New Puppy Health Guide
Heartworm and Your Puppy
Brought to you by the maker of HEARTGARD Plus (ivermectin/pyrantel)
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HEARTWORM DISEASE: A Real Heartbreaker
Heartworm disease in dogs has been diagnosed in every state of the US.1 Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos, and the worms live in the heart and lungs of the dog. Clinical signs seen in dogs include cough, difficulty breathing, weight loss, exercise intolerance, and eventually heart failure and death.
Unlike intestinal parasites, which can be easily treated, treatment for heartworm disease is expensive — up to $1,000 in veterinary bills2 — time-consuming, and has significant side effects.
Fortunately highly effective preventives like HEARTGARD® Plus (ivermectin/pyrantel) are available for this devastating disease. Dogs love to take HEARTGARD Plus,3 the only heartworm preventive approved by the FDA that's available in a Real-Beef Chewable formulation.
The American Heartworm Society recommends using a heartworm preventive year-round to protect your dog.4
Important Safety Information:
HEARTGARD (ivermectin) is well tolerated. All dogs should be tested for heartworm infection before starting a preventive program. Following the use of HEARTGARD, digestive and neurological side effects have rarely been reported. For more information, please visit www.HEARTGARD.com.
Click here to download full prescribing information.
1 www.heartwormsociety.org/article.asp?id=48#epidemiology. Slide 5. Accessed October 15, 2010.
2 Vital statistics for your veterinary practice. In: Landeck E, ed. The Veterinary Fee Reference. 6th ed. Lakewood, CO:AAHA Press, 2009;57, 58, 200, 213, 226, 265, 333.
3 Of dogs showing a preference in three studies conducted by independent investigators, dogs preferred HEARTGARD® Chewables over INTERCEPTOR® (milbemycin oxime) Flavor Tabs® by a margin of 37 to 1; data on file at Merial.
4 www.heartwormsociety.org/veterinary-resources/canine-guidelines.html. Accessed October 15, 2010.
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Pet Health: New Puppy Health Guide:
Worms and Your Puppy
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