Heartworm info needed

[DMikeM]

I have been looking all over for current (2006/2007) statistics regarding heartworm infections in SO California especially in the San Bernardino area.
I have not heard of any up here but see that the vets locally are pushing preventative treatment VIA mail and counter advertising.
We have no instance of canine fleas up here 6800 foot above sea level, but do have some rodent fleas and do have mosquito problems. I have never given any of my dogs from 1970 to current anything for heartworm and am wondering if I am gambling or should not be concerned.

I know the vets would say do it but they are making money, they even tried to get me to vaccinate for rabies before my current set was even close to expiration.

[rosesmom]

I do the heartworm preventative on my yorkie without any problems. I dont know if that makes a difference or not.

[Mary_NH]

my vet pushes to do heartworm preventative year round and i live in the White Mtns. of NH. No mosquitoes in the winter. BUT now and then, on a warm day in the winter, it is possible to see a mosquitoe buzzing around. Having said that I don't give HW preventative after November, start up again in May. I figure Molly has enough of the stuff in her system. I do it during the warmer months of course.
You also never know what might be traveling in with other people,
This year I would have thought our rought winter would have helped to kill of ticks. Vets have already been seeing ticks on animals and many new cases of Lyme Disease. We had FEET of snow so I was surprised dogs are already picking up ticks.
Perhaps just do the heartworm preventative every other month when it's warmerr out.
I also don't buy into the you gotta do this and that - people don't get vaccinated every single year against illnesses so I never understood why they push so many vaccines on our pets

[honeybears]

Thats a toughie, I live in No Calif and up until the mid 90s we did not have heartworm and now 20% of dogs tested are positive. I keep my dogs on it year round. I used to take them off of it during the winter because the heartworm needs like 7 days of above 60 to produce, so O figured i dont see this until late spring. But then the last few years I have noticed a lot more mosquitos in the winter in my house where it would make a nice incubation place.

The mossquitos are horrible right now, we cant even sit out. I was told by my bet though you can go 45 days in between that 30 days is because its what the drug co says and they dont want to get sued.

[Samsintentions]

Well donw here in Southern Texas we have issues year round. I use ivermectin on all of my dogs year round, monthly treatment. It takes care of everything except tapes. One thing i have to stress is DO NOT give heartworm preventative to any canines with out first having tests run, it can and will kill them if they are heartworm positive.

Personally I've seen completely healthy dogs, that suprised me when they came out heartworm positive. I'm not talking just pets, but full all out working canines. So symptoms may not occur until its too late.

IMO, if you have mosquitoes during any part of the year, I'd be giving prevenative.

[Sara]

Out here we don't generally have any heartworm problems but it's in Colorado so the dogs that travel around with us generally get preventative, and our show dogs generally do, I use Ivermec too.

[HDrydr]

Buster gets preventative here in Colorado..... I have some ponds here at the condo complex so great spot for them mosquito's...

[True_Pits]

I give HW preventative in the summer only. You don't see any nasty bugs out here in the deathly cold of winter. If it were mild all year around where I lived then I'd do it all year. I use ivermectin injectable.

[Dukesdad]

For heartworms mosquitos are the carrier. Fleas transmit tape worms. I keep the boys here in Houston on monthly Sentinel year round.
I found this map a while ago showing the distribution of heartworm cases from 2001:
http://home.flash.net/~jdebess/Photos/heartworm.jpg