heartworms

It can't be said enough, heartworms is preventable and anyone who doesn't give their dog the preventative medication should not have a dog and is likely killing their pet they profess to love. If you can't afford it, ask your vet for another way. With so many dogs and foster dogs, we use Ivomec, which is the same chemical (ivermectin) as in Heartgard. It is, in fact, made by the same company Merial. We calculate the dose for each dog and give it to them once a month, all with our vet's approval. There are many different formulas online and many of them are wrong. Heartgard for a 100 lb dog is 0.272 mg ivermectin. Purchase 1% Ivomec (10 mg/ml), make a small volume 10x dilution (0.1 ml into 1 ml) and give it at 0.1 ml per 40 lbs. That calculates to 0.25 mg ivermectin for 100 lbs, nearly the same as Heartgard and is an effective dose according to my vet. This way is much cheaper than buying the biscuit. However, if you are mathematically challenged or won't measure it right, then buy the friggin biscuit and save your dog from a horrible death. There is no excuse for not providing proper preventative care for your pet. If you can't afford it, you can't afford a pet.