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Sentinel & Interceptor Are The Safest Heartworm Preventatives

Heartworms can threaten the life of your pet; therefore you should carefully select a heartworm prevention medication that will provide your pet with the best care possible.

The heartworm prevention medicine put on the market in 2001 called Proheart Six only required that your pet be injected two times within the year. At first, the heartworm prevention was believed to be a safe & easy way to administer care and prevention to pets, however the FDA of the USA intervened when reports of more than 5,000 pets became ill as a reaction from the medicine. Of the 5,000 reported there were 415 fatalities.

The FDA investigated and figures show the number of deaths per year caused by adverse reactions to ProHeart 6 were much higher than monthly heartworm medications. On average of 138 deaths a year compared with as few as 6 for Heartgard heartworm protection and Sentinel. (Source FDA: As of 05/03/2004)

As with most all medications, the possibility of an allergic reaction from the heartworm control is present and could cause death of the pet.

The FDA 2004 study showed that Revolution had a total of over 8500 adverse reactions and 36 deaths each year; the average number of reactions was about the same as for ProHeart 6, but since the latter is newer to the market, ProHeart 6 has a death rate thrice as high.

Although these statistics can seem scary, you should remember that Revolution is used as a popular flea and heartworm prevention by many in which most all benefit greatly from it. Also available is Interceptor for your dog. It has been reported of having around 214 adverse reactions, which is eight times less than the flea and heartworm control of Revolution. Interceptor averages 9 deaths per year as opposed to the average 138 deaths per year from Proheart Six.

Interceptor heartworm protection had only 84 deaths recorded between 1995 and 2004. Ivermectin is the active ingredient in Heartgard heartworm protection, which led to an average of six deaths and 355 adverse reactions each year.

The parasite, flea and heartworm medication with the fewest adverse reactions and deaths is Sentinel. From 1999 to 2004, fewer than 900 adverse reactions were caused by this heartworm prevention treatment for dogs, averaging 233 per year in comparison with 1737 reactions caused by Revolution heartworm treatment, and the total number of deaths reported was 25, or an average of 6 per year.

Proheart 6 is not recommended for established heartworm infections, but only preventative heartworm control for dogs. Many vets still believe Proheart to be safe if properly prepared and administered, but many choose monthly heart worm prevention and treatment as a safer option. Proheart 6 was recalled in September 2004 but is still available in 2007 as a heartworm protection medicine.

We realize your pet is a member of the family and not a statistic in a dogs heartworm protection table, but be reassured that these are the results of millions of dogs being given the drugs worldwide. Speak to your vet if you are at all concerned, but do choose a prevention.

Heartworms are devastating to any dog and should not be taken the least bit lightly. Choose a monthly dosage of heartworm preventive medicine for your beloved pet so as to provide the best care possible and protect him from any unnecessary pain and suffering.