Interceptor Plus

Name: Interceptor Plus
Brand: Elanco

Pet Standings score

6.9/ 10 · editorial, when research is finished

Monthly FDA-approved Rx chew for dogs: heartworm plus adult roundworm, hookworm, whipworm, and tapeworm — no fleas or ticks.

Rx — ask your vet

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Why it is listed

Interceptor Plus is the broadest intestinal-worm chew on this ranking: heartworm plus whipworm and several tapeworm species in a monthly prescription tablet. It does not replace flea and tick control. Test for heartworm before starting, as the label requires.

Editor note

Best for: Best intestinal coverage chew in best heartworm prevention.

6.9/10

Pros & cons

Pros

DailyMed / NADA 141-338: prevents heartworm disease; treats/controls adult roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms including Dipylidium caninum, Taenia pisiformis, Echinococcus multilocularis, and E. granulosus.
Dogs and puppies 6 weeks+, 2 lb+. Elanco: offer by hand or with a small amount of food; 94% accepted from the hand in the cited field palatability study on the label.
Not an isoxazoline and not an injectable — no FDA isoxazoline fact-sheet penalty and no ProHeart-style anaphylaxis warning on this chew.

Cons

Prescription only. Does not kill fleas or ticks — households that need those still need a separate labeled product (Elanco itself pairs Interceptor Plus with Credelio or Seresto in vet materials).
Label: fewer than 6 monthly doses after the last mosquito exposure may not provide complete heartworm prevention. Safety has not been evaluated in dogs used for breeding or in lactating females.
Reported reactions for milbemycin oxime or praziquantel include vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy, ataxia, anorexia, convulsions, weakness, and salivation.