The American Beagler Forum

I have heard of guys using horse heartworm medicine for dogs because it is much cheaper to buy this way. What brand, how often, and what dosage should be used?

Many hound owners use ivomect (a cattle product) Check out my web site for the details of how I keep my hounds Heartworm free.
http://www.geocities.com/pawpawskennels/heart.html

Zimecterin gold is a paste. Takes care of tapes,round, and heart worms.
Dosage is a small bit about the size of a dime on the end of a hotdog. It can be over done from what I am told so I don't try to dispense it into the dogs mouth from the tube. They will pass tapes and rounds within 12 hours if they have them. A tube cost about 12.95 and lasts a year.

You may want to look into the dangers of ivomec on the dogs liver . I have been told that ivomec will kill a dog that is heartworm infected .
Just my .01 worth .

Buddy

If a dog has heartworms and they are left untreated how soon will he die from them. As far as I know my dogs are heartworm free. At what age do you start a dog on heartworm meds?

I start my dogs at 6 months with heartworm meds.

Before you start giving your dogs Ivomec you should have a blood test done to make sure the dogs don't have them because it will kill the dog if you give it to them and they have heartworms.

Info from my site...
Due to the length of time it takes for the larva to mature, it is considered safe to start prevention at or around six months of age.

More from my site:
Keep in mind that you can safely start a young pup on Ivomec at six months. If you do bring a new hound into your kennel and you do not know or you are not sure of the hound’s history, then you may want to spend some bucks and take them in for a blood test by the vet. If they get a clean bill of health then you can start them on Ivomect. If they are infested you will have to make some choices. At considerable expense your vet may be able to rid them of the heartworms. However, there is a risk in the procedure. You could spend your money and loose the dog anyway. You may choose to not do anything. This hound may hunt for you for a number of years or may only last a few seasons. This little rabbit chaser will not have the stamina or be able to perform at the level of a healthy hound.