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My Shih Tzu can't tolerate heartworm prevention. What are options?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Shih Tzu | Male | neutered | 1 year and 1 month old | 7 lbs

I have an imperial shih tzu. I'm having a hard time finding a heart worm preventative that he can tolerate. I have tried heart guard and interceptor.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on August 1st, 2017

If Vinny can not tolerate the oral heartworm prevention there are a few non-oral medications you could try. Proheart 6 which is an injectable medication that prevents heart worms for 6 months. You could also try a topical heartworm prevention like Advantage Multi or Revolution. I'm sure one of these will work well for Vinny.

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    Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Without having more information, including the adverse signs that he is having after taking the heart worm medication, it is hard to know the best prevention to try. Other options include using Revolution or Advantage Multi and see if either works better. It would probably be a good idea to also consult with your vet and see if he/she has a recommendation.

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