[Michael D]

UPDATE: Here we are 10 years later Jojo is still heatworm free. I lost Bonnie 11yrs old (pitbull) & Bella (Great Dane) 10 yrs old, this year. They were both heartworm free along with Scooter (Shih Tzu) & Lucy (stray from Ennis TX). I live in the Piney woods of east Texas now. Back in October another stray showed up, I named him Buddy he’s some kind of hound mix. I’ll keep you posted on his heartworm status. I’ve only been using Guinness for hearworm prevention since 2015 when Jojo tested positive. I wish I could find the original article I had found when I first heard about using Guinness. A co-worker had told me about it, and I had thought it was total bullshit, yet here we are 10 yrs later with 6 dogs, no heartworms and no scientific proof.

[Florentina V]

@bgshacklett yes, actually we gave up the inhaler and together with my vet we opted to give her prednisolone (pill) every time she starts having a gulping crisis. Also, if she also starts to lick excessively, I add a gastric supplement, too (in my case, a gel-syrup we have called VetGastril). This always works and I make sure to have these pills available. Sometimes she can go for months without having any issues, then the episodes come back and she has one every month for some time. I did notice them to be more frequent in cold weather than in the summer months. Also, this winter season they have become more frequent and I don’t know if it’s age related (she’s 12) or the fact that I had to change her food, as she had some bladder stones removed and we need to make sure they won’t form again. My vet said that if the stomach is upset or more acidic, it will cause inflammation in the esophagus and trigger a new gulp crisis. So this is also an important part to manage in order to keep the disease under control. Maybe your girl has an upset stomach from the heartworm prevention and it triggers an inflammation in the esophagus. I personally use a Foresto collar for her and change it every 6 months, prior to the recommended 8 months. Simparica was very strong for her and would cause her to vomit. I’ve been using Foresto for years now and never had problems. Related to the disease, unfortunately my vet also said there is still no new information about this diagnosis. The only good news he could give me is that it seems research has found no link between follicular esophagitis and cancer, as this was an important concern. I always tell him to keep me updated if new information is found. Good luck, everyone!

[Paul G]

I happened upon this brand when we were fighting a seizure disorder and I was told to get him off kibble with grain. Of course the brand recommended by the vet had corn in it and he actually did worse. We put him on the Outlaw Gold and added liver and heart and a myriad of toppings and he was doing well. We tried other diets (gard diet) in hopes of doing better but it always seemed to take a downward turn so we’d end up back on the Outlaw.
He passed away during covid but our others are still on it to this day. They still get the toppers,sardines, blueberries, broccoli, eggs, and honestly get more of everything else than they do the kibble. Two of ours are soon to be 13yrs old and the youngest turned 2 today. I don’t remember the last time any of them went to the vet other than the annual vaccines and heartworm testing.

[Brian S]

@flowertina, any updates on the treatments you mentioned? Has it continued to be helpful over the long term?

Personally, the _only_ thing I’ve found to help my GSD is allowing her to eat grass (yes; I’ve tried all of the acid reflux solutions any vet has offered). I certainly have some concern about chemicals, pesticides, etc., so I try to take her to a place where I know they’re not used. One thing I’ve noticed is that allowing her to eat grass regularly seems to reduce both the frequency and intensity of the “attacks”. I tried The Honest Kitchen Superfood Pour Overs, which have a fair amount of leafy greens as part of the mix, but she turns her nose up at it.

With that in mind, actually, my girl tends to be quite a picky eater. I’m curious if any of y’all have any difficulty getting your dogs to eat. I have to use a topper (currently either Honest Foods bone broth, or low sodium canned salmon), otherwise she won’t touch her food until she’s famished. I recently recalled that this seemed to start around the time I switched her to Simparica Trio for heartworm prevention. I’d be interested to know what other folks are using for heartworm prevention, and whether it’s a chewable or topical.

[Corey W]

Our now 10 month old puppy has struggled with his gut since he came home. He had both cocidia and giardia when we got him. That was treated and he cleared up for a few days, but he’s a poop eater (any poop) and re-inffected himself. After another round of deworming he once again firmed up, but nearly anything could cause a round of bad poops. Under our vets supervision we finally settled on the “biome” food from hills science diet. He has been on that for several months and it has worked great. It also helped us figure out that it was his heartworm medicine that was causing a problem. Now that he has switched to a different pill that doesn’t cause him problems, we would like to transition him off of the biome to another high quality but less expensive fo.od. Anyone have any advice

[Sam J]

Heartgard Plus Generic Nuheart for Dogs is generic Manufacturer by Merial / Boehringer Ingelheim and Ingredients –
Ivermectin and Pyrantel Pamoate is a generic product The unique active ingredients Ivermectin and Pyrantel Pamoate are anti-parasitic and anthelmintic agents respectively. Ivermectin prevents heartworm (D. immitis) infestation and Pyrantel Pamoate eliminates roundworms and hookworms by paralyzing the worms. Heartgard along with a combination of these two ingredients is able to prevent heartworms and terminate roundworms and hookworms from the body of dogs. have it after vet recommendation.

https://www.petcareclub.com/heartgard-plus-generic-nuheart-small-dogs-upto-25lbs-blue-pack/dog-heartwormer-treatment-310-868.aspx

[anonymous]

Those things don’t work.

That stuff is crap and a waste of money.

http://skeptvet.com/Blog/?s=heartworm

[GSDsForever]

I purchase my heartworm prevention pills from a local compounding facility. Lead pharmacist is great, very helpful!

They compound the active ingredient into veggie caps, precise custom dose to weight, and we couldn’t be happier.

[Sidelle B]

Sentinel Spectrum is POISON Period
My Timba is 1/2 German Shepherd & 1/2 Huskie. Gave it to him for 3 yrs before he had a Seizure. He had it 2/25/19 Lasted a long time. He threw up out back 1st. He looked like a bug dying from being Sprayed. My Security Camera caught the whole thing. I posted it on FB. I researched EVERYWHERE. Did Elimination. Complete Blood Work Up. I was afraid it might be Vectra D. The FDA needs to step in & step up to checking these things out. People that buy these Meds only do it because they LOVE their FAM Members. It’s Not Cheap. His Bloodwork came back Normal. Called owner of the Timba’s father & no history of Seizure in either one. Was afraid to use Vectra again but if 1 flea is around it will find me. Natural Stuff doesn’t work. Used Vectra & he was Ok. I’m not diligent on Heartworm pills in off months but in April thought I better give it. So gave it to him. May 13th he came in & collapsed at my feet into a Seizure. This time seemed more like a Seizure & I tried to talk him thru it & pet him. Didn’t last as long as 1st one. Called my Vet. Took him in. Bought the Meds & asked what he would do. I said I didn’t want to put him on it yet. I had a dog years ago that was Epileptic. He ran into things etc. & flashing lights like Xmas would send him into one. Timba was Different. He said he’d do what I wanted to do. Buy the Meds to Have on hand & see if he has another Seizure. I wanted to find out the REASON & knew I wouldn’t if I put him on Meds. I Bought Purina Neurocare which he recommended.
Timba loved it at 1st. I think it’s Cleaned his system out along w Milk Thistle & pureed watermelon. So now it’s already June & I think I should give him the Pill. He liked it in the Beginning. But Lately didn’t want to take them. Dogs are Smart & KNOW things when WE don’t. I watched another video of someone’s dog having a seizure after some Flea stuff. I thought about it & decided I wouldn’t give it. Afterall How TOXIC does something have to be to KILL things like Fleas from inside. That is a GIVEN & NO ONE should Give any of that. I finally found a Blog of this lady w 3 GSDs & Wow. I knew this was why he had a SEIZURE.
Never gave SENTINEL SPECTRUM POISON Again. Even wrote them. It took 3 yrs. for this GARBAGE to manifest into a Seizure for My Baby. He has not had another one. I still use Vectra D . If I use any Heartworm med again it would be Interceptor since it seems Safest but I don’t know that I will. You can draw their blood for titers to catch the larvae before it’s a worm. I live in SoCal & my Vet said I probably don’t have to worry too much unless I take him to the Mtns or beach. It’s now been 4 months. No Seizures…………… SENTINEL SPECTRUM IS POISON
I had a dog get Heartworms years ago when I was in Okla for a couple years. Was Terrible but we treated him & he got better & lived another 7 yrs.
https://www.facebook.com/sidelle/videos/10216707066167999/UzpfSTEyMDE4MDA3MDM6Vks6NDA0NzA4MjcwMjMyNDM0/?comment_id=405162720186989&reply_comment_id=405170330186228&notif_id=1567985476776943&notif_t=group_comment

[Patricia A]

Christine is it a possibility that low blood sugar is contributing to seizure activity since he eats only once a day and very little? Maybe some lean boiled hamburger topper with kibble and string beans, carrots will help with his appetite and assure he gets enough animal protein. I boil chicken and add a tiny bit of the water to kibble also. Also maybe below article is of help. Common causes of seizures are flea/tick meds even when discontinued can result in ongoing seizures in some dogs as well as heart worm meds and vaccinations.
Diet and Epilepsy Link

Environmental control is a significant element in gaining better management of your dog’s seizures. Start with what goes into him. Feeding a home-prepared diet, cooked or raw, can make all the difference for some dogs. Though there are virtually no studies to determine whether there is a relationship between diet and seizure activity, many holistic veterinarians report anecdotal evidence that a top-quality home-prepared diet can play a large part in management of seizures.

Allergy testing for grain and protein sensitivities is another tool you can use to identify and remove any potential seizure triggers.

Dr. Kelleher also advocates the use of taurine supplementation for epileptic dogs at a dose of 250 milligrams per 40 pounds body weight daily. Taurine supplementation is especially important for dogs who eat commercial and grain-based diets. This amino acid is found in the central nervous system and skeletal muscle and is concentrated in the brain and heart. It’s unknown whether that has anything to do with the fact that taurine supplementation can reduce seizure activity, especially in those dogs experiencing tremors or noise triggered seizures. Discuss this or any other supplement with your dog’s veterinarian.

