Interceptor or Sentinel?

age of puppy

I remember researching this when Gavin was a pup, and heartworm tests can't detect anything unless the worms (and hence the puppy) are over 6 months old (and bigger worms, I'm guessing). When my vet wanted to do a test before I started my 6 month old pup on medicince, I looked it up and I changed my vet as it was obviously an un-necessary test and excuse to charge me for more money. Of course, the puppy package included a free dose of heartguard, which I couldn't use.

I know heartworm is more of a problem in certain parts of the country, which might mean they start puppies younger. As Gavin was 6 months old and 20lbs, we never used the really small doses.
 
Yes Cindy you are correct. When the vet gave me heartworm pills, I asked if she needed a test first and he said no, she is too young to have adult heartworms. She'll get the test next year.
 
OK so I am torn even after reading this. Sca is likely to visit a bunch but will almost always be in fenced mowed yards. I can see interceptor is cheapest and protects against heartworms (they spray so we are mosquito light here in town), the next step up seems to be Sentinel for about 1.5 more and I get flea control. The final step would be Interceptor and something like Advantix but that is about 4 times the cost of Sentinel.

Now the background. Dow was named Dow after Dow Chemical since I got him and he had well over 100 fleas on a two pound puppy :eek2: he was a cotton ball and we knew he had fleas but no one had any idea how many. I got him and dropped him by my parents store warning them to keep him in the box until I got back due to fleas. So Mom (bless her heart) decided that she was going to flea powder him... well when there was so many she paramited him :eek2: (yes I know that is not for puppies) he was so bad that he had fleas coming out his ears and nose :no:. Well he never had fleas again even without any treatment. The joke was he had paramite ingrained into him for life (and his brain since he was a maniac). However I think it was his environment.

So now back to Sca. I don't anticipate flea issues due to his environment but figure Sentinel might be a good idea in case he picks up any from visiting hounds. He likely will not go out in the woods unless I get a house with land and that is a while off. There is good hiking up in middle TN but I would be terrified that he would get lost and the areas are very remote so that would be terrible.

Any feedback?
 
With a full year supply of Revolution for both dogs,I am going to stay with what works.
I like the 3 in one feature. No seperate heartworm preventative,and we definatly like the product.

There is also Advantage Multi~ a new product,with the same features as Revolution.

Comfortis, If I were to admin a seperate flea control med & especially for Trapp)..this would be my choice. Since I have heard it is safe for shelties.

For the price of what I am paying for Revolution, they will recieve the benefit of flea control for the year,and in the event they are exposed to a dog that has fleas,I won't worry.

But before I started using Revolution,I did not,nor ever have a flea issue,so I never used anything. I felt it was safer to not expose Earnhardt to unnessary chemicals,when he did not need them. He did get Heartguard,or the generic of,all year.

My son's two tea cup chi's have never had a flea problem,until just two weeks ago..thanks to a visiting dog for the weekend.:no:
My son & wife were livid,to find fleas on thier babes. so they both have been using comfortis.
 
We use Interceptor for heartworm.

I just don't give my dogs all those chemicals on the same day. I give two weeks in between the Interceptor and the Frontline Plus, so I don't overload their system.
 
Smudge is on Interceptor, and I use Comfortis (the flea pill) for fleas. I don't like applying liquid, greasy flea medicine to my dog's fur. When I give the flea pill I don't have to worry if I "did it right". I just hide it in some peanut butter, and there ya go. I was using Advantage for flea control, but I switched.

The new vet game me Advantage Pro (it was either Advantage Pro or Advantix Pro...I forgot :uhoh:) to try for Smudge's mange. I ended up not using it, but he said overseas the ingedient that makes it work is marketed as a mange medicine. So that means it's powerful stuff.

As far as heartworm medicines go I went with Interceptor because it was "sheltie safe". Shelties have to be very careful with some medicines. I don't know anything about Sentinel.
 
Interceptor and Sentinel are indeed the same medication. Interceptor is Milbemycin (heartworm med) and Sentinel is Milbemycin + Lufenuron (The Lufenuron is a flea medication it makes them sterile) The Milbemycin is normally what will be reached for first with ANY collie-like breed because it is not a class of ivermectin. Which is proven to be a very harsh drug for collies.

I use Advantage Multi, and I'm in love with advantage multi, during on season for disc I use advantage multi because it's imidacloprid (a drug similar to fipronil which is used in frontline) and moxidectin (this is a heartworm drug it is in the avermectin family BUT it is a very weak avermectin that hasn't had the side effects that high doses of ivermectin do to collie breeds.) The reason I used advantage multi on season is incase my dogs were to come into contact with fleas it'll be a quick death for the parasites.

On off season I use sentinel. Why? Because I get it for free from work and its a gentle flea preventative but still contains the milbemycin for heartworm protection. If I did not get sentinel for free, because I live in Indiana and not in a flea heavy area, I would use interceptor in the winter.
 
Thanks Moonshine! All very good information.

So...what do you think about giving my dog Frontline Plus and Interceptor on the same day? I have been alternating the meds (one every two weeks) so that they do not get all those chemicals on the same day. Do you think this is a good precaution, or not necessary?
 
danisgoat said:
Thanks Moonshine! All very good information.
Click to expand...

I agree! I just picked Interceptor because when I went they asked me what brand I wanted. Since I remembered people here talking about Interceptor that's the one I went with. :yes: I knew to stay away from Heart Guard. I think it's Heart Guard. :uhoh:
 
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