[theBCnut]

The Mercola article that Jeffrey gave the link for is a must read. The maps on there tell you during what months it is very important to protect against heartworms. In NJ, you should start giving heartworm prevention at the beginning of June, earlier if it is unseasonable warm(for myself, having seen too many heartworm positive dogs, I would start in May, if there is any doubt) and give the last dose of the year at the end of November, again being aware of any unseasonably warm weather.

It’s safer to skip spring than to skip fall, as far as how heartworm infections occur and how heartworm prevention works. You definitely want that last dose of the year a month after the last possible mosquito bite.

[JeffreyT]

You may be interested in this article from Dr. Karen Becker.
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/08/03/why-havent-pet-owners-been-told-these-facts-about-heartworm.aspx

And here is more detailed info from Jasmusen…
http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/05/13/heartworm-medication-safety/

[vfs]

TheBCnut,

Tks for your reply. I live in Union City, NJ. Would you consider safe not giving the pill during fall/winter, considering it gets pretty cold here? I will take my dog this Wednesday for a heartworm test to make sure he is ok. I appreciate your feedback.

[theBCnut]

First of all, where do you live? If you live in an area where there are mosquitos for a large part of the year, then nothing works like heartworm prevention. If you live in an area where you don’t have mosquitos for most of the year, you can give it for only part of the year, but you really have to pay attention to the temperatures, because that affects when heartworms are transmissible.

Monthly heartworm prevention is actually good for about 45 days, due to the particular stages in the lifecycle of the immature heartworm that it kills. They just recommend giving it monthly because it’s easier for humans to remember to give it on a particular day. So if you want to give it every 40 days instead, you can, as long as you have a foolproof way of making sure you are reminded to give it.

Your dog has possibly been unprotected half the time, so could have been infected. Some dogs that are heartworm positive go into anaphylactic shock when given heartworm preventative, not a heart attack, but they can still die from it.

The natural heartworm preventatives have to be given multiple time a day every day, so are not really a good idea for most people.

If you want the least toxic regular heartworm prevention, then go with regular Heartgard, or an equivalent.

[vfs]

Hello everyone,

According to my vet, my dog is suppose to take his heartworm pill once a month. Since I adopted him, about 2 years ago, Ive been giving the pill only once every 2-3 month. I always thought that this pill once a month seemed just too much and too toxic. Im trying to learn more about this topic and Ive been getting so many different reviews. Some people believe that it has to be once a month, some people say its not necessary and that this pill is extremely toxic and when I told my vet that I was giving the pill to my baby once every 2-3 months, he said that he can have a heart attack because of that? I certainly want and will do what is best for my dog, so what is your opinion on that? Do we need to give the pill once a month? Is there any other method to prevent heartworm that is more natural?
Thank you for your feedback.

[Kellye P]

It’s been a month since my first post so here’s an update. Duffy had his semi-annual bloodwork done. I don’t have copies of the results yet but my vet said:
Heartworm – negative
Thyroid – normal
Fructosamine – good control
CBC – no abnormal results
She sent his blood to the lab instead of using her own equipment. She wanted to make sure they tested for everything and using the lab allowed her to ask the various specialists questions. She explained that the concern is his weight.
(Sidenote: Duffy is her only underweight client!)
The specialist suggested we test for Cushing’s. I did not want to do that. We have tested him many times before and he always tests normal. However, the specialist said cortisol could play a role in his inability to gain weight. I thought too much cortisol caused weight gain, but I gave in and took him back for the test.
Result: normal
We did a urine culture which was negative. Nothing grew. My vet said that never happens. As I said before, Duffy is the healthiest “deathly ill” dog in the world.

Back when he was at UT Knoxville vet school for an exam, he was put on melatonin and flax lignin. He was not super skinny at that time. I asked my vet if I should go back to giving him those supplements. The idea at the time was to control non-Cushing’s cortisol, even though we could never prove that he had any problems in that area.
I don’t know if it ever worked but he was two pounds heavier.
So we’re back on melatonin and flax lignin.

I have the special enzymes too. I have not used them much since he doesn’t like wet food or kibble soaked in liquid.
Which leads me to my final update — I found a dry food that he loves. It’s made in Ohio so not far from us and it’s delivered fresh to Lexington. The company is called Pet Wants.

Duffy had gained 5 oz in the past ten days. I am beyond thrilled. My goal is 8 lbs and he is now at 6 lbs 7 oz.
Fingers crossed!!!!

[Jessica S]

Thanks for post Dori. I have found this to be true about Heartworm. In my gut I feel like these toxic medications are so dangerous but the same can be true with infestation of heartworms, etc. My dog is recovering from cancer surgery and I’m uneasy putting more toxic meds into his system than necessary.

[Jessica S]

Hi everyone,

Can anyone provide more information on their experience with heartworm prevention specifically. I’ve taken our dog off of Trifexis. I’m looking at other flea/tick alternative but my main concern is heartworm prevention at the moment. I was considering Heartguard Plus. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks!

[Karen C]

Hi, everyone. I know you’ve seen heartworm questions a million times, but I’m still paranoid, so I’m asking too. My apologies for the length.

We adopted Iggy, our mini Schnauzer, in July of last year. He tested negative for heartworms, and we’ve had him on monthly Heartguard ever since. And a few weeks ago he was diagnosed with a mild case of heartworms anyway. The microfilariae (spelling?) test was negative, but he’s got adult worms.