If feeding a home-prepared diet isn’t possible, find the highest-quality commercial dog food. Grains in the diet, including treats, should be kept to a minimum.

Keep in mind that many commercial dog foods include rosemary extract and sage, both of which are known to be seizure triggers in some sensitive dogs. Processed treats like rawhide chews and pigs ears should also be avoided with epileptics. Sharing human food containing MSG or cured products like hot dogs and luncheon meats is also not recommended. Many human takeout foods, instant, ready made, and convenience foods also contain chemical ingredients that can be adverse to the health of a seizure-prone dog. Cleaning up your dog’s diet is good incentive to do the same with your own.

Frequent, small meals are helpful in managing epilepsy, as keeping the blood sugar stabilized seems to help. Hypoglycemia can contribute to seizure activity, especially in smaller breeds where the dog’s digestive tract and his meals are proportionately smaller. Grain products are especially suspect in animals who have seizures regularly. Feeding frequent, small meals is also helpful for coping with the increased hunger experienced by dogs who are given phenobarbital. Snacks such as fresh or steamed vegetables or fruit pieces are great low calorie treats that can keep your dog satisfied and increase his seizure threshold.

Other Canine Epilepsy Triggers

Despite the changes in recommended vaccine protocols recommended by most of the major university-based veterinary medical schools, many veterinarians continue to recommend annual vaccinations for their patients. In a seizure-prone dog, a vaccine booster can trigger seizure activity for at least 30 days. This is one reason that Dr. Dodds recommends avoiding routine vaccination for canine epileptics.

Many owners of epileptic dogs ask their veterinarians to test their dogs’ vaccine titer levels instead, to ensure the animals have adequate antibodies to protect them from disease. If the results indicate a dog does not have adequate immune protection for a particular disease, the appropriate vaccination can be administered individually, rather than in a “5 in 1” vaccine combination.

Regular rabies vaccines are required in each state by law. These vaccines can be especially risky for epileptics; owners of epileptic dogs have lots of anecdotal evidence of this. Check with your local municipality to see if proof of adequate vaccine titer test results are acceptable in place of vaccinating an epileptic dog annually . Many towns and cities will accept documented titer tests as proof of vaccination.

Since exposure to many chemicals can trigger seizures in sensitive dogs, it should not come as a surprise that many heartworm and flea preventative treatments that are systemically administered can be disastrous for many epileptic dogs. While elimination of these treatments is not always possible, care must be taken with a seizure-prone dog when preventing heartworm infestation. Several of the most popular heartworm preventatives actually list tremors or convulsions as rare side effects, and can be contraindicated with a dog that is given daily phenobarbital.

Flea products containing insect growth regulator can cause twitching and muscle weakness when an animal is overexposed. Keep in mind these cautions are given for normal canine populations. An epileptic is commonly more sensitive to these products and great care must be taken when protecting them from heartworm and flea infestation.

[malinda r]

my dog has a sensitive stomach, and I feel this might be due to extensive antibiotics and fast kill heartworm method. when I adopted him he had advanced heartworm…and the year following treatment he had stomach issues that seemed to meet the criteria for colitis.
3 years later and he is doing very well, occasional flare ups that usually coincide with medication/vaccinations and sometimes just stress. (the 4th of july for instance!!)
he has done well on fromm, he liked pork and applesauce…he does well on Carna4 chicken, Stella&chewys chicken, health extension lamb canned. I have noticed when his diarrhea starts if I limit dry food and use more toppers, freeze dried, canned, and home cooked foods he usually returns to normal within a day or two. kibble is convenient but seems hard for our dog to digest when his stomach is distressed.

i noticed he did poorly on foods higher in beet, chicory root, exotic meats.

[malinda r]

I have a dog that has had frequent issues with recurring diarrhea, vomiting, mucus stools, etc. I would just say after that long bout of diarrhea a lot of foods will be irritating right now, even the foods that normally she might do really well on. I can’t tell exactly from your post if you did the ground meat or how long, but it is good to do the ground meat diet 2-3 days and then slowly introduce some other foods.
After feeding my dog ground turkey a couple of days his diarrhea disappears and his bowels are much smaller and less frequent. When I then start to add other foods, it is easy to see if they are agreeable or not if he has reaction, like loose bowel or rumbling/gurgling stomach.

I have had great results for my sensitive dog with Stella&Chewys, health extension cans of wet, Carna4 dry. I also order cooked food from Evermore. If you have to feed a dry due to work/schedule, check out Carna4, it is pretty incredible. I first start feeding it a few months ago, changing nothing else in my dogs diet. As he has transitioned to it fully, his BM is so much smaller and compact, which from what I read is considered healthy.

Try to be as preventative as possible. If I notice a loose bowel or lots of trips outside I immediately start feeding ground meat, before the dog gets to a stage of vomiting with the diarrhea. It seems like at a certain point a vet trip is unavoidable, so I try to not let him get to that stage. My dog had several vet trips with antibiotics the first year to second year I had him, and the antibiotics are not helpful long term. Since I have starting watching more closely and acting quickly he has done so well. I think he has vomited1-2 times in the past 3 years, which is amazing considering how frequent it was the first year I had him.

My dog also has a reaction to his heartworm med, which is monthly for him, something for you to think about. You might record when he gets different meds for what and see if there is any physical effects for the couple of days following.

[aimee]

Wow! Here are my thoughts regarding Peter Dobias’s recommendations…

Heartworm DNA testing. Dobias wrote “This test has virtually no false negatives, which is great news for your dog.”

PCR tests in general are very sensitive and so that statement may be technically true. But the manner in which he is applying the test I think false negatives will be the norm. The test is based on DNA which is in a cell’s nucleus. Heartworm larva migrate in the sub Q tissue. How is it that larva cells can get from the sub Q into the circulatory system? They are too big to cross vessel walls. The larva do leave the sub Q and enter the circulatory system and at that point I’d expect they can be detected. However the dog is now infected with young adult heartworms. The time frame to prevent infection has passed.

Preventatives are effective against young larva, the older the migrating larva are the less effective the kill rate. Even if this test can pickup migrating larva, by only testing every 4months, the infection cold be four months old and difficult to arrest at that point.

His temp data doesn’t look accurate. Heartworm development in the mosquito progresses with warmer temps. Units referred to as heartworm development units. need to accumulate. Sustained high temps are not required.

The reason for extending prevention beyond exposure dates is that it is documented that one dose of preventatives doesn’t always prevent infection. In one study one does didn’t prevent infection and three doses a month apart from each other did.

In my opinion the alternative program as outlined by Peter Dobias is reckless at best.

[anonymous]

Veterinarians in Colorado should no longer base heartworm testing and prevention recommendations on only historic heartworm risks and prevalence. Heartworm prevalence in Colorado rose 67.5% from 2013–2017. Veterinarians and pet owners in areas with historically low heartworm prevalence should reevaluate the increasing risks posed by heartworms and should follow the testing and prevention guidelines provided by organizations like the American Heartworm Society and the Companion Animal Parasite Council [26, 30]. While animal shelters and other animal welfare organizations provide important rescue and relocation services, relocated dogs may be introducing higher risks of parasitic diseases. Repeated heartworm testing and movement restrictions should be considered for dogs originating from states with a high prevalence of D. immitis in order to reduce the spread of parasitic diseases. Imported dogs initially testing negative for the presence of adult heartworms should be re-tested six months later as antigen tests are not reliable at detecting immature infections. Further research regarding the heartworm status of imported dogs could help confirm the association of increasing heartworm prevalence and dog importation.

https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-019-3473-0#Comments excerpt above

[anonymous]

It’s not just about the location, more and more heartworm infected dogs are being transported from down south to shelters here in the Northeast.
My friend adopted a lab mix that came from down south he tested negative for heartworm prior to transport, 3 months later he tested positive (it doesn’t show up right away) and my friend spent at least $1000 and had to deal with a sick dog for over a month.
If a mosquito bites an infected dog and then bites your dog…..
You get the picture?

Heartworm disease is more prevalent in dogs now. That’s a fact.

[Patricia A]

anon what exactly is incorrect in the article regarding transmission?
HOLISTIC LOOK AT HEARTWORM PREVENTION

A few days ago, one of my friends living in Vermont called me. She was wondering what I thought about heartworm prevention. She asked me to help her determine if the monthly administration of heartworm preventive medication is really necessary. The question threw me back to the 90s when heartworm prevention drug manufacturers decided to take North America by storm. I remember the drug reps visiting vet clinics on a regular basis telling us that it was only a matter of time and heartworm would be widespread in Canada. These visits were also accompanied by a subtle suggestion that selling heartworm tests and preventive drugs could be a significant source of income for the practice.
As time progressed, the heartworm doom and gloom scenario didn’t happen and the risk of heartworm infection in my area was clearly exaggerated.

On the basis of my findings, I made the decision not to recommend heartworm preventive drugs in the area of my practice because the risk was practically zero and administering any drugs is never optimal. In reality, no one can be absolutely certain if preventive medication doesn’t increase the tendency to chronic disease, organ failure or even cancer down the road.

On the other hand, my friend’s situation is quite different because she lives in the eastern U.S., where heartworm is a real possibility. I saw her question as a great opportunity for me to review the lifecycle of heartworm once again to see if drug companies were honest about their recommendations for monthly prevention. To me, the monthly administration seemed to be kind of peculiar because, as far as I know, parasites do not carry an iPhone with a calendar and schedule.

I decided to bring clarity to the current situation to see what frequency is needed for heartworm preventive drugs and also tell you more about the heartworm prevention alternatives that I use with my dog Skai. In order to do so, I need to give you answers to the following questions:

What is the risk of heartworm disease in your area?

What is the minimal frequency of administering preventive drugs?

Are there any alternatives?

