I am veterinarian,
and I have been practicing in Western Massachusetts for over 25 years.
I received my DVM from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell
University and my undergraduate degree in zoology from the University
of Toronto.
What's
My Concern?
Over the years,
I have seen many animal medications come and go. Some are safer and
more effective than others, and these generally become the most successful.
Unfortunately, in the case of ProHeart 6, a canine heartworm preventative,
I have seen it become very popular, very quickly, before most of the
post-approval data has been collected.
ProHeart 6 has become
popular mainly because of its convenience. Unlike other heartworm preventatives
that require monthly oral doses, a single shot of ProHeart 6 is sufficient
for the entire heartworm season in most parts of the country. Veterinarians
also prefer it as it requires an office visit, which enables us to give
the animal a brief examination to make sure that everything else is
fine.
Now that the post-approval
data is beginning to become available, there are indications that it
is far more likely to have some serious adverse effects (including possible
death in rare instances) than other perfectly satisfactory and better
characterized heartworm preventatives.
Explore the other
areas of this site to learn more information about the possible dangers
of ProHeart 6 before you prescribe it to your canine patients or request
it from your veterinarian.