He had a month of antibiotic, and on Wednesday and Thursday he got his two Immiticide injections. He’s now on Prednisone and Tramadol, and he’s home and crated — we’re on day 2 of 30 days’ strict confinement. The TV’s off, I’ve got a playlist of “Music Through A Dog’s Ear” volumes 1-3 on constant repeat, calming treats a couple of times a day (not sure if the music and treats help him, but they’re not hurting and make me feel like I’m doing something, so they’re helping me), he’s got rawhide and chew balls in his crate with him, and I’m able to work from home to monitor him. The door’s shut and the blinds are closed so he can’t see/hear any people or animals outside. He seems resigned to life in his crate, and so far he’s not fighting it. And my husband is fine with me staying in the downstairs spare room where Iggy is, and doing all of the shopping, etc. himself, so I don’t have to leave Iggy at all. (We have a split-foyer – the “spare room” is actually half the ground floor, so it’s not too hard for me to hang out here most of the time.) 🙂

Trouble is, Iggy’s always been WAY too friendly. If he sees kids or other dogs, he goes “I MUST PLAY WITH YOU NOW!!!!” and he pulls at the leash, shrieks, and tries to run to them. Our block has 6 houses spaced far apart, a few kids, and two neighbors have chihuahuas that they let run loose up and down the street (ugh). No fences (them or me).

I’ve kept Iggy’s outdoor potty breaks short, and we move slowly when he’s out, but a couple of times he’s seen a kid or a dog and suddenly started pulling at the leash and whining. I’m keeping the leash very short so he can’t break into a run, but he tries anyway. I’ve managed to get in front of him, get his attention and calm him, but it takes a few seconds, during which time he’s agitated and I’m sure his heart rate is rising.

So. I know his activity has to be restricted, and it’s usually pretty well in hand, but some of his potty breaks are scary. I’m trying to time them so there’s nobody out when he is, but that’s not always possible.

So far he’s okay, but from what I understand, the post-treatment danger hasn’t peaked yet. What are the odds that the “OMG I MUST PLAY WITH YOU” moments will do lasting damage?

Thanks for reading all of this.

[crazy4cats]

Oh my gosh, Naturella, you didn’t do anything wrong. Don’t worry, we do what we think is best for our dogs at the time. And BTW, I vote for you to move to Washington! We don’t have hardly any heartworm problems here at all!

[theBCnut]

Just like some vaccines make kids and adults ouchy, some make dogs ouchy too. That’s probably what the growling was about. And as previously said, your small dog got the same dose as a great dane. He could be sore all over from it.

If you want to not give heartworm prevention over the winter, DO NOT go by dates on a calendar. Actually track the temperatures. When you live in the south, you can’t count on it being cold enough or staying cold enough according to the dates. A couple years ago, we had an entire week of freezing weather in November, but didn’t have anything colder that sweatshirt weather the entire rest of the year.

[Naturella]

So, we went to the vet today to get Bru his 3-year rabies shot he was due for (last year he got the 1-year one). I also wanted to talk about titers and skipping the rest of the vaccines. The vet we saw was not my usual semi-holistic vet, who does TCM, but another one. Still, she seemed nice and talked to us about titering and how most vaccines last a while, BUT, that if we plan to be taking Bruno to the dog park and socialize him with “questionable” dogs, we should vaccinate, and how it is cheaper than titering, and how expensive it is to cure some of those diseases that he may get if we don’t vaccinate and he happens to get sick, etc. My husband was so absorbent of the information and I was worried. I didn’t want to do the DAPP and Bortadella again because I KNOW he has immunity for at least the Bortadella (kennel cough) – my roommate’s dog got it bad, and Bruno did not, and he was around her a lot. So he has some good immune strength, I believe. But the doc said $250 for titers and $150 for shots, so that was kind of the dealbreaker for us there… It was one or the other for the hubs, and shots won… 🙁 He took them ok, was acting normally and what not. Now he’s all sleepy and seems a bit distressed… He growls at every movement – the wind blows outside, he growls. Ice gets dispensed in the freezer, he growls. And he was growling occasionally before, mostly at people/kids/dogs making noise outside, but OMG, it is like he got growl shots today, not rabies/DAPP/Bortadella shots! Geez… Last year he had no negative reaction to the shots and I don’t know if the sleepiness and growling are from the shots per se or just from the distress of being at the vet and being done things to, but otherwise he eats okay, pees and poops okay so far, and was playful with a dog-friend who lives in our complex, so he’s mostly alright…

Bottom line, I’m not too happy though – I think because we got the 3-year rabies, I will just “forget” to remind my husband of the other annual shots until 2017… And by then, I hope he will be more okay with skipping them… I’m thinking every 3-5 years as a booster should be fine (do them in 2017, then 2020, then 2025, 2030, etc., for as long as my sweet little baby is around), aside from rabies, which is every 3 years anyway. Hope it works out…

At least everything else on Bru checked out with accolades! He has great body condition and weight – now at 14.5 lbs – still growing as a lean muscle-machine! lol Vet did say to try to keep him between 14.5-15 lbs though, would be ideal for him. But as long as his body condition is good, I don’t care what he weighs… Muscle is heavier than fat anyway. Also great eyes, teeth (yay RMBs and brushing!), skin/coat (yay raw eggs, coconut oil, and sardnies!), and ears! Negative heartworm test and fecal float. Clean bill of health. 🙂

P.S. Vet also said to do year-round HW prevention… @Dori and @weezerweeks, what do you do for HW – year-round or no? (They live in GA as do I, and I think y’all may have told me in another post, but I forgot… 🙁 )
I read somewhere that it’s safe not to administer the pill between December and April, so I MAY try that if hubs does not notice… He freaks out at the possibility of Bruno being sick, and even more at huge vet bills, sooo he would rather take ALL preventive measures than “risk it” (even if it MAY be okay and better for the dog) and have a sick dog and a humungous bill…
I mean, I do understand him… But I am trying to instill a more holistic lifestyle in our household and all these meds and shots are messing with my philosophy, lol… Oh well, I’ll take meds too in emergencies – like when I had a pinched sciatic nerve – “ohmygodworsepainIhaveeverfeltIwantedallthedrugs”… After all the meds I was a happier camper, with nice crazy vivid dreams from them narcotics ;)… But still… the less chemical additives, the better I believe. Anyway, went off too far on a tangent, reeling back in to vaccines and opinions on them! 🙂

• This reply was modified 11 years, 2 months ago by Naturella.

