Sentinel & Interceptor Are The Safest Heartworm Preventatives
Saturday, June 28th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Heartworm is a serious concern for pet owners, and you need to choose the heartworm prevention medication you give to your pet with care.
The heartworm prevention medicine put on the market in 2001 called Proheart Six only required that your pet be injected two times within the year. At first, the heartworm prevention was believed to be a safe & easy way to administer care and prevention to pets, however the FDA of the USA intervened when reports of more than 5,000 pets became ill as a reaction from the medicine. Of the 5,000 reported there were 415 fatalities.
The results from the investigations conducted by the FDA proved that ProHeart 6 caused a much higher amount of deaths than regular, monthly heartworm medications. The comparison of ProHeart 6 with 138 deaths in one year, was overwhelmingly higher than the six deaths reported yearly from Heartgard heartworm protection and Sentinel. (FDA May 3, 2004)
While our intentions are not to scare pet owners away from necessary treatment, we feel that they should know that allergic reactions can result from heartworm control. It is possible that death could be the result of the medication. Obviously this is the worst-case scenario.
Here are the facts from the 2004 FDA source: Revolution heartworm protection averaged 36 deaths a year and more than eight and a half thousand reactions, so although the number of reactions was almost twice that of Proheart 6, the drug has been on the market longer so the average number of reactions was similar to Proheart 6, but the death rate of Proheart 6 was over three times as many.
Revolution is not necessarily unsafe. The high numbers of deaths are partially due to its very widespread use, however you should still educate yourself on the facts. Only 214 negative reactions were caused by Interceptor for canines, which is eight times less than Revolution. Interceptor averages a mere nine deaths per year, compared to ProHeart Six’s average of 138.
From 1995 to 2004, Interceptor heart worm protection was reported to have a mere 84 deaths throughout the entire 9 years. Reported during that time, Heartgard averaged 6 deaths from 355 adverse reactions. Heartgard chewables contain ivermectin as a heartworm protection.
Causing the very least amount of allergic reactions or deaths was Sentinel, a flea, parasite and heartworm protection medication. Statistics show that information gathered in the years of 1999 through 2004 that Sentinel heartworm prevention for dogs resulted in 900 reactions which is an average of 233 as opposed to Revolution heartworm treatment for dogs which had 1,737 reactions with a total of 25 deaths averaging to be 6 annually.
ProHeart 6 should only be used for preventative heartworm control, and should not be used if heartworms have already become established. Monthly heartworm prevention and treatment is a popular choice, but numerous vets maintain that Proheart is safe. In 2007 Proheart 6 was still on the market as a heartworm prevention medicine despite the fact that it was recalled in September 2004.
We realize your pet is a member of the family and not a statistic in a dogs heartworm protection table, but be reassured that these are the results of millions of dogs being given the drugs worldwide. Speak to your vet if you are at all concerned, but do choose a prevention.
The devastating effect of heartworms in dogs should not be underestimated. Your pet can be spared pain and health problems with a simple monthly heartworm preventive medicine.
About the author: Rebecca Foxton wants to help you bring your pet brilliant health with Interceptor Flavor Tabs. Check out her nutrition tips for people with dogs and cats and read her Fortiflora articles on Dog Buffs.
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