Can You Give Heartgard And Nexgard On Same Day? (9 Clear Facts)

One question that dog owners tend to pose often is as to whether Heartgard and Nexgard can be administered to a dog on the same day. This article has the answer.

Can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day? The answer is yes. The main active ingredients in Heartgard and Nexgard are Ivermectin and Afoxolaner respectively. There are usually no bad reactions between the two. Therefore it is quite safe to administer Nexgard and Heartgard together.

In general terms though, there is also one school of thought that tends to disfavor the administration of multiple dog medications at once (unless a vet expressly recommends it).

According to that school of thought, administering two medications at the same time can ‘overload’ the dog.

Moreover, if the dog has bad side effects, it won’t be possible to tell which of the drugs caused them.

Thus if you use Nexgard plus Heartgard on the same day, and the dog reacts badly to one of the drugs, you won’t be able to tell which one.

Therefore if you had the can my dog take Heartgard and Nexgard at the same time question, that is something to consider as well.

Practically though, there are many people who give their dogs Heartgard and Nexgard on the same day, without issues.

Thus in answering the can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day question, we can only say that the basic answer is ‘yes’.

But before delving further in answering the can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day question, we first need to acquaint ourselves with these two medications.

What Is Heartgard?

Heartgard is a medication that dogs receive in order to protect them from heartworms.

The main active ingredient in Heartgard is Ivermectin.

Besides heartworms, Heartgard may also offer protection against hookworms and roundworms.

Dogs normally have to take Heartgard monthly.

Heartgard is available by prescription from a vet.

So normally, a vet will prescribe it for a dog. Then the dog owner will proceed to purchase the Heartgard, and administer it to the dog at home, to protect it from worms.

This basic understanding on the nature of Heartgard will come in handy later in answering the can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day question.

What Is Nexgard?

Nexgard is a medication that dogs receive to protect them from external parasites such as fleas and ticks. It can also ward off mites.

Although it is an oral medication, it nonetheless offers protection against external parasites.

The main active ingredient in Nexgard is Afoxolaner.

Just like Heartgard, Nexgard is a monthly medication.

And just like Heartgard, Nexgard is available by prescription…

Now we have a basic understanding of what both Heartgard and Nexgard are. We can thus proceed to the next stage, in answering the can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day question.

What Is The Difference Between Heartgard And Nexgard?

The next step in answering the can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day question is where we seek to know the difference between the two.

This is essentially a matter of undertaking a Nexgard Heartgard comparison.

In undertaking that Heartgard Nexgard comparison, we will use two criteria.

Firstly, in our Nexgard vs Heartgard comparison, we will look at the purposes that the respective medications serve.

Further, in trying to establish the difference between Nexgard and Heartgard, we will look at their respective active ingredients.

What purpose does Heartgard serve? As mentioned earlier, Heartgard serves the purpose of protecting dogs from heartworms. It also has some efficacy against hookworms and roundworms.

Clearly then, Heartgard fights internal parasites.

What about Nexgard? Is Nexgard a dewormer too? The answer is ‘yes’. But it offers the dog protection against external parasites such as fleas and ticks.

Heartgard and Nexgard for dogs are therefore dewormers. But they serve different purposes. Heartgard fights internal worms, such as heartworms alongside roundworms and hookworms.

Nexgard fights external worms such as fleas and ticks.

The main active ingredient in Heartgard is Ivermectin. In Nexgard, the main active ingredient is Afoxolaner.

These differences are essential in answering the can I give Heartgard and Nexgard together question.

In fact, it is impossible to properly answer the can you give Heartgard and Nexgard together question without insight on the respective drugs’ differences.

While at it though, it is also important to point out that the two medications come from the same manufacturer.

This may have some relevance in answering the can Nexgard be given with Heartgard for dogs on same day question.

Is Heartgard And Nexgard Necessary For Dogs?

Most of the people who pose the can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day question usually also want to know whether it is even necessary to give both.

Thus before going any further in answering the can you give a dog Heartgard and Nexgard on same day question, we need to find out whether both are necessary.

So, is Heartgard and Nexgard necessary for dogs? The answer is yes. Heartgard protects the dog from internal parasites like heartworms, roundworms and hookworms.

On the other hand, Nexgard protects the pup from external parasites such as ticks and fleas.

If you give a dog only the Heartgard, it remains exposed to the external parasites such as fleas and ticks.

What if you give the dog only Nexgard? Then it will remain exposed to internal parasites such as heartworms, roundworms and hookworms.

To give the dog full protection, there is need to use both medications. That is why it is necessary to use both Heartgard and Nexgard.

To put it differently, the Nexgard and Heartgard combo offers almost foolproof protection.

How Are Heartgard And Nexgard Administered To Dogs?

Another bit of information we need to have, in order to answer the can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day question properly is on the two medications’ administration.