1. HEARTWORM INCIDENCE

The life cycle of heartworm is dependent on a temperature that remains above 57F (14C) for at least 45 days straight and at least two weeks of temperatures over 80F (26C). If these conditions are not fulfilled, the parasite cycle cannot be completed and your dog is safe.

Based on the recommendations of Dr. David Knight and Dr. James Lok from the American Heartworm society, even with the most cautious conventional medical protocols, a year-round heartworm preventive schedule is exaggerated with the exception of Florida, some parts of Texas and Hawaii. According to their conventional opinion, preventive treatment is unnecessary in the winter months and definitely doesn’t need to be started before or after the months noted on the map in their paper.

2. HEARTWORM LIFE CYCLE

Before you succumb to the marketing pressure and fear and administer heartworm medicine monthly, I urge you to learn more about the heartworm life cycle. Heartworm development goes through several stages before reaching maturity and it takes two-and-a-half to four months before the tiny stage of microfilaria leaves the muscles and starts settling in the pulmonary artery. When heartworm reaches its final destination in the pulmonary artery near the heart, it takes about three to four months to reach maturity.

One doesn’t need to have a degree in math to figure that it takes somewhere between five-and-a-half to eight months for microfilaria to mature into an adult worm and that your dog should be safe if you administer heartworm meds only once every three to four months if you live in an area where heartworm occurs.

So why would the drug companies recommend monthly heartworm prevention? The reason is clearly identified in Drs. Knight and Lok’s study:

“…given what is presently known, continued adherence to a policy of superfluous chemoprophylaxis is disquieting because financial expediency for the veterinarian conflicts with clinical objectivity and client consent is predicated on unrealistic expectations. Clients mistakenly believe that they are purchasing additional protection for their pets, but in reality they are not. If the truth was known to them, few clients would agree to unnecessarily double their expense for heartworm prevention.”

In real language, most vets are too busy to question the recommendations that drug companies give them about heartworm prevention. I strongly believe that the main reason for over recommending heartworm prevention (chemoprophylaxis) dose frequency is that drug companies can double or triple their revenues.

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3. SAFE ALTERNATIVE TO HEARTWORM PREVENTIVE DRUGS

My dog Skai and I travel to Hawaii approximately twice a year for two months and I had to face the dilemma of what to do about heartworm. I never felt totally comfortable about giving him any drugs because, in my mind, there is no such thing as a little bit of poison.

Luckily, advances in heartworm testing brought about DNA testing on the basis of PCR technology, which allows me to test three times a year for any presence of heartworm. This test has virtually no false negatives, which is great news for your dog.

I can see that these tests are a serious threat to the hefty profits of heartworm meds manufacturers because they are simply not needed if you follow this formula. The duration of the heartworm season can be found on the map on page 79 of the study.

Season Duration Number of Tests Required
(The last should be done at the end of the heartworm season)
Less than four months 1 test
Four – eight months 2 tests
Eight – 12 months 3 tests
Considering the facts above, in order to prevent heartworm and keep your dog safe, all you need to do is test your dog if you live in an affected area. If the results are positive (heartworm DNA is present) make sure that you consult your veterinarian before administering any heartworm meds. Heartworm preventive medication can be used only if adult heartworms are NOT present because using preventive drugs on adult heartworm can cause serious problems and a different treatment protocol must be used.

CONCLUSION

I regret to say that similar to the vaccination scam, monthly heartworm prevention is yet another dishonest marketing plot. What I am confused about is why drug companies continuously try to trick us and frighten us, instead of making a living the honest way. No matter what they are planning to try next, I believe that eventually, they will have to become more honest in order to survive because it is much more difficult to hide the truth in the age of worldwide web.

Wishing you a happy, more informed heartworm season.

© Dr. Peter Dobias, DVM

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[anonymous]

Example:
******** says:
December 7, 2017 at 3:02 pm
I agree that most natural/holistic remedies are snake oil.
But… what do you think of testing the dog every 4 months for heart worms, and administering the medicine only after a positive (which presumably would be early enough that the dog could take the standard medication to eradicate the early-stage worms)?

skeptvet says:
December 7, 2017 at 8:25 pm
Heartworm prevention has to be tailored to the local risk. In my locale, incidence is close to zero, so prevention is optional. In other places I’ve lived, risk is high year-round and I recommend year-round prophylaxis. The testing strategy you suggest wouldn’t work because the test identifies adult female worms, so it is not positive until there is already a patent infection. The preventative kills larval stage heartworms, so at that point it would be useless, and the adulticide treatment is much riskier than prevention.

link to these comments is in my prior post

[anonymous]

Hope this helps http://skeptvet.com/Blog/2013/06/there-is-no-natural-or-holistic-heartworm-prevention-or-treatment-proven-to-be-safe-and-effective/ excerpt below, click on link for full article and comments

The AHS is also very clear about alternative therapies for this disease: “No “natural” or herbal therapies have been shown to be safe and effective prevention or treatment for heartworm disease.” And fortunately, many proponents of alternative therapies also recognize that no CAM therapies have been shown safe and effective for preventing or treating this disease. The most popular veterinary herbal medicine textbook states, “The authors do not recommend substituting an unproven herbal formula for effective conventional therapy.” Even as radical a proponent of alternative therapies as Dr. Karen Becker at mercola.com grudgingly agrees that,“treatment for heartworm infection is one area where conventional veterinary medicine offers valuable options [and] is preferable to leaving the dog untreated, or using unproven, alternative methods that may have no effect or even be harmful.”
Unfortunately, there are still plenty of unscrupulous companies, and sadly even veterinarians, willing to exaggerate the risks of conventional prevention and treatment and claim that unproven alternatives are safe and effective. Below is a long list of sites promoting unproven methods of preventing or treating heartworm disease. None of these have been demonstrated to be legitimate or reliable, and trusting your dog’s life to any of them is a dangerous mistake.

[Patricia A]

Going to speak to my vet about this alternative. Might not be too costly since I don’t have mosquitos year round.
DNA Heartworm Testing: An Alternative
Before giving your dog any kind of heartworm drugs, you can do DNA testing to see if there are any microfilariae in his system. This testing is different from the regular test your vet will do to find adult heartworms. It’s based on PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technology and it’s not only very accurate, it also tests for heartworm larvae (the regular test only tests for adult heartworms). This means you can find (and then treat) any larvae before they become a real problem!

Heartworm DNA testing is available from HealthGene, a company that offers all kinds of DNA testing. Simply tell your vet to send your dog’s blood sample to HealthGene and the company will send back the results. Find them online here. If your dog tests positive, there are several natural, holistic options to treat the heartworm. If he tests negative, you’re good.

[Related] 5 Natural Heartworm Treatment Alternatives. Find them here.

How often do you need to test? Remember how I told you to keep that important number in mind? Here’s why it matters. Since it takes at least 5 ½ months for larvae to grow into adult heartworms, testing every 4 months will allow you to find those larvae before that happens and get rid of them. This means those adult heartworms, the ones that cause the problems, will never have a chance to fully develop. And testing every 4 months is only necessary in those areas where heartworms are a problem more than 8 months of the year. In those areas where the season lasts only 4 months, you really only need to test once a year, at the end of the season.

[anonymous]

The ingredients are not evenly distributed within the pill/chew therefore you could cause a reaction rather than prevent one.
If a nurse administered a medication in the manner you suggest, she would be written up for a medication error.

“When splitting oral heartworm medication (especially soft chews), it is possible that you will not divide it evenly thereby resulting in one dog getting a smaller or larger dose. Additionally, oral heartworm medications have the active ingredients blended throughout and while theoretically the active ingredients are evenly distributed, there is no guarantee that there will be an equal concentration of the medication in each part. So, even if you’re able to split the chew exactly, one half could still have a higher or lower concentration of the active ingredients”

[anonymous]

https://www.petmd.com/dog/parasites/evr_dg_how_dog_heartworm_treatment_preventive_medications_work

excerpts below (out of context)

The heartworm life cycle is complex. The dog is infected by early stage larvae that are transmitted by a mosquito carrying infected blood. This larvae goes through multiple stages of development within body tissue before migrating to the heart and lungs as an adult heartworm.

These adults produce microfilariae, the earliest life stage that circulates within the dog’s blood. Prevention kills only early stage larvae and microfilariae. This is why it is important to give your dog heartworm prevention every month. It kills the larvae before they develop into a stage that is immune to the medication in heartworm prevention.

Most heartworm medications require monthly administration, while others work longer (up to six months with an injectible product called moxidectin or Proheart®). There are many choices of heartworm prevention available, from topical products to chewable oral medications; many come in both dog and cat versions.

Monthly heartworm preventative medications do not stay in your dog’s bloodstream for 30 days. The active ingredients work to kill any larvae that have been in the system for the past 30 days, clearing the body each month. The medication is only needed once a month because it takes longer than a month for the larvae to develop to a stage where they reach the body tissues.

Heartworm medications available today work to kill off the larval heartworms that made it into the dog’s body during the past month. The heartworms in dogs will die at certain stages of development, before they can become adult heartworms. However, heartworm preventives will not kill adult heartworms that are already present.

[anonymous]

Also, heartworm disease is difficult to treat, expensive and is very rough on the dog (diarrhea, lethargy).

There are no guarantees the treatment will be successful. Therefore prevention via heartworm pills makes sense.

[anonymous]

Quote “So if you’re worried give half the chew one day then the rest the next day so they aren’t getting such a huge dose immediately” .

The full dose needs to be given at the same time for the drug to be effective. The combined ingredients work together and the drug is out of the dog’s system within 24 hours. They kill the mosquito larvae that may have developed the month prior, not the month ahead.

http://news.petmeds.com/news/pet-meds/why-you-should-not-split-heartworm-medication-between-dogs/

“When splitting oral heartworm medication (especially soft chews), it is possible that you will not divide it evenly thereby resulting in one dog getting a smaller or larger dose. Additionally, oral heartworm medications have the active ingredients blended throughout and while theoretically the active ingredients are evenly distributed, there is no guarantee that there will be an equal concentration of the medication in each part. So, even if you’re able to split the chew exactly, one half could still have a higher or lower concentration of the active ingredients”

[Patricia A]

canineCanine heartworm disease is transmitted by infected mosquitoes.

