GENERAL PRODUCT INFORMATION
Iverhart Plus is a Heartworm medication that has been developed to prevent the infestation of roundworms and hookworms in dogs. It is composed primarily of Ivermectin/Pyrantel, and is essentially similar to the more expensive Heartgard Plus in composition, although not in price. Iverhart Plus and Heartgard Plus also differ in flavor, with the former being pork liver flavored and the other being beef flavored. Iverhart Plus is primarily intended for dogs that are six weeks or older.
Iverhart Plus
Iverhart Plus is basically an anthelminthic dewormer that is intended for administration once a month. It comes in chewable tablet form that is relatively easy to administer, and most dogs should have no trouble ingesting it.
Iverhart Plus in packs of 12 dose ranges in price from about $36 for smaller dogs and about $65 for dogs weighing 50 to 100 pounds.
According to the manufacturer, Iverhart Plus generally does not cause any side effects in most animals, although certain dogs that are genetically predisposed may experience reactions such as: excessive salivation, poor appetite, and diarrhea. In addition, you may also observe slight tremors, burping, and general lethargy. As with all other medications, you should never give your dog Iverhart Plus if you are already using another heartworm medication.
Iverhart Plus is meant to be administered in 57 mg doses for dogs weighing 25 pounds or less. For dogs weighing from 25 to 50 pounds, the recommended dosage is 140 mg. For dogs that are 50 pounds to 100 pounds, 227 mg is the recommended dosage. Dogs that weigh more than 100 pounds would have to be given two or more tablets depending on their weight.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS AND RATINGS
Most dog owners generally have a favorable impression of Iverhart Plus as can be seen from several pet forums. The medication after all offer is basically the same level of protection as the more expensive Heartgard Plus, and many veterinarians have been recommending them for quite sometime. A fairly serious issue has cropped up recently however, wherein certain batches of Iverhart Plus were recalled. While the products in question weren’t harmful to dogs, they did not contain sufficient medication to provide Heartworm protection from dogs that weigh more than 75 pounds. This has understandably resulted in a large number of user complaints.
The manufacturer of Iverhart Plus, Virbac Animal Health, Inc., has since recommended that dog owners who have given their larger pets the factory recalled batches take their pets in for heartworm testing approximately 6 months after administering the last dose. Virbac also has gone on record as stating that they will reimburse all veterinarians for costs incurred with regard to Heartworm testing. In addition, they will also pay for heartworm treatment for any dogs that experience infection while taking Iverhart Plus.
While this move of the Virbac company certainly helps rectifies the issue somewhat, most consumers are understandably more than a little upset about the recall. The chances of Heartworm infestation may be slim, but they remain a distinct possibility. In addition, many are obviously concerned about the suffering that their pets would have to go through if they do get infested with heartworms.
Aside from that issue however, most pet owners have generally had nothing but praise for Iverhart Plus, favoring it over the more expensive Heartworm medications on the market. There are numerous user reports about customers administering Iverhart Plus to their pets for a few years with satisfactory results. Iverhart Plus is generally considered a more cost-effective solution, particularly by pet owners that have several dogs to take care of.
While Iverhart Plus is generally safe for all dogs in the proper dose, some users have reported incidences of diarrhea. In most such cases, it appears that certain breeds of collies are particularly susceptible, due to their sensitivity to pre-larva heartworms that die as the result of the medication. Still other users report excessive salivation in their dogs, and this has been traced to the effects of Iverhart Plus itself.
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