A year or so ago, there was a thread on heartworm prevention. Someone posted a link to a study which showed low dose Interceptor to be an effective heartworm preventative. The study was done in another country and was part of the approval process to get Interceptor approved at these low doses for heartworm prevention. The poster thought that the Interceptor company was starting the process to get approved in the U.S. at those doses.

Of course, I am relying on memory and am hoping the above details are correct. The dose in question is whatever they use for the 11 - 25 lb pills currently for a normal sized lab.

I can not find that study. Does anyone have the link?

thank you

Thanks for the info from you and other posters on the 0.1 mg/kg dose. The FDA approved that dose way back in 1998. It was a product called Safeheart, and the low dose milbemycin was only for heartworm prevention. I am still reading. I do not know if the FDA approval was withdrawn at all, or with the trend towards "more is better," Novartis simply chose not to push that product when the higher dose Interceptor could also control zoonotic (transmissable to humans) roundworms and other parasites. Wow, I feel like an idiot who has been scammed and poisoning my dogs. I prefer to rotate my wormers, but I do feel that the higher dose can be too hard on the oldies and the puppies. I would still sometimes use the higher dose.
Go to FDA and search for Safeheart or the active ingredient, Milbemycin Oxime.
http://www.fda.gov/search.html
Why would we use the higher dose and create HWs that could become resistant to it, as parasites do, when we could use the lower dose?

Here is the FDA page:
http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/Products/ApprovedAnimalDrugProducts/FOIADrugSummaries/ucm054862.htm

Here is another good article:
http://www.dogaware.com/wdjheartwormprevention.html

Charlotte,

Please post if you find out more.

But, when I read this study a year or so ago, I immediately thought that I could worm my dogs with safer, cheaper, and more effective wormers and also have the option of rotating wormers. I decided that the low dose pill just for heartworm was the way to go.

But, I would love to see more studies.

Also, if you read the links from the other thread, I also want more verfication on the 57 degrees for a month theory. What I read seems to say that less than 57 degrees retards the growth of the larvae. Some people read that as if it drops below 57 degrees, the larvae dies and it is at least another month before dogs can get infected again. What does "retards the growth" mean specifically?