Heartworm Medication Part 1: Truths, Omissions and Profits
Written by Jan on May 13, 2009 – 1:00 am
Heartworms are Spread by Mosquitoes. Heartworm Meds are Spread by Fear.
It’s getting warmer outside — time for sellers of heartworm medications to start scaring you to death.Television and print ads, which used to push meds only during warm summer months, now urge you to keep your dog on medication year round. The question is: why the change?
Drs. David Knight and James Lok of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, addressing recommendations for year round meds, warned: “The practice of some veterinarians to continuously prescribe monthly chemoprophylaxis exaggerates the actual risk of heartworm transmission in most parts of the country and unnecessarily increases the cost of protection to their clients.”
So, is the change to year round meds all about money? Or is there more to this story?
Heartworm “prevention” is a major health decision for pet parents and multi-billion dollar Big Business for drug companies, veterinarians, testing laboratories and on-line sellers of medication. When health intersects money, there’s a lot of room for conflict of interest. Only by understanding the business aspects and the truth about heartworm transmission can you make an informed decision about if, how and when to protect your dog with commercial products.
While everyone agrees that heartworm infestations can be life-threatening, infestation is far from inevitable nor is it the immutable death sentence advertisers would have you believe. (Otherwise, all dogs and cats not on meds would die of infestation. But they don’t.)
Every holistic vet I’ve consulted had concerns about the long-term safety of heartworm medications. Well-known vet, author and columnist Martin Goldstein wrote in his wonderful book The Nature of Animal Healing that he sees heartworms as less epidemic than the “disease-causing toxicity” of heartworm medicine.
Dr. Jeff Levy, vet and homeopath, concluded “that it was not the heartworms that caused disease, but the other factors that damaged the dogs’ health to the point that they could no longer compensate for an otherwise tolerable parasite load.” Those factors include, “… being vaccinated yearly, eating commercial dog food, and getting suppressive drug treatment for other symptoms….”
Heartworm meds do not, by the way, prevent heartworms. They are poisons that kill heartworm larvae (called microfilariae) contracted during the previous 30-45 days (and maybe longer due to what is call the Reach Back Effect).
The heartworm industry authority, The American Heartworm Society (and their cat heartworm site) offers a wealth of information. Their website is a public service but also a marketing tool aimed at buyers and resellers of heartworm meds. Sponsors of this website are a Who’s Who of drug companies. Fort Dodge Animal Health (Wyeth), Merial and Pfizer are “Platinum Sponsors.” Bayer merits Silver. Novartis, Schering-Plough, Virbac and Eli Lilly get Bronze. Most of these companies have sales reps that regularly call on vets and show them how to sell you heartworm meds. With any purchase of any drug, we recommend you ask for information regarding possible adverse effects, the necessity for taking this drug and available alternatives.
How Heartworms Infect Dogs: It’s Not Easy!
Well, now that we’ve looked behind the scenes of the heartworm industry, let’s take a look at how the heartworms themselves (called Dirofilaria immitis) do business. Seven steps must be completed to give your dog a dangerous heartworm infestation:
Step 1: To infect your dog, you need mosquitoes (so you need warm temperatures and standing water). More specifically, you need a hungry female mosquito of an appropriate species. Female mosquitoes act as airborne incubators for premature baby heartworms (called microfilariae). Without the proper mosquito, dogs can’t get heartworms. Period.
That means dogs can’t “catch” heartworms from other dogs or mammals or from dog park lawns. Puppies can’t “catch” heartworms from their mothers and moms can’t pass heartworm immunity to pups.
Step 2: Our hungry mosquito needs access to a dog already infected with sexually mature male and female heartworms that have produced babies.
Step 3: The heartworm babies must be at the L1 stage of development when the mosquito bites the dog and withdraws blood.
Step 4: Ten to fourteen days later — if the temperature is right –the microfilariae mature inside the mosquito to the infective L3 stage then migrate to the mosquito’s mouth. (Yum!)
Step 5: Madame mosquito transmits the L3’s to your dog’s skin with a bite. Then, if all conditions are right, the L3’s develop in the skin for three to four months (to the L5 stage) before making their way into your dog’s blood. But your dog still isn’t doomed.
Step 6: Only if the dog’s immune system doesn’t rid the dog of these worms do the heartworms develop to adulthood.
Step 7: It takes approximately six months for the surviving larvae to achieve maturity. At this point, the adult heartworms may produce babies if there are both males and females, but the kiddies will die unless a mosquito carrying L3’s intervenes. Otherwise, the adults will live several years then die.
In summation, a particular species of mosquito must bite a dog infected with circulating L1 heartworm babies, must carry the babies to stage L3 and then must bite your dog . The adult worms and babies will eventually die off in the dog unless your dog is bitten again! Oh, and one more thing.