In the worst case scenario, it results in a fatal worm infestation in the heart and blood vessels of an infected dog.

Fortunately, heartworm disease can be prevented. It can also be successfully treated when caught in time.

The American Heartworm Society (AHS), an organization that studies the disease, its treatment and prevention, recommends yearly heartworm testing for all dogs. The AHS also recommends year-round chemical preventives for every dog over the age of eight weeks, regardless of where the dog lives.

Dr. Becker’s Comments:
The American Heartworm Society has three “platinum” sponsors and five “bronze” sponsors. All eight are major pharmaceutical manufacturers.

It comes as no surprise, then, that the AHS recommends year-round, birth-to-death heartworm prevention drugs – no matter where you live, the time of year, the age of your dog, his size or health status.

What’s Wrong with This Picture?
Three things, specifically:

Huge conflict of interest potential. Heartworm prevention through the overuse of potentially toxic medications sold by pharmaceutical giants like Bayer Healthcare, Merial and Pfizer, is a virtual money machine for drug manufacturers, online retailers, testing laboratories, veterinarians and any other entity that can find a way to cash in.

When there’s money on the table – in this case billions of dollars – your pet’s health and quality of life can quickly become a secondary concern.

Note also that the ASH recommendation for year-round dosing is not because your pet needs it year-round in every state, but because it’s assumed dog owners will forget to re-start the medication when the weather warms up.

And by the way – heartworm “preventives” don’t actually prevent your pet from getting worms. What they do is poison the larvae at the microfilaria (L1-L2) stage of development, causing them to die.

Relatively low actual incidence of life-threatening infection. Heartworm disease is more difficult to acquire – and less lethal – than the dire warnings and marketing claims for chemical preventives would have you believe.

In order for heartworm disease to take hold, a precise sequence of events must occur involving the right climate, the right temperature for the right amount of time, the right species and sex of mosquito, and your dog’s less-than-optimal immune system function.

This information is not intended to minimize the need to protect your dog, but only to point out the actual potential for heartworm disease is less than you’ve been led to believe by financially-motivated marketing campaigns designed to scare pet owners into buying 12 doses of preventive, year in and year out, regardless of where you live!

The existence of less toxic recommendations. There are less harmful protocols to prevent heartworm in your dog than a lifetime of once-monthly, year-round doses of toxic drugs.
How Heartworm Disease Happens
Heartworms are a variety of roundworm with the clinical name dirofilaria immitis. They are spread by mosquitoes.

Dogs can only get heartworm disease through infected mosquitoes. They can’t get it from other dogs or other types of animals, from dog feces, or from their mothers while in the womb or through nursing.

Only certain mosquitoes can transmit heartworm to your dog. These mosquitoes must meet certain precise criteria, including:

They must be female.
They must be of a species that allows development of the worms in the cells of the body (not all species do).
They must be of a species that feeds on mammals (not all do).
They must have bitten an animal infected with stage 1 (L1) heartworms about two weeks prior, since approximately 14 days are necessary for the larvae from the other animal to develop to stage 3 (L3) inside the transmitting mosquito.
This mosquito must then bite your dog. When the larvae reach stage L4-L5, which takes three to four months, under
the right conditions they can travel via your dog’s bloodstream to the lungs and heart.

If your dog’s immune system doesn’t destroy these invaders, they will reach maturity (L6), the adult stage, in which males can grow to six inches in length and females to 12.

Two other critically important features in the transmission of heartworm are:

The right temperature. During the time the heartworm larvae are developing from L1 to L3 inside an infected mosquito, which is approximately a two-week period, the temperature must not dip below 57°F at any point in time. If it does, the maturation cycle is halted. According to Washington State University heartworm report from 2006, full development of the larvae requires “the equivalent of a steady 24-hour daily temperature in excess of 64°F (18°C) for approximately one month.”
Humidity and standing water. Mosquitoes are a rarity in dry climates.
As you can see, in order for your dog to develop heartworm disease, a number of things have to happen with near-perfect timing under a precise set of circumstances.

Information on how many cases of canine heartworm disease occur each year in the U.S. is scarce. The AHS provides a heartworm incidence map for the years 2001, 2004 and 2007 which you might find helpful. Keep in mind it is a very general guideline and shouldn’t be viewed as the only decision-making tool at your disposal.

Assessing Your Dog’s Risk
There are only a few areas in the U.S. in which giving a nine month to year-round heartworm preventive might be advisable – those areas are in south Texas, south Florida, and a few other locations along the Gulf coast. The rest of the U.S. ranges from three to seven months of high exposure risk. The majority of states are at six months or less.

Given that heartworm preventives are insecticides designed to kill heartworm larvae inside your animal, and therefore have the potential for short and long-term side effects damaging to your pet’s health, the first bit of information you need is your dog’s actual risk of exposure to infected mosquitoes.

• This topic was modified 6 years, 10 months ago by Patricia A.

[Jaimie K]

I will look into feeding less kibble, thanks for the suggestion! I have been researching probiotics as well, and will pick one of those up next time I’m at the pet store that carries them.

I agree, I don’t want her on antibiotics much longer, especially since all of her tests have been negative for bacteria. If there was any indication that there was unusual or a higher amount of bacteria present in her GI tract, I’d be fine with it until the tests were normal again, but thats not the case. I feel like we’re just putting her on meds for the heck of it.

She is not on monthly heartworm, we do the ProHeart injection instead (every 6 months).

[malinda r]

Our dog is a 5 year old mix who had frequent loose stools that in the past led to more severe diarrhea and then late stage vomiting.

When I first adopted him 4 years ago this happened twice in six months, where he had to go to the vet for an injection to stop the vomiting, and then antibiotics. Over time I realized the kibbles seemed to be hardest on him, and also after some reading felt like he might have colitis.

In the past three years he has not had to visit the vet for illness, or take antibiotics. He does still get occasional diarrhea, but I treat it very quickly/early and it seems to halt the course of being more severely sick.

His diet:

In the am I do a little kibble and a lot of topper, kibbles I purchase are Stella and Chewy raw baked, Fromm pork and applesauce. I use the Stella and Chewy topper. I have tried some others, such as Nature’s Instinct, but it didn’t agree with him.

In the evening I give him canned with a little kibble on top. Currently we are using Health Extension lamb, but he has done well with their turkey also. So overall, not too much kibble.

I add in a probiotic from Mercola at times, herbal digestive supplement from the honest kitchen sometimes, a couple squirts of ultra oil for pets. I have purchased all this from chewy online. I try to not give these things every day, and let his body have a chance to do its own work, but when he seems a little off I add supplements to his food.

When his stool is looser, more frequent I start feeding cooked ground turkey or boiled chicken breasts. I may add in a sweet potato or some plain oatmeal. Usually if I do that for two days and then gradually add topper to the turkey and then topper and kibble to the turkey he is good by day 4 or 5.

When sick they need the antibiotics of course, but over time the antibiotics are so hard on their natural gut flora, so better to catch issues early and treat with the probiotics and other supplements before things get to a point where vet assistance is needed.

I have found when looking at food labels that foods with chicory and also beef flavors are hard on my dog. Also the monthly heartworm has caused some severe diarrhea as well!

It is really rough trying to monitor, theres me or my husband at 3am with a flashlight letting the dog out and then checking out his stool. haha. But monitoring and treating fast has been the best preventative for our dog, it seemed like once he got to a certain stage of sick no home treatment helped.

[Christie B]

I’m pretty good with making sure that my dogs see the vet annually for general checks and to make sure their up to date with necessary vaccinations. I was due to go back towards the end of 2018, but it completely slipped my mind.

My 9.5 year old American Bulldog mix has 1 front bowed leg. He’s always had it and he walks and runs fine (he looks gimpy when walking, but it’s how he’s always been and it causes no discomfort). He’s also had issues with food and the environment around him, although we’ve never been able to pinpoint his exact sensitivities. I’m sure you can go back and see my many posts and responses related to his “excessive drooling” and allergies posts.

So I noticed the other day when he was laying on his side (with the bowed leg up) that there appeared to be a large lump behind the leg. I never noticed it or just attributed it to the structure of his frame with the odd leg. So I went back to some old pictures I had, and I didn’t see the lump.

Concerned, I contacted the vet’s office on Saturday to make an appointment to look at the leg, as well as have his annual exam. The receptionist asked what doctor I deal with there. I told her the name of the practice’s owner (Dr. B), who also was the one who I discussed his allergies with (which was something I wanted to ask him about while I was there since the drooling episodes persist at irregular intervals). The earliest appointment was Monday 5:30. I rushed out of work that afternoon, let my dogs out, put the one in the car (I left the other home alone for like the 2nd time ever in the 4 years that I’ve had her)

When I arrived at the vet, I could see other dogs in the lobby. My big guy is loud and disruptive when he sees other dogs that he wants to meet. So I called and told them I was outside to call me when the room was ready. Nearly 30 minutes pass (we walked laps around the building) before we’re ushered into the hottest room ever. The vet tech asks me why we’re here. I explain about the lump and that I want to have his annual exam, etc.

So then we wait even longer and my poor dog, recognizing where he is is now panting and barking and crying. So the door opens and this women walks in. Never met her before, but she certainly wasn’t the vet I booked the appointment with. One of her arms wasn’t through the armhole of her cardigan and instead stuck out of the bottom. So something was up with her. She introduced herself, asked what I was here for.

Now, I understand my dog can be intimidating at first glance. He’s 119 pounds and has a giant pit head. But I never interacted with a vet who wouldn’t approach my dog. Even after telling her he’s 1000% friendly (and mind you I was holding him next to me), she made sure to keep the metal exam table between her and us.