[Lucky22124]

My dog had a horrible reaction to vaccines earlier this year. The good thing was that I didn’t get very far with her & was able to rush her back in for treatment. They said that in the future they would give her pre-med before vaccinating her, but we got a second opinion just to be sure. The new vet said that other than rabies every three years, it’s too risky to vaccinate my dog because the reaction will be worse each time. So now we can’t really bring her into places like petsmart because of the risk of contracting parvovirus or bordatella.

She gets the heartworm preventative every month, but I don’t put flea medicine on her. She’s never had fleas in her whole life. We check her for ticks when we go to parks or other places where she might get them. I just always had a hard time applying the flea meds, which is why I stopped using it.

I think people should vaccinate their dogs if it’s safe to do so, but some dogs are allergic, and in that case, they shouldn’t vaccinate. It was our vets advice to not vaccinate our dog, and after almost losing her to the last vaccine reaction, I’m okay with that. I just have to be extra careful with my dog now.

[Akari_32]

Hey guys. I’m currently interning with a vet that is very excited about Bravecto. He says it’s the same as NexGuard, only it lasts longer. I’ve not personally explored it myself, but he seems to be liking it. He believes in a “why use it if you don’t have to” approach to veterinary medicine, but living in Florida, you cannot skimp on flea control.

That said, such a new product is a bit worrisome. Especially a product that’s got such a high dose of flea meds that it’s lasts three months. However, if it’s what works for you and your dog, go for it. I’m taking my dogs off Trifexis (Comfortis plus heartworm preventive) because it really bothers me, especially with my oldest dog.

For just fleas, I really like Little City Dogs (a sort of generic Program pill). Its safe even at extreme over doses, and it’s new enough that fleas are not yet immune to it, yet the active ingredient (lufenuron) is well known enough not to be sketchy. Not to mention, it’s extremely affordable, at just $25-80 a year for cats and dogs of all sizes.

http://littlecitydogs.com/smallpetfleacontrol.html?

I will be trying Sentinel this go around as my new alternative to Trifexis. It’s $90 for a whole year for my 60 lb lab mix. Seems like a safer and MUCH cheaper alternative.

[pugmomsandy]

That dog supply room was the 3rd bedroom. My breakfast room was made into the dog’s room (before fostering) by putting down an iron gate. Now since fostering, it’s the foster’s room. Ordered 3 custom cage banks for the pugs and had Elfe shelving put in. So my breakfast table and china cabinet is the living room with the couch and tv.

http://i1326.photobucket.com/albums/u651/pugmomsandy/pictures%20for%20posting/dogroomcratebanks_zps4c41d520.jpg

I take care of them by myself while hubby works way too many hours. Feeding, watering, plants, chickens and poop duty takes about an hour in the morning. The dogs get out 4 times a day if they have heartworm, then back to their crate to rest. The others can use the doggy door.

Other days, I might be the pug taxi taking them to their dr appt or to go see a possible adopter. 252 pugs and counting…

• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by pugmomsandy.
• This reply was modified 11 years, 3 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[DogFoodie]

It could also be an intolerance to one of the ingredients in the food.

Also, has he had vaccinations recently or is he receiving any medications, including heartworm / flea prevention (including spot on treatments)?

How old is your puppy now and long has he been eating this food?

[Marietta B]

http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2010/08/03/why-havent-pet-owners-been-told-these-facts-about-heartworm.aspx

Here is a great article on heart worms. It also has the maps I was talking about. I try to follow this and not over medicate my dog. I have her tested for heart worms every year just to be sure.

[Dori]

Hi Naturella. As I mentioned I’ve been using Sentinel Flavor Tabs (regular Sentinel) for years and gave them the last of that kind August 1st. It is my understanding that they are fazing out the regular Sentinel and only what is in stock will be available. After that only Sentinel Spectrum will be available. I’ve actually ordered the Spectrum already. At first I was concerned about using the Sentinel Spectrum but after extensive research I realized (and queried the vets) that the tape worm preventative itself has been around for years and years. I give the girls Sentinel the first of every month without fail. As you know, living in Georgia you can never really count on a hard winter. When I lived in the northeast I only used in Summer and Fall. Here I give it year round. Last Winter I stopped cause it was so cold but then read Losul’s plight with Turbo and decided that I’m not taking any chances and have decided that I will stick with year round treatment. I’ve had a lot of dogs all my life and none ever had an issue with it. I know a lot of people have issues with HW meds but I have to air on the side of caution and do what I think will be best for my girls. The treatment for Heartworm is to horrifying for me to even contemplate.

[Naturella]

I am not so sure about it either – I was pretty happy with Trifexis, but it got kind of pricy, so I switched Bruno to Sentinel for heartworm and fleas. So far so good with Sentinel too.

[Barbara]

Has anyone heard about Trifexis the chewable tablet that is supposed to kill fleas and prevent heartworm disease killing dogs?? I was at the dog park this morning and some people were talking about that but I can’t find any information. Just wanted to get a warning out there if it is true….

[Jackie B]

The test results showed heartworm negative! And she has a strong heart and lungs. Peachy does have a hernia that was not noted on any previous records, and the vet said that while it is not an emergency now it will need to be repaired at a future date (possibly during a dental or other procedure).

