What should I do if I miss a dose of my dog's heartworm prevention?

If your dog misses one dose, I am fine with restarting the following month. If you miss more than one dose, please give us a call so we can assess your dog's risk, how many doses were missed, and whether or not we need to repeat a heartworm test prior to resuming prevention.

If you miss a dose of your heartworm prevention for your dog, get them back on prevention ASAP—speak to your veterinarian. Six months from that time that you missed is really the only time that we're going to be able to detect whether or not your dog was infected during that period. Nonetheless, if you want to be sure, you can get a heartworm test done then.

If your dog's been on consistent heartworm prevention and you miss a single dose, the risks are going to be pretty low. We just need to get started back on heartworm prevention as quickly as possible. The best thing to do in that situation, because it does kind of depend on the specific circumstances, would be to contact your veterinarian and get their advice as to whether there should be an additional heartworm test. At least find out when the next heartworm test should be, depending on how long there was a lapse. But if you miss a few days here and there, it's not likely to be a big deal, but it is still crucial to try to stay on time as much as possible.

Give the next regularly-scheduled dose. Once a dog gets infected, it takes seven months for that infestation to mature. Keep giving your regular heartworm preventative as directed, and then, seven months later, get another test. And if it's negative, great, your dog is probably fine.

Give it as soon as you remember. Then remember, six months from that time, they need to be tested because it takes six months from the time of a bite to show active infection.

First, don't panic. Ideally, just administer the heartworm prevention at the next due date. If you have any questions about the timing, reach out to your veterinarian for guidance. They will be happy to help you determine the appropriate course of action based on the type of prevention your pet is using.

There are several types of heartworm prevention available for dogs. The most common type is oral prevention. There are also topical treatments and injectable preventatives that can last up to six months or even a full year. The best option for your pet depends on their specific needs and your veterinarian's recommendations.

If you miss a dose, you should give your dog the next dose as soon as possible. It's also important to test for heartworm disease six months after the missed dose to check if your dog was exposed to a mosquito carrying heartworms.

Get them their next dose immediately and then we're going to want to recheck that heartworm test in about six months.