Heartworm Preventives
The American Heartworm Society recommends year-round administration of medications approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to prevent heartworm infection. Currently available preventives are listed below; as new products become available, updates will be posted at heartwormsociety.org. Consult the appropriate manufacturer for minimum age/weight, use during breeding/lactation, or other health requirements for product usage.
Scroll down for feline and ferret preventives.
Preventives for Dogs
| Dirofilaria immitis | Other Parasites Treated in Addition to Heartworm | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug | Trade Name(s) | Tissue Stages (Larvae) | Circulating Microfilariae | Fleas | Ticks | Hookworms | Roundworms | Whipworms | Tapeworms | Ear Mites | Mange Mites |
Minimum | Safe to Use During Breeding/ Lactation | Food Allergen Considerations | ||
| Oral Administration (monthly tablets and chews) | ||||||||||||||||
| Ivermectin + pyrantel pamoate | HEARTGARD® Plus (Boehringer Ingelheim) Tri-Heart® Plus (Merck) |
X | Xa | Xb | 6 weeks/ no minimum weight |
Yes |
Beef |
|||||||||
| Iverhart Plus® (Virbac) | X | Xa | Xb | Pork Liver | ||||||||||||
| Ivermectin + pyrantel pamoate + praziquantel | Iverhart Max® (Virbac) IMECTRO® (Ceva) |
X | Xa | Xb | Xh | 8 weeks/ 6 lbs |
Not Evaluated |
Pork liver Artificial Beef |
||||||||
| Milbemycin oxime | Interceptor® (Elanco) MilbeGuard® (Ceva) Milbehart™ (Virbac) |
X | Xc | Xb | Xd | 4 weeks/ 2 lbs |
Yes | Beef | ||||||||
| Milbemycin oxime + praziquantel | Interceptor® Plus (Elanco) | X | Xc | Xb | Xd | Xf | 6 weeks/ 2 lbs |
Not Evaluated |
Chicken | |||||||
| Milbemycin oxime + lufenuron | Sentinel® Flavor Tabs (Merck) | X | Xj | Xc | Xb | Xd | 6 weeks/ 2 lbs |
Yes | Artificial beef Pork/soy |
|||||||
| Milbemycin oxime + lufenuron + praziquantel | Sentinel® Spectrum® (Merck) | X | Xj | Xc | Xb | Xd | Xf |
6 weeks/ |
Not Evaluated |
Beef | ||||||
| Milbemycin oxime + spinosad | Trifexis® (Elanco) | X | Xn | Xc | Xb | Xd | 8 weeks/ 5 lbs |
Use with caution |
Artificial beef Pork liver/ hydrolyzed soy |
|||||||
| Moxidectin +
afoxolaner + pyrantel |
NEXGARD® PLUS (Boehringer Ingelheim) | X | Xn | X12 | Xa | Xb | 8 weeks/ 4 lbs |
Not Evaluated |
None | |||||||
| Moxidectin + sarolaner + pyrantel pamoate | Simparica® Trio (Zoetis) | X | Xk | X7 | Xm | Xb | 8 weeks/ 2.8 lbs |
Not Evaluated |
Pork | |||||||
| Moxidectin + lotilaner + praziquantel + pyrantel | Credelio QuattroTM (Elanco) | X | Xn | X4 | X10 | Xb | X11 | 8 weeks/ 3.3 lbs |
Not Evaluated |
Meat allergen free | ||||||
| Injectable Administration (every 6 or 12 months) | ||||||||||||||||
| Moxidectin | ProHeart® 6 (Zoetis) | X | Xo |
6 months/ |
Yes | |||||||||||
| ProHeart® 12 (Zoetis) | X | Xo | 12 months/ 5 lbs |
Yes | ||||||||||||
| Topical Administration (monthly spot-on) | ||||||||||||||||
| Moxidectin + imidacloprid |
Advantage Multi® (Elanco) |
X | X | Xn | Xp | Xq | Xd | Xr | 7 weeks/ 3 lbs |
Not Evaluated | ||||||
|
Selamectin |
Revolution®(Zoetis) Paradyne®(Vethical) Senergy™ (Virbac) Selarid™ (Norbrook) Revolt™ (Aurora) |
X | Xz | X1 | Xu | Xr | 6 weeks/ no minimum weight |
Yes | ||||||||
Preventives for Cats
| Dirofilaria immitis | Other Parasites Treated in Addition to Heartworm | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug | Trade Name(s) | Tissue Stages (Larvae) | Circulating Microfilariae | Fleas | Ticks | Hookworms | Roundworms | Tapeworms | Ear Mites | Minimum Age/ Weight | Safe to Use During Breeding/ Lactation | Food Allergen Considerations |
| Oral Administration (monthly tablets and chews) | ||||||||||||
| Milbemycin oxime | Interceptor® (Elanco) MilbeGuard® (Ceva) Milbehart™ (Virbac) |
X | Xc | Xe | 6 weeks/ 1.5 lbs |
Not Evaluated |
Beef | |||||
| Topical Administration (monthly spot-on; Bravecto PLUS is every 2 months) | ||||||||||||
| Moxidectin + imidacloprid | Advantage Multi® (Elanco) Barrier® (Aurora) IMOXI™ (Vetoquinol USA) PARASEDGE™ Multi (Virbac) Midamox™ for Cats (Norbrook) |