Also, Peachy graduated from basic obedience class. She is 90% on housetraining, can walk on a loose lead, sit, kiss, stay, watch me, touch, and is working on down and paw. She is a smart little dog, and very full of joy.

[theBCnut]

Most epilepsy dogs have their first seizure between 1 and 2 years of age. Seizures are a threshhold event. That means that they have a certain level that, if they stay under that level they won’t seizure, but if they go over that level, it will trigger a seizure. Unfortunately there are many things that can affect a dogs threshhold, and you have to really look for some triggers. Common triggers can be stress, chemicals like cleaning agents, fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, heartworm prevention, scented candles, and perfumes. Try a food that is all natural.

[Liz K]

Hello all! I have been meaning to post here for a while, but never quite got around to it. This forum has helped me so much with getting my dog the nutrition she needs as I was flying blind before. Now, I am hoping to talk to some experienced dog owners regarding my dog Izzie’s lump.

Let me preface this by saying that I plan to take her to the vet first thing tomorrow morning, but I have severe anxiety over daily things, and having my baby sick is causing me to be a complete basket case.

While petting her, I noticed a golf ball sized lump on her right shoulder blade, at the top, just next to her spinal cord. This lump is hard, but it moves when her skin moves. It is the same color as her skin and there is no hair loss. When I press it, move it, or pet her there she is not bothered except for the fact that I am preventing her from playing with her ducky.

Earlier this year, I found myself in the same type of scenario when she had a small, pea sized lump on her leg. That time it was squishy but still moved with her skin. Our vet diagnosed this as a fatty cyst and said she would likely get more and not to freak out, but just have them checked at our regularly scheduled vet visits. The reason this concerns me is its size and the fact that it is hard.

She is a fairly healthy girl who is a bit chubby (4 pounds overweight). She is a full grown, almost 7 year old Australian Shepherd and perhaps the greatest friend I’ve ever known. Forgive me if there are typo’s as I am typing this through crocodile tears.

I took her to the vet on 7/14 to get her regularly scheduled shots which include:

Rabies Booster
DHPP+L Booster (unsure what this is exactly)
Bordatella Booster-Intranasal
ProHeart Heartworm Preventative

All of these are shots that she’s had before and never had a reaction to. We will be taking a 14 hour road trip in October to go visit my sister in Florida, so we decided to get her micro chipped that day also.

I know that I probably need to wait for the vet, but I just need another dog owner to talk to me and not just tell me what I want to hear like my beloved friends and family are doing. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated.

[LabsRawesome]

I definitely would not take him back to that groomer. They obviously either twisted his leg around while clipping his nails, or let him fall/jump off a high table. I never let anyone be alone with my dogs. If they are having any procedures done (besides surgery) I am in the room. I just don’t trust people. Once you get all his test results back, you will have a better idea what is exactly going on with him (heartworm and tick born illnesses) But if you have any more trouble with worms or giardia, I would recommend Panacur. It takes care of 4 different worms, it also quickly clears up parasite related diarrhea. This site sells Panacur really cheap and gets it to you quickly. http://www.revivalanimal.com/Panacur-C-Dewormer-Safeguard.html Please keep him away from that groomer tho. I’ve seen hidden camera footage of a groomer being really rough with dogs, and slapping the shit out of them. 🙁

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by LabsRawesome.

[Melissaandcrew]

Make sure you have the heartworm and Lyme results back before neutering him. If positive hold off until past treatment end.

[Alina S]

Hey, all. I’m new to this forum, but I have read a lot of articles here already! Unfortunately, I have a lot of health-related questions for this post, so I apologize in advance. It would be great if I could get as much help as possible, though. 🙂 I’ll start with a list of his background information, then move on to a semi-detailed list of my health concerns for him.

-Rottweiler/Shepherd mix (at least, we think. He almost looks like he has some Corgi in him.)
-1 year old
-30 pounds
-Adopted from local animal control on Tuesday, 7/15/2014
-Was at the shelter for a month
-When he was found, he was covered in ticks
-Tested positive for whipworms
-Up to date on all vacs
-1/2 tin of Nutro Ultra patte per feeding
-1/2 cup grain free Science Diet per feeding*

*I know everyone hates Science Diet, but it’s what the shelter was feeding, and I didn’t want to switch dry foods on him right away.

Took him to the vet Friday, 7/18/2014
-Gave me medicine for whipworms
-Said he looked fine otherwise
-He’s getting neutered on Friday, 7/25/2014
-He’s getting tested for heart worms and tick-borne diseases on that day, too.

Now, onto my list of concerns…

-Loose stools
He doesn’t have full out diarrhea, but his stools are very watery and hard to pick up with a doggy bag… They just smear over the grass and it’s awful! I did some reading and it seems like both whipworms and lyme’s disease can cause diarrhea. The whipworms are under control (hopefully,) and we’ll know about the lyme’s disease this Friday. So,
-are his stools loose because he’s still getting used to his new home? Should I be worried?
Any feedback on combating this problem now and in the future would be greatly appreciated.

-Whipworms
I read that the reinfection rate for whipworms is very high. After the dewormer, and after his heartworm test, he will be on HeartGard Plus. Will that be sufficient for protecting him from whipworms, or will this be a consistent problem? Am I looking at any long term damage from the whipworms?

-Limping
I just took him to the groomer’s today. I do not know what went wrong, but he is now limping very badly on his right hind leg. When he stands, he stands just on his very tippy toes of this leg, and if he’s walking/running, he either limps on it, or just hops on his 3 legs and avoids using it all together. I’m going to wait and see if things get better tomorrow morning, before I call anyone.

-Can I wait until I bring him to the vet this Friday to ask about it? He does not seem to be in pain. He does not cry or squirm when I touch his paw, his leg feels fine, his hip sockets feel even to me, the pads of his paw are fine. His nails do look really short, but I can’t find evidence of blood. Do short nails cause limping?
-What should I do about walks?

