Share Posted May 27, 2004 Thanks for the info. Our two are on monthly Heartgard, I suppose if they were having neurotoxicity it would be readily apparent. They seem normal and healthy and do not look or act like dogs suffering from any sort of toxodrome. I read the brief WSU article with interest. It reminds me of a project I was peripherally involved with in college, investigating cell surface transport glycoproteins in human cancer cells. The wiley and sinister cancer cells had acquired the ability to pump chemotherapy agents out of the cell, leaving the normal cells more affected by chemotherapy than the cancer cells...the opposite effect of what is intended. I believe similar pump mechanisms have been found in antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A good example of how an esoteric research interest can turn out to have broad-reaching importance spanning many fields of science and medicine. -kevin- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailrider Posted May 29, 2004 Report Share Posted May 29, 2004 Just to clarify - we have treated many of the Lassie collies as well as border collies with ivermectin. For many years - since heartworm was first considered a problem - we used sheep drench (ivomec) on every dog. Never had a problem. I had read some statistics that indicated that the doses proper for prevention are not supposed to be a problem. However, the very large doses used for general worming are lethal often. The monthly pills help us mere mortals who cannot measure to dose correctly. There is a blood brain barrier weakness in some of the genetic inheritance of some of the dogs from herding breeds, and Rough collies were first noted as a significant problem. It seems to be extremely rare at the low doses issued for heartworm prevention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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