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Reply To: Guinness Beer for heartworm prevention?

#69613 Report Abuse
Dog_Obsessed
Member

I have never heard of or used this treatment, but on a whole, alcohol is horrible for dogs and should be avoided at all costs. The link in your post gave me a 404 error, so I searched on the topic and found this article: http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2014/03/does-guinness-beer-kill-heartworms/
As it states, “The amount of beer recommended for the heartworm treatment is minimal, so the risk of toxicity or alcohol poisoning is slim, but obviously should be taken into consideration. But if the risk is there, why try it all?”
The article then says, “Well, health risks come with any treatment. Ivermectin, the main ingredient in most heartworm medications, is itself a poison – an anthelmintic.”

I agree with both of these statements, but since Ivermenctin has been tested and found to be safe in most dogs, (though problems can still occur) I would definitely think of that as the safer choice for heartworm prevention. As LM said, I would never use any sort of homeopathic treatment without consulting a homeopathic vet.