I’ve been taking him out onto the leash and just moseying around the front yard, but that is not giving him the bathroom time that he needs. He is running around and playing, and shows a lot of eagerness while outside and even chased after a rabbit, he’s just limping. Is it okay to walk him like normal, so he can relieve himself fully?

I’m really sorry about all these questions, but I thought it would be best to make one long list. Feel free to just pick and choose a certain topic to answer; don’t feel pressured to answer all these questions. This is my first “adult” dog, meaning I am doing this all without the help of my parents (I’m in college,) and I want to do everything right so I don’t have mountains of vet bills later on.

Thank you so much!!

[Jackie B]

Peachy is settling in! Her housetraining is mostly complete. She has learned sit and loose leash walking and is in a basic obedience class for other skills. Having her around has really perked up my older rescue poodle, he is eating more regularly and is chewing on chewies and playing more. They are still not best friends yet, my older one treats Peachy like an annoying little sister. But I think that things are going really well.

In 2 weeks we go in to recheck that her heartworms are really and truly gone.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by Jackie B.

[Nancy C]

I have been throwing one in the food bowl at breakfast and then sometimes at supper (during high season — summer). I’m in NC. Looking at this bottle it is WF 365 Odorless Garlic 500mg and is PINK on the label. My vet nicely chewed me out late last fall for NOT giving the Sentinel year long. I had ONLY been giving it in the warm months (May-Sept) which is what my breeder told me 25 years ago when I got my first golden. THat golden lived over 15 years! She got heart worm meds during those warm months ONLY. With this second Golden ( 10 yrs old and GREAT HEALTH) I did the same until the vet realized it last fall and told me I was PUTTING HER AT SERIOUS RISK. SHE COULD GET HEART WORMS EVEN IN JANUARY! I am not sure I believe that, however, this is an excellent vet so I started the sentinel. I HATE IT. Now that I do the Sentinel there is no reason to continue the garlic.
I have learned about a product that is NON TOXIC which works also as heartworm prevention. I know someone who I consider “very informed” and connected in high places maybe I should say — has two extraordinary dogs to whom he is devoted and he uses this non toxic stuff. The company does not advertise it for heartworms, nonetheless this individual says that it covers them and many people use it for heartworms. Here is the website: http://www.firstchoicenaturals.com/resourcearticles/parasitesbegonefrommypet.php
This individual knows such information and would NEVER trust a company unless he KNEW. His dogs are big in his life. So go and see.
I will add this: The same vet who got me BACK on the Sentinel Wagon full time also in June initiated a conversation about LEPTO VIRUS, recommending that I get the shots for both my dogs. I have been researching LEPTO VIRUS and so far as I can tell there are too many strains of it for the vaccine to cover AND there are risks in taking the vaccine. The vaccine is expensive and you start with TWO SHOTS. Also you must keep up with it annually. This is a MONEY MAKER FOR THE VETS. Lepto is not new. It was “discovered” back in the late 1800’s and my suspicion is that the vets and researchers AND BIG PHARMA have created this hype about YOU NEED THIS VACCINE!! A neighbor’s dog supposedly died from it in March but her other 2 dogs did not catch it. And I am even wondering if the diagnosis was correct. I read that sometimes it is MISdiagnosed. Bottom line: This is a subject that warrants more research and WAKEFUL OWNERS. I am interested in any other opinions.
Good luck with the Garlic. OH – my dog would just eat it up in the food. The capsule is so small that unless you have a picky eater it will disappear. Otherwise you could wrap it with cheese softened in your hand and the dog will hopefully swallow it.

[Jerri N]

Greetings pacer1978. You will love the north Ga mountains. I have a pet friendly cabin company very near Morganton. I live on a river. It is very, very rare for me to see mosquitoes, I guess the fast moving water and fish take care of that. There are times that our doggie guests will pick up fleas while out and about. They are sharing the same land with all sorts of animals, and we do have chiggers up here. Personally I don’t have my pets on flea prevention and they have no fleas. Don’t slam me… But I don’t have them on heartworm meds either because we had a horrible experience this winter after giving them Trifexis and I haven’t found a heartworm med that I feel comfortable giving to my fur fur babies. I hope that helps, the weather has been WONDERFUL up here.

[theBCnut]

There has been a study that shows it is not a good idea to switch from Milbemycin in midseason, unless you overlap and give the ivermectin at the same time for a month or so. This is because Milbemycin is less effective at killing the earlier larval stages than Ivermectin, but Ivermectin does not kill the later stages as well. That’s also why the Milbemycins are labeled to use for 3 months post season, so here in FL, you need to use both to switch even in winter, because we don’t have 3 months post season, not even 3 weeks.

For anyone thinking of getting Ivomec liquid and dosing your dog yourself. The regular liquid is 1% and even one drop of it is an overdose for most dogs, which can lead, over time, to liver failure. The sheep drench(available at Jeffers dot com among others) is 0.08% so is much easier to dose appropriately.

I use Ivomec(the sheep drench) for heartworm prevention right now. I give garlic and use an essential oil shampoo and I feed 1/2 raw. Mostly I shampoo because they rolled in something, not because of fleas.

If I do have to shampoo for fleas, I wet the dog’s head and shampoo behind the eyes all the way around. This drives any fleas back down onto the body. Then I wet the rest of the dog and shampoo the rest of him. Leaving the shampoo on, I let him go play while I do the next one, and the next one. After I have 3 soapy dogs running around the yard, I call the first one back for a rinse, this gives the nasty little fleas plenty of time to smother in a coating of shampoo. I towel dry the first and put him in the house and start the rinse on the second. That guarantees that the last dog has enough time to kill all of her fleas.

