Heartworm medication recalled after dogs suffer bad reactions

[barb162]

Heartworm medicine recalled after dogs suffer bad reactions

September 4, 2004

BY DIEDTRA HENDERSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS


WASHINGTON -- ProHeart 6, a twice-a-year, time-released heartworm medication used to prevent the parasite in millions of dogs, was recalled Friday at the request of the Food and Drug Administration after thousands of animals suffered adverse reactions.


ProHeart 6 was approved by the FDA in June 2001 to prevent heartworm disease in dogs. Its active ingredient, moxidectin, has been successfully administered without problems to horses and cattle.


As of Aug. 4, the drug agency received 5,552 reports of adverse reactions after dogs received heartworm shots. About 500 dogs died though not all were directly attributable to the product.


Among reactions suffered by dogs: lethargy, uncontrolled bleeding, vomiting, diarrhea and seizures.

[Purveyor]

1. When this stuff became available last year...

The vet told me it was available and I told him, "lets wait a couple of years".

I'm leary of "new stuff" until it has a proven track record besides, my Foxy-Chihuahua has been taking Sentinel since I took her in with no ill effects.

[barb162]

2. I am extremely wary of vaccines of any kind

after my 6 year old HEALTHY cat almost died of heart failure three hours after one of the recommended annual vaccinations. I no longer trust vets as they get their $$$ from the shots. Even now the better vet schools around the country are calling for way less vaccines especially if there is no risk of exposure. Go to some adverse vaccine websites and you'll see what I mean. If you want more info on this, I will post the sites. Dogs and cats are dying left and right from a lot of these vaccines. Drives me nuts!!! And it happens in people too, some of these FDA stories where the drug companies pushed through medications (A diet drug of some type a few years ago) and young people were dying of heart attacks.

[sleepyhead]

5. To vaccinate or not

is an individual decision that warrants serious discussion with your vet. An indoor cat that has finished its initial series of vaccines and will never come into contact with another cat is in a far different situation than a cat who roams the street at will and is out of its owner's sight for days at a time. I practice in an area where parvovirus is quite common, to use another example, and it would be malpractice for me to stop vaccinating dogs who go to the dog runs, groomers, doggy day care, etc., especially since there is a fairly large population of free-running dogs in some parts of town.

Having said that, I agree that not every pet needs annual vaccines, and I spend a good portion of the annual exam time discussing this with my clients. We consider the circumstances and come to a mutual decision based on what is best for the pet. Oh and by the way, veterinarians are not really getting wealthy on vaccines - the vaccine fee is usually a loss leader. I'd be perfectly happy not to do any vaccines at all and spend the time and effort on wellness care (dental hygiene, senior care, behavior issues, etc.) But keep in mind that vaccines do have their place. I remember the late 70s when parvo first came on the scene. Dogs were dying all over the place. We rarely see it any more in the vaccinated population, and believe me that is a blessing. (Same with distemper - very rare these days due to vaccination.) And since rabies is 100% fatal and affects humans, we need to follow the recommendations of the board of health - this is a legal issue as well as a public health and veterinary one.


What happened to your cat is horrifying, true, but I'm sure your veterinarian was nearly as horrified as you were. When a reaction occurs like that, it should be reported to the manufacturer (most of the time they will pay the bills for treatment) and obviously vaccinations should be avoided in the future (but also remember that a reaction such as that can occur after other things too - anaphylaxis after penicillins and other antibiotics is not unheard of, for example). Biological systems like humans and pets can sometimes be unpredictable, and that is why we need to use the best judgment we can based on the information we have.

[barb162]

7. I ended up reporting the vet to the state licensing board

"What happened to your cat is horrifying, true, but I'm sure your veterinarian was nearly as horrified as you were. When a reaction occurs like that, it should be reported to the manufacturer (most of the time they will pay the bills for treatment) and obviously vaccinations should be avoided in the future (but also remember that a reaction such as that can occur after other things too"
----------

I also reported this ADE MYSELF to the drug manufacturer, the Center for Veterinary Biologics and the FDA. I thought my cat was a goner and I decided to get a cardiologist (HCM diagnosis) in on it and it was a total nightmare. That damned primary vet refused to report it anywhere so I did all my own legwork and everything, including calling cardiologists myself. I could tell they were really miffed that I had the audacity to call cardiologists and make the appointment myself. The vets at the federal gov. in Ames, Iowa put theis event down as an ADE. Needless to say I changed to another vet ( A GOOD ONE) and the first thing he said when he looked at my cat's record was "Do you know your cat is hyper-vaccinated?" Anyway the original vet who I had always thought was good, cat only clinic and all, where I had been going 15 years) well, I started talking to other people about them and heard some similar horror stories. They never ever said a word to me about the pros and cons of any of the shots in 15 years ( and my cats are all indoor and probably never needed most of the vaccines). When I started reading up on ADEs I was astounded to see so many pets dying.

Thanks for your input, you sound like a really good one!!!

[sleepyhead]

9. HCM can be tricky.

I don't mean to say that your vet couldn't perhaps have handled it better, but it can be next to impossible to diagnose HCM before the fact. Some cats have very obvious heart murmurs or shortness of breath, while others show no signs at all. As a matter of fact, one of the most common signs of the disease is sudden death in a young, otherwise apparently healthy cat. It may be that the stress of vaccination pushed your kitty over the edge and caused full-blown symptoms where none existed before. (BTW, is your cat pure or part Maine Coon or Persian? Occult HCM is quite common in those breeds.) Hope your kitty is OK now!

[barb162]

11. he was a dsh

I read a lot of stuff about the main coons having problems with HCM.

He got that vaccine in early February 2003, he died 10/11/03 when he was 8 years old.

[barb162]

3. one more comment

If there were 5552 adverse drug reports, I suspect there were probably 10 times that in actual events. When I demanded my vet report the drug reaction to "someplace" she looked at me like "why would I want to do that?" Needless to say I did some research and reported it myself to the FDA and made a stink. Consumers often don't know they can do it themselves. But if my vet didn't do it, I have to assume most weren't reporting until they saw a few or more animals unexplainedly getting sick or dying. I see a good vet now and only get the rabies shot as that is required by law. But I don't even believe in that shot if there is no rabies (no cases in 50 years in my area) in the area and my animals are indoor only.

[pacalo]

4. Thanks for the info.

My dog just happens to be 2 months overdue for his heartworm vaccine -- thank God I hadn't taken him yet. He's an indoor dog, too, so I didn't see the rush in getting the vaccine. From now on, it's only the rabies shot for him, too.

[Misinformed01]

6. You need to talk to your vet

before you decided that he doesn't need HW preventative.

Mosquitoes get inside plenty of times--When dogs get heartworms, it's a nasty treatment for a disgusting disease.

Stephanie

[pacalo]

8. Yes, you're right. It's something the vet & I should discuss.

[Lizzie Borden]

10. go back to giving your monthly

heartworm medication.My vet mentioned giving the 6 month stuff but
stayed with the tried and true, and now I'm glad I did.

[pacalo]

12. Sounds like the right way to go. Thanks, natasha!