Heartworm prevention is very important in some geographic regions. Perhaps the most well known brand of heartworm prevention is Heartguard, which is available by prescription only and requires a negative heartworm test annually prior to dispensing. For anyone interested, the two active ingredients for Heartguard are Ivermectin (for heartworm) and Pyrantel Pamoate (for other parasites.) Both of these ingredients are actually available online without a prescription. You can get them from Amazon:
Ivermectin- $30: Click HERE
Pyrantel Pamoate- $22: Click HERE
Syringes for measuring- $8: Click HERE
Directions for using 0.08% sheep drench- 1 ml/20 lbs. once a month
Ivermectin sheep drench solution contains a lower concentration than other ivermectin products, so it can be used without diluting it first. Ivemectin is given orally (never use pour-on solutions for heartworm prevention).
Dosage using Ivermectin 0.08% solution for heartworm prevention is 1 ml/20 lbs. So your typical Bichon will get between 1/2 and 1 ml per month.
Ivermectin solution is given orally. It’s best to squirt it into the mouth, rather than adding to food, to be sure your dog gets it all.
I use a small syringe to draw it up and squirt it into their mouth. They act like it tastes nasty!! The sheep drench doesn’t appear to have an expiration date. One container will last you FOREVER!
Directions for using Pyrantel Pamoate-
The dosage for Pyrantel is 1 ml/10 lbs. of body weight. So I give my Bichons about 1.5 mls using the 3 ml size syringe. I squirt it into their mouth- they don’t mind the taste of this one! Pyrantel usually has about a 1 1/2 year expiration date from the time of purchase. Probably keeping it in the fridge would preserve it longer. The 16 oz. bottle goes a LONG way!
Tip: You may want to mark with a sharpie on your syringe the dose for your dog so you don’t have to remember it. Or you can write it on the bottles. Basically it is 1 ml/20 lbs. for the Ivermectin and 1 ml/10 lbs. for the Pyrantel.
*Please note that this information is not meant as a substitute for veterinary care. Collies may be sensitive to Ivermectin.
California Bichons 
Thank you! Just a note about Pansy’s pups born 10-10-15, wanted to ask if we could post our pups photos on their birthday to see how we all look at a year? I would love to see my Maggie’s siblings again! Would that be possible? Maggie is doing great. What a love she is, so happy to have her big dog Cooper to play with. We did have a reaction to nasal administered bortadella vaccine. Camp Bow Wow asks this be updated every six months. She sneezed for a week. Thanks, Pat Godkin
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