Generic Heartworm Medication

Generic heartworm medication is now readily available to buy online. Choosing generic medicines is a great way to save a little money whilst still keeping our pets safe. In fact, the most surprising thing about generic heartworm medicines is that not more people buy them.

Sadly, at the time of writing generic heartworm pills and spot on treatments are not available for cats. Presumably this is because less cat owners are yet concerned with the risk of heartworm disease affecting their feline friends. Dog owners, however, are offered a huge range of non-branded preventative heartworm medicines.

People can be a little sceptical about choosing generics over branded products. But, this is one area where price definitely does not guarantee better results.

All heartworm medications use one of four licensed active ingredients to destroy larval heartworms. Either ivermectin or milbemyclin oxine are used in all heartworm pills and chewable forms of heartworm meds. Spot on or topical heartworm treatments use either selamectin or moxidectin.

Whether you choose a famous name brand such as Heartgard or a generic such as Valueheart heartworm medicine you will still be paying for one of the four active ingredients mentioned above. If you look at a packet of generic medication you will see that the volume of the active ingredient is the same as that used in the branded version.

The active ingredients which destroy larval heartworms are heavily regulated medicines. The quality and safety of those used in generics is governed by the same regulations as that used in branded medicines.

Therefore it is clear that generic heartworm medications offer exactly the same level of heartworm prevention as the big brands. One thing which deters pet owners from choosing generic heartworm medicine is that their vet often does not stock it. This isn't because they are in any way inferior. It is simply that the larger brands produce a wide range of pet medications which they market directly to veterinary offices. As your vet will not be selling any particular medication in any where near the volume of an online pet pharmacy, they are unable to stock a huge range of products.

But, once you understand that the ingredients in generic heartworm medications are the same as the branded version it really doesn't matter that your vet cannot supply them. More importantly, your vet can still advise you as to which type of heartworm medicine is most suitable for you and your pet. Armed with this advice, you can then look for a generic alternative online to make your purchases more cost effective.

By far the most widely used heartworm medications are ivermectin based heartworm pills such as Heartgard. Similarly, this is the product with the widest choice of generics available too. Now they are growing in popularity some of the generic versions have become widely known brands in their own right; Nuheart and Valueheart for instance. Opting to give your dog generic heartworm medications can mean savings of up to 50%. With heartworm meds being used more widely, and ideally year round these savings will really add up over the healthy lifetime of your pooch.