Heartworms Development Requires Sustained Day & Night Weather Above 57˚F
In Step 4 above I wrote that heartworm larvae develop “if the temperature is right.”
The University of Pennsylvania vet school (in a study funded by Merial) found: “Development in the mosquito is temperature dependent, requiring approximately two weeks of temperature at or above 27C (80F). Below a threshold temperature of 14C (57F), development cannot occur, and the cycle will be halted. As a result, transmission is limited to warm months, and duration of the transmission season varies geographically.”
Knight and Lok agree: “In regions where average daily temperatures remain at or below about 62˚F (17˚ C) from late fall to early spring, insufficient heat accumulates to allow maturation of infective larvae in the intermediate host [the mosquito], precluding transmission of the parasite.”
The Washington State University vet school reports that laboratory studies show that maturation of the worms requires “the equivalent of a steady 24-hour daily temperature in excess of 64°F (18°C) for approximately one month.” In other words, it has to be warm day AND night or development is retarded even if the average temperature is sufficiently warm. They add, that at 80° F, “10 to 14 days are required for development of microfilariae to the infective stage.”
Jerold Theis, DVM, PhD, says, “If the mean monthly temperature is only a few degrees above 14 degrees centigrade [57 degrees F] it can take so many days for infective larvae to develop that the likelihood of the female mosquito living that long is remote.”
I have never found this temperature-dependent information on a website promoting “preventatives,” but only in more scholarly works not easily accessed by the public. There is, as far as I can find, only one mention of temperature on the Heartworm Society (on the canine heartworm page) and none in the Merck/Merial Veterinary Manual site or Merial’s heartworm video — even though Merial funded the UPenn study.
The Society also reports, “Factors affecting the level of risk of heartworm infection include the climate (temperature, humidity), the species of mosquitoes in the area, presence of mosquito breeding areas and presence of animal reservoirs (such as infected dogs or coyotes).”
******
Read Part 2 of this article: Heartworm Preventative Options Learn how to reduce the number of times you give “preventatives,” about the little-known FDA approved low-dose preventative, and what to do if you don’t want to give meds at all. If you’re considering using the 6-month remedy ProHeart6, please read our previous blog post: Heartworm Protection: Do We Need ProHeart 6? You might also like reading Pesticides & Preventatives Poisoning Pets?
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Posted under Heartworms, Pet Meds | 66 Comments » Email This Post
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May 14th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Excelleny blog with insightful info I was not aware of. Thank You,
Mother of two dogs
May 14th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Thanks, Jill. I hope you’ll also check out our other new blog: http://www.blog4dogs.com and our website http://www.dogs4dogs.com
May 18th, 2009 at 6:53 am
A couple of months ago, I took Spirit, a Shih Tzu and former puppy mill momma to the veterinarian. Although I’ve read and “Scared Poopless”, I allowed the veterinarian to convince me that Spirit needed heartwarm medication. As prescribed, I gave her the first dose on May 1st. Shortly after receiving the medicine, Spirit began panting, pacing and exhibiting other unusual behaviors. Within minutes, she developed diarrhea. I monitored and tended her closely for the next 48 hours.
Upon reviewing Jan and Chiclet’s publications, I an no longer using heartwarm medicine or flea and tick medicine for Spirit or her feline siblings, Lucy and Jazz. Last summer all three of my animal companions exhibited distress after receiving the monthly flea and tick topical medications. The same veterinarian that convinced me of the need for heartwarm medication explained, at my request, the way the topical medications work. However, a review of the ingredients and the warning to keep out of reach of children and pets told me everything I need to know.
We are using “Neem” shampoo and “Neem” Protect Spray and practice other precautionary measures outlined in the book and articles. If a product isn’t deemed safe for humans, I refuse to use it on my animal companions. Jan and Chiclet, thank you for making the world a safer and more environmentally healthy place for us, our animal companions and others!
May 18th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Danielle, thanks for the kind words about my book. I’d delighted it’s helping your dogs to be poison free. I’ll be posting my recommendations for heartworm “prevention” shortly. One thing: I do recommend at least one heartworm test yearly. Chiclet and Jiggy had theirs on Friday. Although my vet and I believe getting heartworm in San Diego where we live, especially for housedogs that don’t cavort outside during dawn or dusk when mosquitoes prowl, a test is a good safeguard. Please help spread the word about our overuse of poisons.