[Harpers Mom]

Thank you everyone for the replies!

I will definitely try the Bug-off garlic! I like the reviews on it and the articles they back it up with. When I previously tried garlic it was just a clove 3 times a week and not everyone feeding the dogs would remember it. So that would most likely be why it didn’t work.

Also, trifexis is milbemycin oxime for heartworm prevention, would it be okay to switch to ivermectin in the middle of mosquito season?

[Nancy C]

Just for the record, my 10 yr old Golden hs been titered since age 2 when she finished the mandatory vaccinations. Every single year the blood work has come out GREAT. The breeder of my first golden who lived over 15 yrs told me to TITER and not vaccinate. She was always healthy. She also told me to ONLY give heart work meds during May through September, which I did. I also did that with my present 10 year old Golden and 1 year ago my vet chewed me out, saying she could get heartworms and I should do it ALL THE TIME. IT scared me so badly I started full time. HOWEVER, I am researching a protocol that is not unsafe and is holistic which I will share later. When I took my two dogs in back in May for annual check ups the vet gave me a pamphlet on LEPTO VIRUS. NOW she wants to vaccinate BOTH DOGS for that virus. I have been studying it and from what I can tell there are several strains of it and not all are covered by the vaccine, plus getting the vaccing CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS… in other words, like ALMOST ALL VACCINES it is not risk free. The vet office called me yesterday to SCHEDULE THE 1st LEPTO SHOT (they come in twos apparently) and I told her I was not ready to commit.
I am sharing this because the vets are tied in to BIG PHARMA, sorry, but they are. It is part of their bread and butter. The Pharmaceutical Industry is HUGE and they are in bed with the FDA. Don’t be fooled that the FDA is looking after you. NOPE. They look after themselves. BIG HUGE MONEY. At the 9/11 tragedy in NYC of all industries in the USA, BIG PHARMA did the best economically. I studied for 6 yrs with one of the FOUNDERS of the AMERICAN HOLisTIC MEDICAL ASSOCIATION and learned more than I could absorb about the Pharmaceuticals. Marcia Angel MD writes a wonderful book, THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DRUG COMPANIES; WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. She was the EDITOR IN CHIEF of the NEw Engl Jour of Medicine for 20 years and explains HOW the Pharmas control the journals now. PRESSURE. And the clinical trials — watch out. Enough on that but suffice it to say that you DO need to keep your eyes open and go HOLISTIC when you can. Last comment: My daughter is a doctor at Stanford Medical Center and I will tell you that MEdical People are marinated in Pharma Talk. IT’s all they have: Meds and Surgeries (Procedures)…. and I am suggesting that mainstream vets are pretty much prey to them too.
That’s it for me. Good luck.

[neezerfan]

I do titers on my dogs yearly, I will revaccinate if it becomes necessary. I use the heartworm life cycle as a guide, use heartworm pills when the temp stays high enough. They get tested every year. I say if humans got heartworm I would do the same thing for myself.

[Harpers Mom]

Harper is on trifexis right now, it works wonders but everytime I give it to her I cringe. We live in Florida where Mosquitos are horrible so I will be keeping her on a heartworm preventative, but only ivermectin not all the extras trifexis has.

I am looking for a natural flea preventative to start using as fleas are terrible here also. I’ve tried the garlic but it only helped minimally. What other natural routes are there? What do y’all use?

[Mom2Cavs]

I used to vaccinate when I went to my regular vet, who btw loves to vaccinate and give steroid shots like crazy. Stella (who is at the bridge now) and my cat Princess definitely had vaccine reactions and this particular vet would just give a steroid shot to help, and then vaccinate the next year. I would even bring up the reactions and he would still insist. Can’t believe I went along with this then, but I was ignorant about vaccinations and flea meds at that time. After a very bad experience at this particular vet and learning a lot more, I finally switched to my holistic vet who does titers, except for Rabies because it is required by law. I’ve been titering now for 3 years and give the Rabies vaccine every 3 years. I do natural flea meds, but I do heartworm (use Tri Heart Plus) around every 35-40 days because we have bad mosquitos here in Ohio. Everyone is doing fine. I will continue to do this with any pet I have from now on.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 5 months ago by Mom2Cavs.

[Cyndi]

I’m never vaccinating my dog either. After all the horror stories I’ve heard and read about. We have to do rabies vaccs here, it’s the law, but other than that, not doing anything else. I use all natural stuff for fleas, but I do use Ivermectin (sp?) for heartworm once every 45 days during mosquito season because they are bad here.

We were just having this discussion on the review side and there’s quite a few people on here that don’t do any vaccinating except for puppy shots…

All I can say is, inform yourself, do research and read, read, read. There are a ton of articles out there proving dogs don’t need vaccines every year or really ever, after their first puppy shots.

[Susan]