So a vet tech comes in to ‘hold the dog’. The doctor looks at the lump and tells me, without touching it, that it’s a lipoma. I say “are you sure”, then she hesitantly approaches and feels the lump for about 10 seconds and says yes. Then says it’s obviously hampering his movements. I tell her he’s always had the bowed leg and cued up a video on my phone from him running, jumping and playing with my other dog the day before. So she then says it’s not hampering him, but it should be removed. And unfortunately it’s so big that they probably shouldn’t do the surgery and should have a specialist come in to do it. Then she did said that he’s young enough to warrant doing it (like I was automatically going to say no because of the expense). I she knew me like the other vet did, then she would know the well being of my dog is my priority. I ask her to get me an estimate.

I then ask if we can do a needle aspiration to make sure it’s not cancer. Why would I put my dog through a surgery, only to find out it may be cancerous and then make him go through treatments? If it’s cancer, he might still have to have surgery, but maybe they could try other methods to shrink it or kill it first. She says we can “for peace of mind”. And then tells me 30 seconds later that needle aspirations on lumps are highly inaccurate. The sample they take might not have cancer, but it can still be there.

Peace of mind, indeed.

Then she tries to dissuade me from the procedure by saying it will be expensive (but specialized surgery isn’t?)

I tell her to go ahead and do it.

While they try to formulate the price, she sells me on their “wellness package” which includes standard blood labs, urine and stool labs and heartworm test. Other than her 10 seconds spent feeling the lump and listening to his heart with a stethoscope, she didn’t touch my dog. The vet tech felt my dog’s body for lumps. Found a hard one in his chest. Doctor edges closes and feels for 1 second…”not concerned”. I tell them he has a lot of little lumps on his belly along with a bunch of skin tags of various size and color. She wasn’t interested in seeing them.

I’ve had wellness exams every year. The vet normally checks my dog’s ears, mouth, teeth, runs his hands over the dog to looks for lumps or abnormalities, checks over his legs and makes sure his joints are ok, listens to his heart, listen to his lungs/respiration, asks me what he eats, asks about his energy level, talks about any sort of supplements he takes, sometimes takes his temperature and checks the anal glands.

But this lady had her tech do the most cursory exam feeling for lumps on his back and sides and that’s it.

So she leaves the room to get started with prepping for the needle aspiration. Time passes (so much time) and she pops her head in and says that Dr. B (the practice owner) has to be the one who does it because she just had shoulder surgery (thanks for finally telling me) and unfortunately he still has two other patients to see, so can I come back another time? I turn around and tell her that I work every day and I switched my schedule around to be there that day and not for nothing but my appointment was supposed to be with Dr. B in the first place. So she says that she hopes that I wasn’t disappointed in having her treat my dog (I should have said something, but I didn’t). But I made the point that had I had Dr. B like originally scheduled, I wouldn’t have had to wait for him to finish with other people in order to do this test because he would have done the exam and the test and finish with me before seeing anyone else.

I wound up waiting. My poor dog, already traumatized by the blood test puncture was panting and crying and barking. At first, I kept shushing him. But then I just let him bark it out, because maybe they’d be so sick of hearing him that they’d hurry up. Dr. B finally came in, did the needle aspiration and left. In and out in less than 5 minutes.

I had hoped that he was going to come in alone so I could give him a tell him how disappointed I was with the exam and the doctor. But she had come in with him and with the vet techs in the room holding the dog down, I didn’t want to speak in front of them.

It’s been 3 days and I’m still annoyed. I didn’t get to discuss the drooling episodes (she was not interested at all in discussing it since it happens so randomly and the Benedryl and Pepcid help manage it). Who knows if the other lumps are lipomas or something else? I wanted to discuss senior nutrition (but not with her at this point).

I didn’t want to say anything until all the lab tests were in. Everything was good (Cholesterol and Total Protein levels a bit high, but she wasn’t concerned) and the biopsy came back likely to be fatty deposit lipoma.

Anyone else have inadequate vet exams?

And yes, I could have made a separate appointment to do the wellness exam and focus this one on the lump. But my vet knows these visits aren’t cheap and always makes a point of asking if there’s anything else I want to address while I’m there so I don’t have to pay for another visit. This new vet couldn’t be bothered…how do you expect to go to work to thoroughly examine a pet when you only have the use of 1 arm?

[anonymous]

Quote “Well, scouring the net, Royal Canine does not seem to have a good reputation in general”

Stop scouring the net! Too much bogus information. Listen to a veterinary healthcare professional that has examined the dog. What worked for someone else’s dog won’t necessarily work for yours.

Five days! Give the dog a break, they need at least a month to transition. She is probably grieving her previous home.
Some dogs stop eating when they are kenneled, never mind being sent to a new home.
A small breed at 6 months is almost an adult.
In fact, I hope she has been fixed. The vets those shelters use do the bare minimum due to budget constraints.
Usually just vaccinations and a quick look over…not a thorough exam.
Make sure her teeth are okay, small breeds have lousy teeth, if there is pain that would explain her reluctance to eat.
This is a good time to find a vet near home and have a meet and greet. Discuss flea/tick prevention, heartworm meds, etc.

[Susan]

Hi Cheryl,

Which Flea product did he take?? did you report to FDA

https://www.tumblr.com/drjeandoddspethealthresource/178817671296/fda-warning-flea-tick-products

When you do get a new dog DO NOT use any of these never Flea chews they’re poison,
“Frontline Plus Spot on” or “Frontline Spray” only penitrates 2 layers of the dogs skin, so it doesn’t go into the dogs blood & poison the poor dog… I do not use any Flea products, Heartworm meds, dont vaccinate after the dog is 2 yrs old

Follow “Dr John Robb Protect The Pets”
https://www.facebook.com/DRRobbPTP/
they have found a dogs vaccination last up to 7 yrs, so why are these vets over vaccinating our pets & now if you have a small dog under 50lbs – 25kg check & make sure the vaccination dose is 1/2 the amount..

Follow “Rodney Habib” on his F/B page he post about nutrition, over vaccinating, diets, dog behaviour, why is your dog so hyper its probably whats he’s eating, Rodney & Dr Karen Becker are both a wealth of information to bring up a healthy dog, he’s doing a story at teh moment oldest living dogs & what they ate.. it wasnt dry kibble try & stay away from over processed dry kibble…
Look into feeding a raw diet or if you cant handle raw look at Freeze dried/Dehydrated raw…there’s heaps of good brands around..
https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib

[Susan]

Hi Christine,

I would stay away from all dog fish dry/wet foods they have been found to be High in Heavy Metals, Toxins & Contaminates..
The Purina Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach Salmon formula has been on the 1 star high in toxins/heavy metals list. The company list changes every 3 months when they re test 299 most popular Dog & Cat Wet, Dry & Treat foods..
Google dog foods Contaminates, Heavy Metals, Im not allow to post the link…

Can you feed him a home made fresh raw or cooked balance diet ? this will be healthier diet then dry kibble… or start adding fresh whole foods to his kibble & reduce his kibble amount, buy tin Sarines in Spring water drain water & add 1/4 of a can to 1 meal a day, also Salmon drain water add 2 spoons to his meal, broccolli, peel/de seed apple, mussels, egg, fresh whole foods, left over after you’ve cooked dinner foods will be healthier then the dry kibble, I buy the Freeze Dried Mussels & give 1-2 mussels a day as a treat depends how big the mussels are you can also buy frozen mussels…

Pitbulls Staffys are known to suffer with stomach problems so keep that in mind with his poo eating..
He might be suffering with stomach problems if not, then after eating his brothers poo this isnt healthy.
My Staffy a rescue has IBD & when I first got him he was eating poo,
He needed to fix his gut bacteria get it healthy again, I put him on a dog probiotic powder add 10-15ml water with the recommend amount of probiotic powder, swirl water around in bowl to dissolve the probiotic give in morning on empty stomach as a treat…or buy Kefir give as a drink in the morning for breakfast, Bone Broth it’s very healthy for the gut aswell.

I do no give my Staffy any Heartworm meds, my Boxer was given the yearly heartworm injection, after 1 of her injections when she was 7yrs old her gums went white she fainted & became very unwell & had to be rushed back to the vets, so the next time the vet reduced the heartworm dose, then I stopped giving them to her after I learnt she had cancer, she had Mast Cell cancer so keep an eye out for any weird type worts, lumps, skin tags etc especially around back legs.
I don’t live in a high heartworm area there hasn’t been any cases now over 30yrs I asked my vet the other month cause Patch was getting his wierd wort/skin tags all removed & the vet wasn’t concerned about Patch not being heartwormed, she said they dont see any cases these days, But I live in Australia, so no need to give him posions to kill heartworms he probably doesnt even have, also the Mosquito has to bite an infected dog then come along & bite your dog then infect your dog, this take 6months to become a heartworm….

I do not use any flea chews etc they are very toxic, they attack the flea & ticks nervous system & paralyze the flea & tick causing neurological problems with some dogs.
If you have to use a flea product just use “Frontline Spot On ” or the “Frontline Spray” Frontline only penitrates 2 layers of the dogs skin & doesn’t go into their blood system like the other flea products, you can also make natural sprays aswell.

Follow “Rodney Habib” he is always posting short video’s
https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib
also follow
“Dr. John Robb – Protect the Pets” do not over vaccinate.
https://www.facebook.com/DRRobbPTP/

[HoundMusic]

“Has anyone else dealt with hookworm? My vet says that hookworm can play a number on the gastrointestinal tract and cause a lot of inflammation and it may take many months to recover.”

I had a litter almost wiped out by the little devils, and on a very rare occasion had a hound or two contract them from wild rabbit.

And they are half impossible to get rid of. Hartgard is useless for the prevention or treatment of hooks, as the medications are only effective for heartworms and roundworms. For hooks, you need fenbendazole (panacur), and regardless of negative fecals, which can be misleading if worms or eggs are not present in that particular stool sample, you MUST continue to de-worm on a regular basis for the next several months. Believe me, they will never go away otherwise.

