1% injectible cattle wormer with the trade name of Ivomec
You can purchase it (without a prescription) for $40 - $50 at your Veterinarian Supply Store or through a catalog from a Vaccine Wholesale Supplier.
The bottle comes in a 50cc size and is 1% injectible cattle wormer. I give it orally which means by the mouth.
I use .1 cc for each 10 pounds of body weight. The syringes I use are 3cc and are marked off in tenths of 1cc.
There are three ways to draw out the solution needed. 1. draw out the correct dose of Ivomec and then remove the needle on the syringe. 2. Remove the Needle on the syringe and remove the top off of the bottle of Ivomec. 3. draw out 2cc of Ivomec. Then inject what is needed into an empty syringe (without a needle) with the plunger pulled down on the 1cc mark. Dribble it into the empty one until I have the proper amount. or inject what is needed into an empty syringe (without a needle) with the plunger pulled down on the 1cc mark. I dribble it into the empty one until you have the proper amount).
Then have a few ounces of soft drink or orange juice in an open container. I will draw in 1.5 - 2cc of the juice to mix with the Ivomec. I put my finger over the end of the syringe and shake up the mixture. The reason for this is to give me more volume to work with and to make it taste better for the dog. I put my hand across the dog's nose with my thumb on one side and my fingers on the other side. Then I put pressure on my thumb and fingers to force open the dog's mouth. I then tip its head up and squirt the contents of the syringe in the roof of its mouth. Finally, I then close the mouth and hold it closed until the dog swallows. This is the only correct way to orally administer all types of liquid medications to dogs so that you do not accidentally squirt the liquid into the dog's windpipe and/or lungs.
Breeder's such as Beagle's Unlimited do this treatment to each and every dog once every 30 days. The Ivomec kills all those little microfilariae (larva) in the bloodstream so they never have a chance to mature into heartworms. Microfilariae will circulate in the blood for more than 30 days before attaching to the heart, so if you give this prevention on schedule there is "NO POSSIBLE WAY" for your dog to get heartworms. Even if a drug is labeled as safe for pregnant and/or lactating bitches. Personally, I don't recommend you give any kind of medications to a pregnant bitch unless the life of the bitch is in grave danger; however, I will give medications to lactating bitches. The difference is the pups are already born and not in their developing and forming stages in the womb.
The cost is very minimal for each dog. If the 50cc bottle of Ivomec costs you $40.00, this is 80 cents per cc. Given 12 months in a row, a 20 lb. dog will take 2½cc per year. That is a cost of $2.00 for a one year prevention. The shelf life for the Ivomec is about 3 years if kept refrigerated. Therefore, this method is feasible to use even if you only have one Beagle (dog), and it is by far the cheapest and most effective prevention against heartworms. If you have two or more dogs this can save you hundreds of dollars per year.
Directions for making 30:1 dilution of 1% solution
A 30:1 dilution works best for smaller dogs.
Ivemectin is given orally (never use pour-on solutions for heartworm prevention).
Mix 30 parts glycerin, propylene glycol, or vegetable oil to 1 part ivermectin 1% solution.
Shake well before using to mix the ivermectin evenly. Refrigerate any unused portion (do not store mixtures with vegetable oil).
Dosage using Ivermectin 1% solution at 30:1 dilution for heartworm prevention (you may want to double these doses for better protection):
13 to 24 pounds: 0.2 cc
25 to 36 pounds: 0.3 cc
37 to 48 pounds: 0.4 cc
49 to 60 pounds: 0.5 cc
62 to 72 pounds: 0.6 cc
73 to 84 pounds: 0.7 cc
85 to 97 pounds: 0.8 cc
98 to 109 pounds: 0.9 cc
110 to 121 pounds: 1 cc
To make a small amount of the mixture, you will need a 1 cc syringe that measures accurately to the tenth of a cc.
Draw up 0.1 cc of Ivermectin solution in a 1 cc syringe and mix well with 3 cc of glycerin, propylene glycol, or vegetable oil
giving you 3 ccs at a dilution ratio of 30:1. This is enough to treat 300 pounds of dogs using the 1% solution.
To make larger amounts of the mixture, use a 1 fluid ounce dropper bottle,
which is 30 ml. Put 1 ml of ivermectin solution in a 1 fluid ounce dropper bottle, then fill with glycerin,
propylene glycol, or vegetable oil. This will be enough to treat 3,000 pounds of dogs
(e.g., 300 10-lb dogs or 150 20-lb dogs) using the 1% solution.
1 cc of ivermectin 1% diluted 30:1 contains 333 mcg; 0.1 cc = 33 mcg.
The exact dosage is 0.0824 cc (approximately 0.1 cc) per 10 pounds of body weight.
Web page on Ivermectin dosage