Hi Suburban Gal, I too dont believe in Vaccinating after 2years old, Heartworming or Flea products,
I rescued Patch about 19months ago, when a dog is rescued from a pound, we are given 1 worm tablet or 2 depends on their weight, 1 flea tablet Comfortis which I never used & the next day the rescue dog goes straight to vets for their health check then is desexed & vaccinated, the next day Patch was unwell & was crying after being desexed & vaccinated, so I rung the rescue vet & they said bring him in, they just gave me some pain killers for him & said he must be in pain from being desexed as he was 4 years old & the vet said that his shaft was all bruised around his stitches…..Patch seemed OK the next day but still had hive like lumps all over his body… 1 year forward Patch was due for Vaccination, I took him to his vets & he had the 3 yearly Vaccinations, vet never did his Kennel cough shot as I dont boarded him anywhere, we went home then that night Patch seemed unwell & was real sleepy, so I just let him sleep the next morning Patch was doing what he had done 1 year before when I had just rescued him crying & whinging, he wouldnt eat his breakfast, which is a first for him, so I just let him sleep, I googled about vaccinations & side effects & it looked like he was ill from being vaccinated, I rung his vet she just said keep an eye on him & she wrote in his file reaction when vaccinated, she said that some dogs that have Immune Problems cant be vaccinated…..I dont Heartworm either as 1 vet said the area I live, in his 30years he has never seen a dog have heartworm come from that area & he saw no need as its caught from mosquotos the vet said if I live out the west more 1/2hour away he would recommend he was heartwormed but Patch being an indoor dog there’s no need….when I’d worm Patch he was waking up about 2am wanting to go outside & eat grass then a couple of hours later he’d have diarrhea, no worms were ever in his poos after being wormed, so vet changed Patch to the Milbemax all wormer & I was to only worm him every 6 months instead of every 3 months, the Milbemax didnt have any side effects like the Propanal…. the flea products, Ive only used the Frontline spot on twice with no problems then I changed from Frontline to Advantage spot on as I give my cat the Advantage, the next day after appling the Advantage the day before my daughter came around & said whats wrong with Patches head his left side & left ear was all swollen, his lips were red & swollen & he had hive like lumps all over his body again, like when he was first vaccinated, I rung his vet she said just keep an eye on him as it was nilly 20hrs since I applied the Advantage & they have their worst reaction within 24hrs of apyling, she said that the frontline only penetrates the first layer of skin but the Advantage penetrates thru their skin into their blood, so I wont be using Advantage again.. So after all of these things that have happened with Patch Im not re-vacinating him in 3 years as he’ll be 8years old & I see no need as I think dogs should only be vaccinated the first 2 years of their lives but after 2 years I’d say that they have the antibodies needed to fight any diseases, with the Heartworm I see no need if you have an indoor dog & you dont live in a mosqitoes infessed area, with fleaing Im too scared to try the new Comfortis as its a tablet & may cause stomach problems. I live Australia & we dont have rabies thank-God..
I’d say your friend Sharon has seen alot of these reactions being into rescue especially with older dogs, I think what she’s doing is OK..alot of these rescued older dogs have a past & their health isnt always good…Your friend is doing a really good job for rescueing these oldies & she’s right if they get adopted & the new owners want them vaccinated they can do it, but I see no need, we are not vaccinated every year, so why over vaccinate animals.. Sorry for the book, but I had to explain why Im against Vaccinations after the animals are 2 years old…..

[Suburban Gal]

My mom’s former co-worker and friend, Sharon, has several Shih Tzus. She also does Shih Tzu rescue.

We just found out that Sharon no longer vaccinates her dogs. While she cites age as a reason why (all of her dogs are seniors), that’s only part of it. She says there’s a whole new train of thought about over vaccinating pets and that science shows that most vaccines are good for life or at least 7 years from the time they’re given. She told me about Dr. Schultz of the UW-Madison veterinary school and says he has quite a following. In addition to not vaccinating, she doesn’t give heartworm prevention nor does she do flea and tick prevention either. She says she titers when she can.

Honestly, none of my pets have ever had any problems from vaccinations. While any animal could have an adverse reaction to any vaccine, the probability is small according to many veterinarians.

I also can’t imagine not giving flea and tick prevention. We tried cutting corners once to save some money by not giving that during the winter months and we still had an infestation of fleas which also spread to my uncle’s home when we took the pets to visit him shortly after we stopped giving flea and tick prevention. Never again. My pets get it continuously year round. And I can’t imagine not giving anything to prevent heartworm. That’s not only expensive to treat, but fatal as well.

While I think highly of Sharon and applaud her for engaging in her breed’s rescue efforts, I don’t support her decision to stop vaccinating altogether and titer when she can. Just because someone says you shouldn’t vaccinate doesn’t mean you should stop. Vaccinations are given for a reason and some are required, like rabies, because it’s not only for the greater good of you, as some things are transmissible to owners, and your pet but it’s good for the greater whole of society as well.

This is no different from those who say they’re not going to vaccinate their children.

I find it all very bizarre.

Does anyone here know what I’m talking about? Do you agree? Are pets over vaccinated? Did you stop vaccinating?

[crazy4cats]

Hi HDM-
How high do the temperatures have to be for mosquitoes to transmit heartworm? I haven’t used heartworm preventative before, but apparently it is starting to show up a bit now in the NW. Vets are starting to recommend it now, where they never have before. If I did decide to start it up, I would want to do something like you are doing as it is still not very common here. Thanks for your help.

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Pacer –

There’s no alternative to Heartguard. There aren’t any natural treatments with demonstrated efficacy. I have my dogs on Heartguard (well, not Heartguard brand but an equivalent) and – imo – the basic ivermectin based preventatives are very safe. I only give it when the temperature is high enough for mosquitoes to transmit heartworm and for three months after the temperature drops (so for Northern NY that’s roughly April/May – November/December), I dose every 45 days (vs. every 30 which is recommended on the package) and give milk thistle for a week following each dose.

[InkedMarie]

Thanks for correcting me!
Pacer: heartworm is the one thing I do. I don’t vaccinate except for rabies, titer for the rest but I’m not fooling around with heartworm. Jmo.

[InkedMarie]

Regarding heartworm, do a google search because I *think* you would have had to have put them back on preventive a month ago in order for them to be protected. I think you’re a day late & dollar short; probably should have thought about this a month ago. If I’m wrong, I’m sure someone will come along & correct me.

[pacer1978]

Hello,
My husband and I, including our three babies, will be taking vacation next week to the GA mountains. We will be renting a log cabin and plan on having the dogs mostly outside with us, enjoying the weather. I took my dogs off heart worm and flea/tick preventative medicines after researching side effects with them both having chemicals in them. Should I put them on it for this trip or does anyone else have an alternative/holistic, more natural remedy to ward of fleas and ticks?