X | Xn | Xs | Xt | Xu | 9 weeks/ 1.5 lbs |
Not Evaluated |
||||
| Moxidectin + fluralaner | Bravecto® PLUS (Merck) | X | Xn | Xv | Xs | Xt | 6 months/ 2.6 lbs |
Not Evaluated |
||||
| Esafoxolaner + eprinomectin + praziquantel | NEXGARD® COMBO (Boehringer Ingelheim) |
X | Xn | X4 | Xg | Xe | X5 | 8 weeks/ 1.8 lbs |
Not Evaluated |
|||
| Selamectin |
Revolution® (Zoetis) |
X | Xk | Xm | Xe | Xu |
8 weeks/ |
Yes | ||||
| Selamectin + sarolaner | Revolution® Plus (Zoetis) | X | Xk | X2 | Xm | Xe | X8 | Xu | 8 weeks/ 2.8 lbs |
Not Evaluated |
||
Preventives for Ferrets
| Dirofilaria immitis | Other Parasites Treated in Addition to Heartworm | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug | Trade Name(s) | Tissue Stages (Larvae) | Circulating Microfilariae | Fleas | Ticks | Hookworms | Roundworms | Tapeworms | Ear Mites | Minimum Age/ Weight | Safe to Use During Breeding/ Lactation |
| Topical Administration (monthly spot-on) | |||||||||||
| Moxidectin + imidacloprid |
Advantage Multi® (Elanco) |
X | Xn | 2 lbs | Not Evaluated |
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a - Ancylostoma caninum, Uncinaria stenocephala, A. braziliense; b - Ascarids (Toxocara canis, Toxascaris leonina); c - Adult Ancylostoma caninum; d - Trichuris vulpis; e- Toxocara cati; f - Taenia pisiformis, Echinococcus multilocularis, E. granulosus, Dipylidium caninum; g - Adult & immature hookworms (Ancylostoma tubaeforme, A. braziliense); h - D. caninum, T. pisiformis; i - Adult Ancylostoma tubaeforme; j - Prevention and control of flea populations (Ctenocephalides felis); k - Treatment of flea infestations (C. felis and C. canis); l - Treatment of tick infestations, with immediate & persistent tick killing activity for 5 weeks against Ixodes hexagonus, I. ricinus, Rhipicephalus sanguineus & for 4 weeks against Dermacentor reticulatus; m - A. caninum L4 larvae, immature adults (L5) and adults; U. stenocephala adults; n - Kills adult fleas; prevention & treatment of flea infestations (C. felis); o - Larval and adult A. caninum & U. stenocephala; p - Adult, immature adult, & fourth-stage larvae (L4) of A. caninum and U. stenocephala; q - Adult T. leonina & adult & L4 of T. canis; r - Sarcoptes scabiei var. canis; s - Adult, immature adult, & L4 of A. tubaeforme; t - Adult, immature adult, & L4 of T. cati; u - Otodectes cynotis; v - Control of tick infestations due to I. scapularis, D. variabilis, Haemaphysalis longicornis; w - Adult and L4 A. tubaeforme, adult A. braziliense; x - Adult and L4 T. cati; y - Adult D. caninum, E. multilocularis; z - Kills adult fleas & prevents flea eggs from hatching for 1 month; prevention & control of C. felis infestation; 1 - Control of tick infestations due to D. variabilis; 2 - Control of tick infestations due to I. scapularis, A. maculatum, D. variabilis; 3 - Adult D. caninum and E. multilocularis; 4 - Treatment and control of I. scapularis, R. sanguineus, D. variabilis, and A. americanum infestations for one month in dogs and puppies 8 weeks of age and older, weighing >4 pounds; 5 - D. caninum; 6 - Treatment and control of I. scapularis, R. sanguineous, D. variabilis, and A. americanum infestations for one month; 7 - A. americanum, A. maculatum. D. variabilis, I. Scapularis, R. sanguineus, Haemaphysalis longicornis; 8 - Prevention of Dipylidium caninum (tapeworm) infections as a direct result of killing Ctenocephalides felis vector fleas on the treated cat; 9 - Prevention of angiostrongylosis by reduction of the level of infection with immature adult (L5) and adult stages of Angiostrongylus vasorum (lungworm) with monthly administration; 10 - adult U. stenocephala; 11 - D. caninum, T. pisiformis, and E. granulosus; 12 - I. scapularis, R. sanguineus, D. variabilis, A. americanum, and H. longicornis.
© 2025 American Heartworm Society | PO Box 1352 | Holly Springs, NC 27540 | E-mail: info@heartwormsociety.org REV 5/15/2025
