Heartgard

The Food and Drug Authority (FDA) is the agency responsible for the safety regulation of foods and drugs consumed by humans. But not all may be aware that even animal products, food and drugs alike are also regulated by the same agency. The FDA ensures the quality and safety of animal products and requires proper labeling in every product sold in the market.

Heartgard dog medicine is one of the leading brands in the market for the prevention of heartworm disease which is a potentially dangerous condition that can afflict a dog and can lead to animal death. Heartgard dog medicine also known for its generic name Ivermectin is widely used as an effective dewormer in dogs. Dogs can be protected against hookworm and roundworms when Heartgard dog medicine is combined with pyrantel pamoate. This product is available as heartgard plus. The Heartgard dog medicine is available in unflavored or flavored chewable tablets that are well liked and tolerated by dogs. The Heartgard dog medicine is given every once a month all year round. The side effects of Heartgard dog medicine are rare when the recommended dose on the product label is strictly followed.

One issue affecting Heartgard dog medicine is the illegal heartworm products under circulation in the market. One of which is the unregistered versions of Heartgard dog medicine that are imported illegally and widely sold in the United States. Some of the heartgard product versions are legally registered in some countries but what is alarming is the omission of some important facts about their products especially warnings pertaining to its hazards in children. Another is other versions of Heartgard dog medicine use metric unit dose which can deleteriously lead Americans to accidentally over or under dose their pets.

Pet owner should be made aware that most of generic and foreign versions of Heartgard are not approved by the FDA. Illegal pesticides and other toxic products are contained in these products. Since it does go through FDA approval, some ingredients are unknown and can be unsafe for animal use. Illegal versions of Heartgard have similar packaging as the original which often lead consumers of pet products to mistakenly purchase the unregistered products instead.

It helps to know the difference between FDA approved and not FDA approved Heartgard dog medicines. The dose used by FDA approved Heartgard products is in pounds in contrast from the kilogram dose used on the unregistered version. Another difference is finding the label at the back side of the box that says “Approved by FDA” which is not found in unregistered versions of Heartgard. Safety warnings are also not found in the unregistered Heartgard versions which make it more unsafe to use.

To safeguard the health of your pet dogs, pet owners are advised to ensure buying the FDA approved Heartgard dog medicine. Being keen to observe the differences between the unregistered and registered versions of Heartgard can significantly save your pet dogs lives.

Tags: Heartworms, Cat, Pet Medicine, Heartgard, Dog Meds