Hookworms wreak havoc on the GI tract, so you might want to consider giving anti-inflammatory meds or supplements (turmeric in small doses is helpful sometimes), and forget the yogurt because an overwhelmed digestive system does not need more bacteria or irritating milk proteins. Also, for certain types of digestive issues, lowering dietary fat sometimes works because higher fat = more lubricated bowels :/

If you want my unorthodox recommendation for foods, I’ll say this. My litter with hookworms had not only ongoing digestive upsets, but a skin condition that caused open, bloody, purulent sores. In that instance, I had excellent results switching off “designer” food and onto Purina ONE, which cured the sores and internal damage in a matter of days. However, any dog I’ve ever owned with any sort of digestive issue, from mild maldigestion to inability to handle food due to starvation, to a life threatening case of ulcerative colitis, have all responded beautifully to Pedigree. My 2 cents.

[pitlove]

Hi Jacky-

I have one dog who after having a seizure after a surgery can not have certain flea preventions like Trifexis. We use Bravecto now on the advice of our vet/my boss and he has not had any issues. I don’t give flea preventation all the time, but I try to give it as much as I can. I never skip heartworm prevention though.

[Debbie D]

To solve this problem and gain enough knowledge (and spend enough $$$$ at vet clinics) it took me 10 years. I am glad to say we have kicked this problem 100%. I am very sad though that my pets had to suffer for 10 years before we found the solution. Several of the answers here are on the mark, however, there are some missing pieces of information. Here are the components of the solution that results in the ear problems clearing up in addition to every other allergy issue a dog may have. You can’t do just one thing, you have to address all aspects of care:
1. Diet
2. Flea control poisons
3. Heartworm and Parasite poisons
4. Vaccinosis
5. Chiropractic
6. Vet type
We solved this problem when we started going to alternative vets and Chiropractic vets. I spent thousands at the veterinary clinic, hundreds at the alternative clinics and next to nothing at the Chiropractic vets. The alternative vets (3 of them) were all indispensable. One used Chinese herbs, another acupuncture and another (the best) used a combination of modalities including cold laser, acupuncture, Chiropractic, nutrition, and herbs. The Chiropractic vets gave the most bang for the buck but it took to a visit to five different ones to settle on our favorites. Yes, hard to believe, but a spinal adjustment can be miraculous in calming down allergies. The older the dog the more likely they need this treatment. Some Chiropractors also have cold laser treatments. Go to AVCA.org to find a pet Chiropractor. Some states require Chiros to be vets (like Texas) and others (Oklahoma) allow human Chiros to treat pets. There are advantages both ways.

So bottom line, we now feed NO commercial food but instead feed raw chicken plus a home cooked chicken and vegetable stew. We freeze it in daily portion size containers. This raw food supplemented diet eliminated all parasites (fleas, ticks, heart worms, intestinal worms, etc.) thereby eliminating our need for poisons. Raw diet also eliminated our need for vaccines (titer testing proved this.) Eliminating vaccines eliminated the need for steroid therapy that the vets kept pushing on our dogs. Eliminating flea control like Nextgard, Trifexis, Comfortis, Frontline, and Advantage was a major step forward. These chemicals/drugs were a major cause of itching in our Pugs and we tried them all. These chemicals also caused sores and weeping irritated skin.
Once our dogs were already having out of control skin issues we had to use shampoos and aloe vera in addition to dietary changes. We switched to duck and fed only (USA) Merrick commercial dog food and this was a major improvement. However, the real change came with the raw. We eventually eliminated the Merrick except for traveling/hiking and emergencies. It took about 3 months to a year of proper feeding to stop the fleas dead in their tracks. We used flea combs and Ark Naturals Neem Shampoo to check for fleas.
In one dog, we had to get a prescription of Apoquel (new drug only at select vets) to stop the itching (instead of dangerous steroids.) This was an emergency measure because itching causes scratching which leads to staph infections in ears and on the skin/belly.
The ear itching and yeast infection eventually led to staph infection also from the dogs scratching their ears. To clear this up we used a combination of products over several months. I will list the products and their purpose.
1. Zymox enzymatic ear solution (green bottle) for yeast/bacteria
2. Olive Oil drops – extra virgin for yeast/bacteria
3. Colloidal Silver (10ppm) dropped in ears for yeast/infection
4. 7-Day feminine antifungal cream (yeast only, outside of ears and bumpy noses/folds)
Zymox was best for yeast. Olive oil was the best for everything including swelling of the ear canal. Colloidal Silver kicked the secondary infections almost overnight.
Moist ears is a side effect of yeast infection, not a cause. Swimmers ear is a result not of the water but of having a dietary systemic yeast infection before your dog ever goes swimming.
Taking our dogs swimming in a creek or lake had no effect on the ears, however, swimming in a chlorinated pool did aggravate the ears and skin.
The feminine yeast cream has been a real life saver. We use the weakest version and only apply it to ear flaps. If you want Miconazole ear drops, you’ll have to go to the vet for that. But honestly, the olive oil is just as good. The problem with prescription drugs is that they usually only treat one bug, unlike the first three items on my list.
I hope someone finds this useful.
Since this is a dog food website, i will give my two cents on dog food brands (never feed dry): Highest quality, readily available brands are Merrick, Nature’s Variety, Primal Freeze Dried Raw, and Orijen. No, I would never feed Blue. I’ve been in the pet business for most of my life and I know secrets about many brands that will make your skin crawl. I will not lookup or recommend any brands other than the ones I listed.
I am chronicling my personal experiences on a blog so feel free to visit as you like. Snortlepuss.com
DogFoodAdvisor.com is one of the best resources a person can have for learning about brands. Please take the ratings seriously and only feed to top rated foods.

• This reply was modified 7 years, 9 months ago by Debbie D. Reason: missing info

[Tiffany T]

I guess we all have our opinions. I don’t go to a homeopathic vet. But I also wouldn’t put all homeopathic vets in a box. Maybe you just listened to the wrong one. I’m sorry for your misfortune.

My dogs are on trifexis for heartworms/fleas/intestinal parasites, and my vet said that should clear up their hookworms within 1-2 weeks since they were only eggs so far (no adults).

[weezerweeks]

I don’t buy anything from 1-800 meds because I had a friend who bought heartworm medicine from them and gave it every month and her dog got heartworms. They had to pay for the treatment because she proved it. I think it had something to do with storage. Susie I’ve heard that only the injections work. I’m going to see my vet tomorrow to see what he says.

[MATT C]

Yup, I’m still here (at least getting notifications) but no, I did not transition him to raw. We were able to trace many of his digestive problems to the heartworm medicine that we had him on. We stopped giving him this medicine and both the severity and frequency of his flare-ups drastically decreased.

[Pamela L]

Here is the answer for affordable heartworm control. I use the 1% injectable for Cows. You can get it at almost any feed store for about $25. It does not taste good to the dogs but I can treat the animials in my no-kill shelter for about $25 per year which is amaziing. Here is the dosage:

Directions for making 30:1 dilution of 1% solution
A 30:1 dilution works best for smaller dogs. Ivemectin is given orally (never use pour-on solutions for heartworm prevention).

Mix 30 parts glycerin, propylene glycol, or vegetable oil to 1 part ivermectin 1% solution. Shake well before using to mix the ivermectin evenly. Refrigerate any unused portion (do not store mixtures with vegetable oil).

Dosage using Ivermectin 1% solution at 30:1 dilution for heartworm prevention (you may want to double these doses for better protection):
< 6 pounds: 0.05 cc (one-half of 0.1 cc, or 1 drop from an eye dropper, assuming 20 drops per ml)
6 to 12 pounds: 0.1 cc
13 to 24 pounds: 0.2 cc
25 to 36 pounds: 0.3 cc
37 to 48 pounds: 0.4 cc
49 to 60 pounds: 0.5 cc
62 to 72 pounds: 0.6 cc
73 to 84 pounds: 0.7 cc
85 to 97 pounds: 0.8 cc
98 to 109 pounds: 0.9 cc
110 to 121 pounds: 1 cc
Ivermectin solution is given orally. It’s best to squirt it into the mouth, rather than adding to food, to be sure your dog gets it all.

To make a small amount of the mixture, you will need a 1 cc syringe that measures accurately to the tenth of a cc. Draw up 0.1 cc of Ivermectin solution in a 1 cc syringe, and mix well with 3 cc of glycerin, propylene glycol, or vegetable oil, giving you 3 ccs at a dilution ratio of 30:1. This is enough to treat 300 pounds of dogs using the 1% solution.

To make larger amounts of the mixture, use a 1 fluid ounce dropper bottle, which is 30 ml. Put 1 ml of ivermectin solution in a 1 fluid ounce dropper bottle, then fill with glycerin, propylene glycol, or vegetable oil. This will be enough to treat 3,000 pounds of dogs (e.g., 300 10-lb dogs or 150 20-lb dogs) using the 1% solution.

1 cc of ivermectin 1% diluted 30:1 contains 333 mcg; 0.1 cc = 33 mcg.
The exact dosage is 0.0824 cc (approximately 0.1 cc) per 10 pounds of body weight.

Directions for making 9:1 dilution of 1% solution
A 9:1 dilution works best for larger dogs. Ivemectin is given orally (never use pour-on solutions for heartworm prevention).

Mix 9 parts glycerin, propylene glycol, or vegetable oil to 1 part ivermectin 1% solution. Shake well before using to mix the ivermectin evenly. Refrigerate any unused portion (do not store mixtures with vegetable oil).

Dosage using Ivermectin 1% solution at 9:1 dilution for heartworm prevention (you may want to double these doses for better protection):
up to 18 pounds: 0.05 cc (one-half of 0.1 cc, or 1 drop from an eye dropper, assuming 20 drops per ml)
19 to 36 pounds: 0.1 cc
37 to 73 pounds: 0.2 cc
74 to 110 pounds: 0.3 cc
111 to 147 pounds: 0.4 cc
Ivermectin solution is given orally. It’s best to squirt it into the mouth, rather than adding to food, to be sure your dog gets it all.

