I would never take a chance with heart worm... I use NuHeart that is just for heart worm... small pill once a month... we do not have issues with heart worm in NoCal but I do not take a chance. I use it year round. In the area that there is frost/frozen for the winter you can use it just in the spring/summer/fall months.
For fleas/ticks I use frontline but only when I see fleas... again in NoCal not too much of an issue.. I need to use it maybe about twice a year and only when need or if I am traveling with the pups.
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I noticed that most of you seem to have your B's on flea medication. My Senji is 11 years old, and he's never been of flea meds. I just always assumed that basenjis didn't get fleas. Maybe he just has some strange body chemistry that keeps the fleas off. The same thing with mosquitos. I've literally seen a mosquito land on him for about a second and fly off. He was on Heartguard for most of his life. His previous vet used to test his blood and stool for heartworms, but always came back negative. Now that his new vet diagnosed his liver disease, he gets blood tests on a regular basis. (The previous vet, I found out, never tested him for anything other than heartworm!) I live in western PA and we get a fair amount of mosquitos in the summer. I think I've only ever seen him with one mosquito bite. He likes to walk through poison ivy too. Unfortunately, I'm always the one who suffers then! Dogs don't usually get poison ivy, do they?
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To my knowledge, dogs don't get Posion Ivy…..
As far as Fleas.... while we don't have a big problem here in No. California... I do need to use flea protection.. at times....
To be on meds for heartworm is responsible... and I would never take a chance...
Liver problems with Basenji is not uncommon... that to me is the biggest plus for blood work up at least once a year... especially with our old Basenjis... some as with the Kidney's starting to shut down... my 15 1/2 yr old has been Kidney failure (nothing to do with Fanconi, but just old age) for almost the last year.... we have kept her going to SUBQ fluids since we found this out... and while I would do no more then this, since she accepts the fluids well (we at this time give fluids 2 to 3x's a week...) we take each day as a bonus day until the time she is ready to cross the bridge....
As far as flea meds.... if they don't have fleas... I would not worry about it.... of couse different then meds for heartworm... since that is a mosquitos born problem...
