Shelties and Heartworm Medications
Heartworm has become a national problem, and most veterinarians recommend protecting your dog with some kind of regularly administered preventative medication. Preventing hearworm is easy to do for your dog & only requires a monthly pill.
However, some Shelties, Collies, and related breeds have an unusual sensitivity to Ivermectin, the active ingredient in the popular monthly heartworm preventative called Heartguard. The monthly medication Interceptor was developed especially for these sensitive breeds. Its active ingredient is milbemycin, which has been demonstrated safe for Shelties and their relatives. The daily heartworm medication Filaribits is also safe for these dogs, although some concern has been expressed about possible liver damage connected with extra ingredient in Filaribits Plus.
If you have any concerns about which heartworm medication is right for your dog, please check with you vet.
So to clarify this Heartguard does or does not have the Ivermectin
The sensitivity to Ivermectin is only the tip of the iceberg.
Up to now there are some more drugs known as possible deadly for a Collie or a Sheltie or a related breed.
The reason for this sensitivity is a mutation in a certain gene – the gene answerable for a multi drug resistance (MDR) which protects us of being poisened. If this system doesn´t work the dog will suffer from side effects of many drugs.
Now it´s a great aim for breeders to breed this dangerous mutation out. To support and connect those breeders from all over the world we created a database and show information on our German homepage http://www.mdr1-defekt.de.
For more informations in English please look here:
http://www.mdr1-defekt.de/index.php?lang=EN
Kind regards,
Kris, Germany
Early signs of toxicosis include: salivation, dilated pupils, vomiting, tremors, and difficulty walking (ataxia). Severe signs of toxicosis include weakness, inability to stand (recumbency), nonresponsiveness, stupor, and coma.
What are the signs of sensitivity?