To make a small amount of the mixture, you will need a 1 cc syringe that measures accurately to the tenth of a cc or a dropper bottle. Draw up 0.1 cc of Ivermectin solution in a 1 cc syringe, and mix well with 0.9 cc of glycerin, propylene glycol, or vegetable oil, giving you 1 cc at a dilution ratio of 9:1. This is enough to treat 333 pounds of dogs using the 1% solution.

To make larger amounts of the mixture, use a 1 fluid ounce dropper bottle, which is 30 ml. Put 3 ml of ivermectin solution in a 1 fluid ounce dropper bottle, then fill with glycerin, propylene glycol, or vegetable oil. This will be enough to treat 9,000 pounds of dogs (e.g., 90 100-lb dogs) using the 1% solution.

1 cc of ivermectin 1% diluted 9:1 contains 1,000 mcg; 0.1 cc = 100 mcg ivermectin.
The exact dosage is 0.0272 ml (approximately 0.03 cc) per 10 pounds of body weight.

[AmCa]

I spoke to the vet again today and she said there is about 25% chance for a false negative for parasites on the fecal test, so even tho the sample was negative she still suspects hookworms may be the cause of the anemia. Given the poor and cramped conditions the dog was living in for so long along with 10 other dogs, it’s unlikely these dogs are free of worms.

I’ll retreat with another course of panacur (dewormer) in couple weeks. And put her on Heartguard Plus soon, apparently that may help prevent the internal parasites, too. (Warm climate here, we have to give heartworm prevention year round).

Ive been taking her for 4-6 ten min walks every day and she poops a good bit almost every time. It’s pale in color and still soft serve but has shape. Didn’t seem to be quite as stinky today.

Another concern the vet has is that she is unspayed, about 5 yrs old, and her last heat was supposedly ~2 months ago, and her nipples are still very swollen. False pregnancy maybe? I don’t have any experience with this as my pets are always already fixed when I adopt them or not long after. The plan is to get her spayed in mid March if the anemia is resolved and enough weight gain by then.

PS- I changed my screen name to AmCa to avoid confusion!

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by AmCa.

[AmCa]

Thank you both for the feedback! Much appreciated!
Bloodwork at my vet today showed she is anemic and her temperature is a little low. 🙁
The vet put her on a 3 day wide spectrum dewormer and sent fecal sample to lab. She recommended puppy food so I got simply nourish puppy, but I will slowly introduce it mixed with the food I am feeding my other dogs because she seems to b be tolerating that one well enough and her stool is a little firmer today. My petsmart is kinda small so not a lot of choices for puppy food and I was rushed for time having to get myself to a dr appt so I didn’t have a chance to browse brands and nutrients too closely. Hopefully she’ll do ok on the one I got.
Completely exhausted from it all and worried. I sure hope she can recover. So sad. The good news is she is heartworm negative!

[pitlove]

haleycookie-

I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that we are going to ask for links to credible research (published papers, studies, peer reviewed articles etc) when such statements are presented like “kidney disease is on the rise in cats..” “cats dying from kidney failure more than any other illness” “that is because of garbage kibble people are told to buy”. Whats interesting is, you likely can’t produce any of this information because studies done in cats are few and far between. Why do you think we can’t easily diagnose and treat heartworm disease in cats even though some 50% or more of the cat population (indoor and outdoor) are HW+? So I’ll ask you then, where do you get your information from? It doesn’t seem to have any basis besides someones opinion you’ve likely read on facebook etc.

[GSDsForever]

“Vet says he’s too young for allergy.”

I have had multiple dogs with allergies, food and otherwise, been advised by specialists and excellent experienced general practice vets, as well as done my own judicious research and I have NEVER heard that from any source. I would question that.

While my current dog has had the most challenging to figure out and overcome allergies I have personally encountered, she is now doing exceptionally well. We (my vet & I) have used a multi-pronged approach for this dog that has both food and environmental allergies.

I agree w/anon — see a different vet, get a second opinion and get an accurate diagnosis based on good, solid veterinary knowledge and experience, a specialist as needed. Ask for a referral to the specialist if necessary. A good generalist vet should be happy to refer.

Pitlove also makes a good point. Fleas aren’t a big challenge where I live, but I do know that flea bite allergies (even from a single flea when you don’t see fleas, flea dirt) are a major cause of allergies/itching for many dogs.

This is the protocol for my dog, some or all of which may be helpful to your dog if you haven’t tried something (or the combined approach):

1)DIET
Novel Protein (10-12 weeks to see results) Limited Ingredient Diet — homemade or from a company with very strict allergen/cross-contamination AND NOT ONE DEMONSTRATED IN VET JOURNALS TO BE CROSS-CONTAMINATED ALREADY (Royal Canin, Natural Balance, Nature’s Variety/Instinct, et. al.)

— and ABSOLUTELY NO treats, supplements, “real”/”people” food, medicines (i.e. heartworm preventatives), or even chew/dental toys (i.e. Nylabone) that contain the established top food ingredient allergens for dogs (beef, chicken, fish, eggs, dairy, wheat, soy, corn). I treat w/her actual food or low allergen potential real food (i.e. blueberries, green beans, watermelon)

***Because I feed kangaroo — having needed a more unusual, rare protein source — I feed Zignature Kangaroo LID (GF) dry & canned food.

I also supplement, per vet prescription, Omega 3 EPA & DHA at a high, therapeutic/condition treating dose daily for anti-inflammatory effects, plus skin, coat, brain benefits — and I use Grizzly’s Wild Alaskan Salmon Oil in pump bottle.

2)ENVIRONMENT:

a)Frequent thorough bathing w/very hypoallergenic and gentle shampoo & skin soothing, skin repairing/barrier protective, etc. ingredients

b)frequent washing of dog’s bedding, etc. in hypoallergenic laundry detergent

c)frequent vaccuuming (pollen, dust/particulates, etc.)

d)hypoallergenic wet wipes wipe down of whole dog, especially paws (or dunking/rinsing paws off), after all walks & trips outside (pollen, dust/particulates, etc.)

Finally — consider & don’t overlook your own personal care/cleaning products that may cause allergic responses in your dog.

3)Cytopoint (aka CADI) injections, every 4-8 weeks as needed, seasonally or otherwise

I researched, considered, and rejected two other rx allergy/itch meds, Apoquel and Atopica.

I also researched and considered trials of 4 (recommended #) OTC antihistamines (e.g. benadryl, zyrtec/cetirizine).

I tried the above all in that order, before adding the next step.

We also tried once, but didn’t receive good relief and diagnostic results from a steroid injection — to see if she had seasonal environmental only allergies vs. food/combination.

[Susan]

