Heartworm Medication Raises Questions

[Texkowboz]

Marni Bellavia
Education Partnership Coordinator
Humane Society of Broward County
2070 Griffin Road
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33312
954.266.6853 direct
954.989.3991 fax
954.266.6856 pet therapy information
www.humanebroward.com




I recieved this from a friend and thought I should pass it on. Deb


Heartworm Medication Raises Questions
A CBS 2 Special Report

Mar 1, 2004 10:59 pm US/Eastern
NEW YORK (CBS) The focus of an investigative story by our
sister-station WBZ-TV
Boston is a popular medication being used to prevent heartworm, a
potentially deadly
disease. WBZ's Joe Bergantino has learned that after taking this drug
thousands of
dogs have gotten sick, hundreds have even died.

Joanne Plumer treats all of her dogs like members of the family.

So she immediately noticed something was wrong with her 13-year-old
named April.
"She couldn't stand up any more, she couldn't eat, her mouth was full
of blisters,
her fur was falling out."

It all started the day after April got a shot of the heartworm
medication ProHeart
6. Three weeks later, April had to be put to sleep.

"We were devastated with April. We were totally devastated with April.
She was my
baby," Joanne recalled.

Within a few weeks, Joanne's other dog, 10-year-old Cuji, also treated
with ProHeart
6, got very sick. Cuji died three months after getting her shot.

"She went completely blind. Then you know, she started coughing and
coughing and she
couldn't catch her breath and we checked her out and she had complete
kidney
failure," Joanne remembered.

These are not isolated cases.

WBZ's I-Team investigation found that in the past two and a half years
the FDA has
received more than 4,000 reports of dogs getting sick after getting a
shot of
ProHeart 6. And more than 400 dogs have died nationwide.

The FDA says it's been able to link ProHeart 6 to a small percentage of
those cases
but even those numbers are, in the FDA's words, "a cause for concern."
The FDA is
investigating.

In fact, the FDA has twice told the makers of ProHeart 6 to change its
labeling,
most recently asking the company to add that there have been rare
reports of death.

"I think this is just the tip of the iceberg," says Veterinarian Bob
Rogers. He
wonders why the FDA has not taken the drug off the market.

The FDA's answer: it believes the medication could potentially save the
lives of
more dogs than it harms.

But Dr. Rogers disagrees. "I have seen veterinary drugs pulled off the
market when
there were less deaths involved than this."

As for the manufacturer of ProHeart 6, a company called Fort Dodge
Animal Health, it
declined an on-camera interview but released this statement saying
"Millions of U.S.
dogs have benefited from the heartworm protection provided by ProHeart
6. The
reports submitted to the FDA represent a fraction of 1% of total doses
sold?and the
product has been proven to be safe."

Donna Sadoski doesn't believe that. Her 11-year-old dog Sammy went
blind after
getting a shot of ProHeart 6.

"I wonder how many animals will be put to sleep? How many animals will
have life
threatening problems they will have to deal with for the rest of their
lives before
someone stops this medicine from actually being given to them," Donna
told WBZ.

The makers of ProHeart 6 say they do not believe their heartworm
medication caused
Donna's and Joanne's dogs to get sick.


But the FDA continues to investigate, at this point asking the company
to find out
if there are any impurities in the drug's formula that may be causing
problems.
:confused:

[Virtues]

We use two vets that we label "cheap vet" and "expensive vet". I'll let you guess why. BOTH told us we should not give the heartworm injection ProHeart. They also said that ProHeart only guarantees continued protection when the shot is given within 48 hours of the previous shot's six month period (hope that makes sense). Other heartworm products offer much more room for error.

Thanks for posting this. Heartworms are very common in this area, all year round.

[Texkowboz]

Myself I use Liquid Ivermectin,It saves me several dollars having so many dogs!

[BCK Presa]

I use Ivermectin paste for horses, it is effective and and much cheaper than the once a month heartguard pill.

[Texkowboz]

The liquid Ivermectin a 50ml bottle cost about $32.00 at most feed stores,
It will last 1 large dog for about 2 years te dosage I use is 1cc per 70lbs of dog weight.I don't inject it i just usally give it to them orally once a month,sometimes in a treat.
So by those figures it cost you save about $7.50 amonth verses the pill form.
& by me having several dogs,It is a big yearly savings.
maybe saves me about $500 per year :D

It only takes 1 Mosquito

[bostonsmom]

As a vet tech I can confirm that ProHeart has caused problems in some dogs up to and including death. There are a great deal of options out there for heartworm prevention, including pills like Interceptor and Sentinel that also prevent against hookworms, roundworms, and the like. The best thing to do is have a good relationship with your vet, and discuss your options. Some climates require year-round protection (Florida), while others are only necessary during the summer months (Minnesota). Also remember that it is important to have your dogs tested for heartworm at the beginning of the season. Some of the preventatives can cause death if the dog already has an infestation.