Sunday, March 25, 2012

The 2012 Interceptor Shortage

We fully expect to see a shortage of our favorite heartworm medicine, Interceptor.  We have surfed cyber-paw space and have come away a little bit confused.  This all started during the summer of 2011.  We have provided links to what we have sniffed out.

The plant that makes Interceptor is in Nebraska, the state our pal Reilly used to live in.  That plant made Interceptor and Sentinel for dogs; and Excedrin, NoDoz and Gas-X for hoomans.  Well the inspection didn't go very well according to the FDA report

The company that made Interceptor then sent out some letters on 11 December talking of a pending disruption.  We found this out in the March 2012, Minnesota Wisconsin Collie Rescue Newsletter.  That letter also talks about possible alternatives.  Later in December the plant stops production and distribution.  A letter to vets was sent out in early January. 

On 2 February a press release from the company states the canine medicine is good and distribution of made product will happen.  Nothing in that release states production is to resume and we couldn't find anything official from the company saying that. 

20 February, we get wind something isn't right as PetMeds doesn't have Interceptor, lucky for us another place has it. 

18 March, Shiloh and Dakota ask us if what we use for heart worms as they were told the plant that made it is shut down.  We start to explore cyber-paw space.  Confused and our head hurting from trying to understand what we have read, we e-bark the Collie Health Foundation (CHF) on 19 March.

21 March, CHF responds to our email.  We hope that CHF puts something on their home page about this because a lot of us are concerned.  The word Ivermectin causes many a collie owner to worry. 
We hope the Nebraska plant comes on line soon.  There are a lot of worried collie folks in the states.  Collie owners overseas need not worry, there are plants that make Interceptor out there.  Us in the states just can't legally order it from overseas.  If anyone finds out something different let us know. 

Dog Speed,

Essex, Sherman and Dog Dad

4 comments:

Sheltie Times said...

Thanks for the heads up. We'll have to check with the vet.

Jake of Florida said...

Not being collies, we are a bit confused about the concern with ivermectin, since that's what's in the HeartGuard we've used since Day One.

More info, please?

Wirey woofs,

Jake and Just Harry

Jake of Florida said...

We saw Interceptor in a Doctor Foster and Smith catalogue.

Jake and JH

Anonymous said...

East TN collie club source says production will begin again soon Do NOT use heart guard or any form of ivermectin collies very sensitive and you may kill them