Hi
Atlas & Cockalier Mom as well,

I follow “Rodney Habib” https://www.facebook.com/rodneyhabib on his face book page, Dr Karen Becker & Rodney have been traveling all over the world speaking & interviewing Dr’s Vets, Scientists etc like Dr Steve Marsden, Dr Marty Goldstein, Dr Jean Dobbs, Dr Richard Patton, Dr John Robb, Dr Ian Billinghurst, Dr Gregory Ogilive, DR Karen Becker, Dr Erin Bannink, Dr Joseph Mercola, Dr Tim Spector & many more & Rodney & Ty Bollinger have put together a 5 part video’s free so we all can learn how to have a healthy dog the way nature intended them to be, click on Rodneys link above then scroll down his page & look for “The Truth About Pet Cancer” Episode 2, “Hidden Hazards & Causes” get a cuppa sit back & watch, then watch Episode 3 Raw Diet vs Kibble, Episode 4 “Heal & Repair” has just been put on Rodneys F/B page.
“Steve Brown” is also good to follow when it comes to healthy feeding & what to add to your dogs diet, when Steve Brown was asked, if he had to add just 1 ingredient what would he add to balance the diet & he said “Mussels” they’re cheap & very healthy, Mussels have Manganese, Iodine, Fats, Vitamin D, EPA, DHA, Glucosamine, Chondrotoitin get some Freezed Dried Green Lipped Mussels I buy “K-9 Natural” New Zealand Brand, Patch gets 2 Mussels a day around 11am, yes he does do a few smelly farts after he eats te Mussels but so far pooo’s have stayed the same firm & I know Mussels are very healthy for his skin, coat & his joints, he’s nilly 9yrs old in Novemeber, Steve also said to add 1 spoon of Salmon & a pinch of kelp to their diets….
Dr John Robb & Jean Dobbs are really good Dr’s watch their interviews about Vaccinations in “The Truth About Cancer” Episode 2, we all want answers why are our pets dying so young from cancer & other diseases, back 20-30 yrs ago this wasn’t happening cause we weren’t putting all these flea tick poisons on or in their bodies or feeding dry processed kibble, we feed table scaps what we ate, we didn’t over vaccinate, I only remember my mum going to the old drunk vet up the road when the cats needed desexing or putting down, she’s carried them in small round leather bag & bring them back & burry them in the back yard.
When watching these video’s get a writing pad to jot things down quickly, in Episode 3 when Ty Bollinger who is also doing these Episode with Rodney Ty talks about what he uses for Flea products, after watching this section of the video you will think twice before using any poison flea products, Ty said he gets “Orange Oil”, “Lemon Oil” & “Grapefruit Oil” he gets a little 99c spray bottle adds a few squirts of all 3 oils then add some water shakes & spray Atlas for Fleas & Ticks instead of giving him any poison flea products, Mike Adams said he uses “Cedar Oil” for fleas & Ticks especially if your dogs swims, the Cedar Oil doesn’t wash off, Dr Eward Group uses “Diatomaseous Earth” for worms & heartworm adds once a week to 1 of the meals “do NOT give him any of these new Flea Chews or tablets” they change the dogs blood, so think about it a tick has just bitten your dog & the Tick dies straight away, this poison is in their blood running & pumping thru their body going thru our dogs organs now that wouldn’t be healthy for the dogs. Bravecto should be taken off the shelves its the worst flean product & cause its new we dont have any real research yet about long term side effects, the Poisons in Bravecto stays in a dogs body heaps longer then the 3 months it states on Bravecto, vets have taken blood tests from very sick dog after they had been given Barvecto Chew & became very ill & 9mths later these sick dogs still had the poisons that are in Bravecto still in their system…
There’s not much research when it comes to our dogs & cats especially food & diet, most of the research is done by the big companies like Hills but in Australia our vets & some of our pet food companies tell us pet owners if you feed kibble also add raw meaty bones to the dogs or cats diet at least once or twice a week, we have one brand kibble called “Stay Loyal” made by brothers & they tells their customers to fast your dog 1 day a week Sunday & feed raw meathy bones instead of a kibble meal thru the week, this is what all pet food companies should be doing being honest with pet owners but it wont happen in America…
I hope you both enjoy watching Rodney & Ty Bollingers video’s there’s a lot to sink in so maybe watch the video’s a few times, the sad part is we have sick pets & cant do alot of the things like feed the Raw Diet but we still can add healthy foods to their diets, in 1 yr time when Atlas is an Adult & gut has healed, Atlas might be able to chew on a nice raw meaty bone & have no problems at all later on, he’s lucky he has you helping heal & fix his intestinal problem now in the beginning while he’s still a pup, so chances are his intestinal tract will slowly heal & then just avoid the foods he’s sensitive too, where Patches old owners we think he had a few owners cause of his name “Patch” he didnt know or answer to Patch when I get him thru rescue & he was micro chipped at 3months old all details DOB were on his M/C paper work, patches first owner must of given him up to someone else cause he would of answered to Patch, his owners mustnt of bothered when he had diarrhea or did real sloppy poo’s & just kept feeding him them same diet that was causing all his intestinal problems ..When I move I’m re introducing Patch onto raw again, I’m trying 1 last time, he’s getting a Crocodile meaty bone for his 9th birthday, he always pulls me to the fridge section & looks at the raw Crocodile & Kangaroo meaty bones….
We can stop using the flea tick products, I don’t use any flea/tick, allwormers or no Heartworm products, Patch always became real ill after I’d use any flea/tick products & his vet said NO to all the new flea/tick chews & tablets, the Fleas dont seem to jump on him, he doesnt seem to get any fleas only 1 Summer the fleas at the Park were bad we had had heaps of rain & a few fleas would jump up on his legs but he’d tell me straight away, he’d stop walking & look to where the flea was on his body & I’d squeeze inbetween nails & kill them, I dont use allwormers or Heart wormers either I dont live in a bad Heartworm area ask your vet he’ll know if your living in a high heartworm area, the only flea product Patches vet said to use & doesn’t go thru to the dogs blood is “Frontline Plus” Spot On & Frontline Spray, the rest all go into the dogs blood, that’s another thing try & find a GOOD vet, there’s some bodgee vets around & some really good vets like Rodney’s video’s they do heaps more studying after they have become vets & learn heap more about diet, nutrition, poisons, vaccines etc did you know a vet isnt taught how to prevent your dog from getting sick or cancer the vet is just taught how to treat the dying dog who already has cancer or is already sick, that’s sad I think…..
I’ve seen a lot of different vets over the years thru rescue, you have vets that love giving the dogs drugs & dont bother working out why this is happening with teh dog etc but lately the vets I’m seeing thru the pounds that are younger & learning now have an different approach then the more older cranky vets, so I hoping thats going to be a good thing for the future of our pets….

[Susan]

Hi Karen H,
stay away from any oral chews for fleas etc especailly Bravecto it stays in the dogs system more then 3 months & if the dog starts to react & gets sick there’s no treatment to reverse the Bravecto…

Do you live in a high flea, high heartworm area?? ask vet when was the last time he had a heartworm patient in your area ask a few vets in the area normallly the vet staff at the front desk know?? Where I live vets haven’t seen any heartworm cases in 30yrs now.
Less chemicals you put in his body the better off he’ll be….
I have a very sensitive boy who has IBD & I do not use any flea chews, we don’t have fleas where I live but when I first rescued Patch nilly 5 yrs ago when we were walking thru the park before all these flea chews came out (Bravecto & Nexgard) there were fleas in the dog park after it rained thru the Summer months & Patch would tell me as soon as a flea jumped up on his leg, he’s allergic to flea bites, just 1 bite & he itches for days, Patches vet said the best product to use is “Frontline Plus Spot on” or the Frontline Flea spray, they both only penitrate 2 layers of the dogs skin, where other flea proucts like Advantage spot on penitrate thru to their blood, Patch was spewing blood after I applied Advantage spot on when I first rescued him, I dont know if it was a coincidence this happened but it was awful he woke up 2am vomiting & there were clots of blood in his vomit, I took his vomit to the vet that morning but the blood clots had mixed thru, this is how I’ve learnt all this info about flea products, the Frontline spray is expensive but it last a few Summers, I was just spraying his legs then put on a glove & spraying the glove then rubbing onto Patch fur.. but these last 2 Summers he hasn’t had no fleas at all I’d say everyone in the area are using all the new toxic chews for fleas, so my Patch is flea free when he comes home from his walks & he doesnt need any chemicals in his body..
Join a few “Natural Canine groups” & ask what they’re using for fleas, I know in Australia, Australian made pet foods have Garlic in them, at the end of the ingredient list, so there’s not much garlic in the dog foods, google what foods in a dogs diet stops fleas, you don’t add heaps of Garlic only very small amounts there’s other foods as well like Brewers Yeast…
I know Lavendar & Rosemary plants planted around the the yard are good to keep away Mozzies as Mosquitos hate Lavender & Rosemary, you can make up lavender, pepermint, eucalyptus in a spray bottle & spray the dogs coat, bedding, kennel etc to keep fleas away, I’m moving into a house in a few months & I’m worring about fleas as the last owner had a dog & a cat so there will be flea eggs in the dirt grass etc there’s no carpet inside house so hopefully the house will be flea free, but fleas dont seem to like Patch, Patches vet said she see a few dogs that are the same the fleas jump on them, then the flea jumps back off them, could be their diet….

[karen h]

Hi, i have a two month old puppy. Last month Vet put him on nexgard 3 days later he had blood in urine. This month he was given another dose. 3 days later blood again in urine. Will not be giving to him again. The first time we did not know what caused it. He had gotten oral heartworm meds and i was switching his dog food.

[weezerweeks]

Do not use in dogs under 2 lbs. You should also have him tested for heartworms before u start giving the pill.

[anonymous]

It looks like a pill, the size of a baby aspirin. My dogs eat it like it’s piece of kibble. Best to give it with food
You can coat the pill in a little butter, keep an eye on the dog for about 10 minutes.to make sure they don’ t spit it up.
I would go by your vets advice. as to how often to give. I give it every 5 weeks except in the dead of winter.
But I’m not in Florida. I have heard the rate of heartworm disease is high there.
I think you will be taking a risk if you give every 45 days.

[Krissy K]

Hello!

Just came across this blog while researching heartworm meds. I’m originally from Canada where heartworm was seasonal and rare in our area. We now live in Florida and recently got a 1.5 lb Yorkie puppy. I’m trying to decide which heartworm medication to give her. Her natural vet and all the vets down this way advised heartworm meds are needed year round. After researching I agree, since she’s so little a lot of the brands are a higher dose. I have it narrowed down to heartgard or interceptor. Just the regular, I don’t want a combo flea medication. We have a good all natural regime for her that’s been working well. My concern is the heartgard is 0-25 lb’s she’s so little to be getting such a large dose. The interceptor is 2-10 which seems like a better dose however I’m not sure which medication would work well and have the least side effects on her. The vet said either would be fine but I like to really do my research before giving any meds. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[InkedMarie]

I’ve used Interceptor for years, on many dogs, never vomiting.

Christine, isn’t Sentinal for heartworm and fleas?

[weezerweeks]

My yorkie has been on Heartgard and I’m thinking about switching. I just want one for heartworms not fleas ticks. He has a sensitive stomach. I was thinking about interceptor but someone on hear said it caused vomiting in her dog. Any suggestions

[CockalierMom]

Hi Atlas,
With your boy’s gut already irritated and inflamed from something in the Instinct, the rice irritated it more. Neither one of my girls can tolerate rice in kibble or when it is double cooked in water and time. As Susan mentioned before, once his gut gets healed he may or may not be able to tolerate rice. When it comes to food issues, it really is a matter of experimenting to see what they can tolerate.

My girls actually do good with the LID Natural Balance foods because of the low fiber, but I knew you did not want the expense so the Nature’s Domain looks like a good option. (If I had a Costco close to me, it is a food I would try). My girl with just the grain intolerance actually eats half Wellness Simple Turkey and half NB Duck and Potato–the fiber in Wellness is a little too high so I cut it with NB.

As far as the Sentinel, I used it all the time 10 years ago with my previous girls and then it was discontinued. When they brought it back 4 years ago, I decided to try it again instead of Heartguard, but after the first dose, their fur became very dull and dry (they are both black cockers). Our vet mentioned how bad their coats looked and wanted to know what I had changed and it turned out to be due to the Sentinel. I found this out when I took them off of it for the winter, and the shine returned to their coats. I did try giving another dose a few months later, and the same thing happened so it obviously did not agree with either one. I know there are a lot of people who use it without any problems at all. My best advise is if you want to try it just watch for reactions like you have done with the Revolution. After what I have been through with these girls with food problems, I limit as much exposure to heartworm and flea products as possible–I do not use any more than what is necessary. I keep my yard sprayed with Wondercide so they are not exposed to a lot of fleas, ticks, and mosquitos. You just need to use your judgement as to what is necessary in your environment. When you are dealing with a food issue, it is easier when you do not have other sources that may be contributing factors.

Keep us updated if you get a chance.