”Oh no! I missed my dog’s heartworm preventative dose!” Many pet parents have felt this sense of panic at one point or another. Despite their best intentions, even the most attentive and diligent pet parent can occasionally forget to give their dog their monthly heartworm preventative. If this has happened to you, realize that you are not alone.
Fortunately, missing a dose of heartworm preventative does not automatically mean that your dog is going to get heartworm disease. Several factors, which will be discussed later in the article, influence a dog’s risk of getting heartworm disease if a heartworm preventative dose is missed. First, let’s review what heartworm disease is all about and the rationale for monthly doses of heartworm preventative.
The dog heartworm, Dirofilaria immitis, is a parasite that is transmitted by mosquitoes. If a mosquito bites a dog that has heartworms, the mosquito will suck up microfilariae, which are baby heartworms produced by female adult heartworms. The microfilariae develop into larvae in the mosquito within 10 to 14 days. The mosquito will then inject the larvae when it bites another dog.
Heartworm larvae take about 6 months to fully mature into adults. Adult heartworms, which grow to nearly 12 inches long and live for several years, take up residence in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels that run between these two organs. Heartworms cause serious respiratory and cardiac problems and can damage other organs in the body. Heartworm disease is very expensive to treat and is often fatal if left untreated.
About Giving More than Once
One main concern of dog owners is giving a dog too much heartworm medicine. This can happen when dog owners make a mistake, such as forgetting they gave their dog a heartworm medicine a week ago and then giving it again a week later or perhaps a dog owner giving it and then another family member giving it again, perhaps a week later.
In this case, there should be really no harm, even if the dose of heartworm was already given last week. In this case, once again, one must consider that heartworm medicine stays in a dogs system for about 24 hours, adds Dr. Z.
And what about a product like Trifexis, which contains spinosad which is known for hanging around longer? Even though this can sound worrisome, the good news is that Elanco, the company that produces this medication has done a toxicity study and it was found that a dog can safely ingest one dose of Trifexis as often as once a day without causing any harm, explains veterinarian Dr. Matt.
How long does Trifexis lasts in the dogs system? – Quora
How long does Trifexis lasts in the dogs system? – Quora
Trifexis | Effective Dosing Administration of Trifexis Monthly Tablet
Trifexis | Effective Dosing Administration of Trifexis Monthly Tablet
FAQ
How long does heartworm medication last for dogs?
How long does it take for Trifexis to be absorbed?
Does Trifexis last 3 months?
What are the side effects of Trifexis for dogs?
- Appetite loss.
- Diarrhea.
- Skin or ear redness.
- Itchiness.
- Lethargy.