Should I be worried about heartworm? We will be in Morganton, GA and the cabin has a stream running through the property. We will be there from 7/2-7/6.
Thanks for any suggestions!

[theBCnut]

Some Yorkies are born with a liver shunt, which does mean that they have to watch their diet, but I haven’t heard about them, as a breed, developing liver problems later in life. Toxins contribute to liver disease, so keeping the chemical usage in your home as low as possible would help. Milk thistle is known to help detox and support liver health, but don’t use it for a few days after monthly heartworm prevention. Use heartworm prevention and flea meds as little as possible. Give antioxidants and consider making homemade food, so you know the quality of ingredients that go into it.

[Shawna]

I think maybe they just don’t know what to say to help but they want to try to make you feel better!! As I noted in my first post Dr. Dressler says tcbc is very treatable.

You also can’t beat yourself up over choices you’ve made up to this point or from this point forward. Everything we do, we do with our pups best interest in mind.. If you weren’t treating and she got heartworm you would have been kicking yourself for not giving her the preventatives. We all do the best we can with the information we have at the time. You simply can’t do better than that!!!

I definitely would hold off starting too many supplements (unless made from food) to make sure one doesn’t counter or have a negative reaction with another etc. My dad is a Master Herbalist and I know he would give me some guidance if needed — if some of the supps are herbal that is. The food ones (if therapeutic) I would introduce slowly so as not to initiate to fast of a healing. I also think it is VERY important for you to read Dr. Goldsteins chapter on the healing crisis in his book. Do you have a library close?

You can reach me any time tomorrow from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm Central time. Tomorrow is house cleaning / laundry day. We may go out for lunch or dinner but otherwise I’ll just be cleaning. Try to get some restful sleep tonight.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Shawna.

[Shawna]

Excellent info losul!!

Reminds me — Dori – from memory you aren’t using flea/tick meds any longer but if you are still giving heartworm I would stop that (for now at least) and ask for a rabies exemption. If memory serves you aren’t doing rabies any longer but just in case my memory isn’t serving me well. 🙂 You give filtered water too right?

[Bobby dog]

Hey Akari:
I’ve ordered from Canadavet before and would use them again!

Something to consider is consulting with your Vet as to the most effective heartworm meds. I used the same HW preventative for years until recently. A few months ago my Vet asked that I consider changing due to immunities being seen in parasites. I plan on re-visiting my choice yearly to be certain it is the most effective HW med for the area I live in.

[Akari_32]

I’m liking the looks of that site! I found some Valuheart heartworm meds on there and I love the price and dose of ivermectin it gives. It’s cheaper than HeartGuard and you get a higher dose. Living in Florida, and Haley (and Dweezle) being an outdoor dog (not by my choice, btw), I’m not even gunna get near HeartGuard. A lot of people are saying it doesn’t work, and I saw one website that said it’s only 95% effective. What the crap is that?? If I did that for Haley, it’d be $70 for ValuHeart and Little City Dogs for a year vs $300+ for Trifexis for a year, plus I wouldn’t be worrying about her having a reaction to the Trifexis (which so far she hasn’t, but they aren’t looking too good with the trouble they’ve been causing to people’s pets). That’s a lot of money I could be spending on dog food, car payments, bills…. I really like the sounds of that…. I’m still going to look around and see what else I find, but that’s looking pretty good right now. I’d like as high a dose of ivermectin as possible for my budget. I do know it’s pretty cheap, though, and all you’re paying for for most meds is whatever company’s name is slapped on it, so I should be able to find a good generic with a little digging.

An update on the Little City Dogs: The cat, Alec, ate the pill right from his food. I tried to break it open to sprinkle the insides over his food, but I had a headache and didn’t want to deal with it, so I just tossed the pill on top of his food. He avoided it for a while, but slipped up and accidentally got it (he’s an enthusiastic eater, and likes to play the eat-as-much-as-you-can-in-one-bite game lol). Must have tasted ok, because after the initial look of “what just went in my mouth??”, he dug back into his food like it was nothing. They’re supposed to be chicken and beef flavored, depending on which ones you get. Dweezle ate his right out of his food, as well. Being 130 pounds, he’d be hard pressed to actually dig through his food to pick out stuff he doesn’t like anyways lol

[Jackie B]

Thanks everyone. Dori, Peachy is about 2 years old, we think. She has some plaque on her teeth but is SO puppy-like in her energy and behavior. I do not know how long she was a stray… the person who found her picked her up out of the middle of a street. She was not spayed or microchipped (the city she was found in requires that all pets be altered and microchipped) and sadly was heartworm positive when rescued 🙁 The rescue treated her with the fast kill method and we will be retesting soon to confirm that she is now heartworm negative.

Prince was 5 when we got him and was in better shape physically than Peachy. I think someone cared more about Prince as he was also housetrained. He was also a matted stray but someone had put a tattered, faded Harley jacket on him (his shelter name was Brando thanks to the jacket– the different woman who found him also running in the street had just watched “A Streetcar Named Desire”)! Peachy is not housetrained (we are working on it, and she is catching on faster than a puppy at least), not leash trained, and knew no commands of any kind. Luckily she is naturally very gentle with Prince and seems ready to learn to be an inside dog.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 6 months ago by Jackie B.

[Jackie B]

Canadavet.com has some good coupons and sales on heartworm medications. I got 2 years of Heartgard Plus there for $113 total. But there are less expensive choices even than Heartgard Plus. But I use it because it also has a dewormer and my yard has visitors– birds, deer, cats, squirrels, etc. Who knows what kind of worms might get tracked in??