As it turns out, both Heartgard and Nexgard are tablets. They are therefore administered orally. They have a beef flavor, which dogs like. Therefore administering them doesn’t pose major challenges.

Knowledge of that fact is important. After all, some of the people who pose the can you give Nexgard and Heartgard at the same time question tend to be folks who are wary of the administration logistics.

So you find that they are wary of the logistics of administering these drugs.

That is what pushes them into asking questions like, can my dog take Nexgard and Heartgard at the same time?

Even when a person asks, Can I safely give my puppy Heartgard Plus and Nexgard at the same time, the underlying worry is usually on the drug administration logistics.

Thankfully, both medications are tablets. Administration is via the oral route. And they have beef flavor, which most dogs like: making their administration easy.

With that background information, we can now delve into the actual can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day question.

Can You Give Heartgard And Nexgard On The Same Day?

So far, we have established that Heartgard is a heartworm prevention medication. We have also established that Nexgard is a flea medication.

Therefore we can now reframe the can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day question.

We reframe it along these lines: is heart worm and flea medication on same day ok?

So, indeed, can you give a dog heartworm medicine and flea medicine at the same time?

And the answer is yes. That is supposing the heartworm medication in question is specifically Heartgard. And supposing the flea medication in question is Nexgard.

The active ingredient in Heartgard is Ivermectin. And the active ingredient in Nexgard is Afoxolaner. These two don’t usually interact badly, when a dog has them at the same time.

Moreover, Heartgard and Nexgard side effects tend to be very mild – if at all they manifest.

Given those factors, the answer to the can Nexgard and Heartgard be given on same day question is ‘yes’.

Even if one rephrases it as, can Heartgard plus and Nexgard be given together, the answer is still ‘yes’.

The combined Heartgard and Nexgard dosage limit is unlikely to overwhelm a dog.

And if you research on how long does Nexgard and Heartgard last in a dog’s body, you find that it is largely manageable.

Of course, there are those who may have different views. There are those who will tell you that the dog is better off with a staggered administration of the two medications.

That too makes sense. Staggering them minimizes the load on the dog’s body. And it makes it easier to pin any very nasty effects on one particular medication.

Ultimately, since these are prescription medications, it is best to just follow the vet’s instructions.

Is It Advisable To Use Nexgard And Heartgard Plus Together On Dogs?

Quite often, the person posing the can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day question will also ask this one: on whether it is advisable to use Nexgard and Heartgard Plus together on dogs.

Now Heartgard Plus offers the dog protection against internal worms, such as heartworms, roundworms and hookworms.

On the other hand, Nexgard offers the dog protection against external worms, such as ticks and fleas.

Clearly then, it is advisable to use both Heartgard Plus and Nexgard on dogs.

The manufacturer of Heartgard and Nexgard recommends the use of them both in dogs. Therefore using them both is the right thing to do.

Remember, none of these medications can serve as a substitute for the other. Heartgard serves a unique role, with internal parasites. Nexgard serves a unique role, with external parasites.

To get the best results, it is advisable to use them together on dogs.

Then again, these are prescription medications. If a particular dog has issues that make the use of both medications improper, the vet will note them and avoid prescribing them together.

Will Giving My Dog Nexgard And Heartgard Every Month Hurt Him?

A natural extension to the “can you give Heartgard and Nexgard on same day” question is this one: in which people seek to know whether dogs will be hurt by using the two medications every month.

Now both Nexgard and Heartgard are designed to be administered monthly. Therefore giving a dog Nexgard and Heartgard each month won’t hurt him.

In fact, what is likely to hurt the dog is not getting Nexgard and Heartgard every month.

It is worth remembering that these are prescription medications. If your vet notes anything that can make their month to month usage improper, he will stop renewing the prescription.

But for as long as the vet’s prescription stands, it is best to continue giving the medications monthly.

Final Verdict – Can You Give Heartgard And Nexgard On Same Day

For the most part, there is nothing wrong with giving Heartgard and Nexgard on the same day.

The active ingredients in Heartgard and Nexgard are Ivermectin and Afoxolaner respectively. These ingredients don’t react badly when they meet in a dog’s body.

That makes it quite safe to give Heartgard and Nexgard on the same day.

Of course, there are those who may prefer to stagger the administration of the two medications. That is in a bid to avoid ‘overloading’ the dog, and to be able to tell which drug is causing which side effects (in case the side effects manifest).

There is also nothing wrong with the latter approach. But make sure to always check with your Vet before making any changes to dog’s medications to keep them in perfect shape.

In the final analysis, both Heartgard and Nexgard are prescription medications. It is best to simply follow the instructions from the prescribing vet.

As a pet lover, make sure to learn about pet more and give your pet dog a good and comfortable life!

Rajkumar Ravichandran

Welcome to Learn About Pet. My name is Rajkumar Ravichandran and I love all pets, travel, and amazing food. I write about my passion and personal experience caring for multiple pets in this blog! ❤️