May 18th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
While over medicating of ourselves and our pets is a problem, I do caution you in your tactics. While you try to say that pages like the heartworm society is only there to promote products and scare people into believing that heartworm is running rampid, You seem to bash them for work they do. Heart worm “IS” a problem. While I agree that it probably doesn’t need to be given 12 months in most states some states have temps of 80 (although my reading says 75) for most of the year. Can you explain to me why then within the last 10 years I have seen a great increase in heartworm prevalance in dogs and have aldo seen in the last 5 years 3 diagnosed necropsies of feline heartworm?? I do agree that a healthy dog is less likely to get infected but that isn’t “always” the case. My samoyed huskey was very healthy, ate homecooked, had an active case of heart worm ? He started coughing and breathing heavy. That is how we found it. Up till then I had never had my dogs on a preventative. Now I do. Tell me then what is your solution to dogs who develop heartworm who also develop symptoms and possible damage? Isn’t preventative better than that? I think also because of the increase in cases that AVMA recommended all year round preventative mostly due to client complience. You can find studies out there which show that only 30% of dogs are on yearly HW meds. Thats a small amount. I feel many vets are more in the thought of lass is more trin of thought to things and others are getting there. A lot of vets do opt for 3 yr vaccines which is better than the old every year thing. I think preventative is a good thing. Used with common sence. If you live in Alaska then sure you probably don’y need it. If you live in Southern Cal or NM and other states, I am not going to get to the naming of each state you might need it in, then it is called for especially during particular times of the year. My last plug is Yearly testing especially if you do not have your dog on a preventative because they will do damage if left there untreated. Thats my peice!
May 19th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. I don’t disagree with much that you’ve written. I do not intend to “bash” the HW Society. But, call me cynical, I do not think that their Big Pharma backers have banded together solely for education. I am especially troubled that they fail to mention that temperature is everything when it comes to transmission (as researchers Knight and Lok state). And that they fail to preach mosquito control — no standing water, no venturing out at dawn and dusk, natural bug sprays, insect zappers. Instead they imply that the only hope is drugs and more drugs, even when the weather is cold and transmission is impossible. And why not educate vets to pay attention to the climate and particular needs in their own area? That is, tell them to recommend year round meds in Florida swamps but only during summer months in cold weather climes? It seems to me that year round recommendations are mostly about money, and also about not respecting the intelligence and reasoning powers of pet “parents.” These meds are not benign. All drugs have side effects. I will address many of your other points in Part 2 of this article. I hope you’ll write again.
May 20th, 2009 at 8:39 am
while I will agree in parts of the country where heartworm is non-existent it is a little ridiculous for year round treatment. But as a rescuer who rescues out of the south I cannot stress to you how prevelant heartworm is.
yes it may be hard to get, as your blog professes, but have no doubt the majority of dogs coming out of the south have it. So obviously heartworms are hardy. I have had rescues DIE from the reprecussions of heartworm. Not the preventative but the disease. People who allow their dog to become infected with heartworm, are not people who are vaccinating, feeding well etc. Sorry they just aren’t.
If you have watched a dog go through heartworm treatment, and subsequently die from it, then perhaps you can really weigh the pro’s and cons of medicating them and the risks involved.
May 20th, 2009 at 9:29 am
I completely agree, and will discuss in Part 2, that heartworms in the deep South and similar areas present a completely different risk than dogs in many other parts of the country. I’m advocating knowledge and common sense, not turning a blind eye to the danger. That said, infection is not an automatic death warrant. The famous Benji was found in a hot, humid southern shelter and recovered after treatment to become a movie star. Also, no one knows how many dogs die or become ill from taking the medication. I’ll discuss side effects in Part 2 as well. There is, for heartworm, no perfect answer. I’m advocating knowledge, not blind obedience to the marketing. And not FEAR-based decisions. Thanks for your comment. I hope you’ll comment again after Part 2.
May 21st, 2009 at 8:18 am
i cannot thank you enough for your honesty i could have had my 16 year old cat pooh around to love a few more years. she had diabetes. at the time te vet shot her up with a combo shot. he could have cared less. in fact when he sot her up he lookek at me and said “animals have no souls you know” this is the truth. i am 63 years and i miss her every single day. thank anything good for your work.
May 23rd, 2009 at 10:17 pm
I agree with Ms. Smith (#7). Here at our Shelter in Northwest Houston, heartworm postive results come on a far-too regular basis. I have a min-pin foster, about 2 years old with medium-heavy heartworms via the Snap test. Since he is a shelter dog, he’s also underweight and has URI and probably has a variety of worms or other parasites. This is the fourth heartworm positive shelter dog on my advocacy list in three weeks.
Unfortunately, we don’t do chest Xrays to determine how heavy the load is, which could be factored into the possible treatment plans. And we don’t administer any preventive at the Shelter even though dogs in the Adoption Room may be in the Shelter for 3-4 months before finding a home.
Certainly, people who invest in regular vet care can argue I that preventive heartworm tabs are just another ruse by Big Pharm to make Big Bucks, but try adopting a heartworm-positive dog–especially if the dog is a big, black, pit bull or lab mix.
June 4th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Thank you for all your insight. I always wondered about the why’s especially in the cold climates for the year round heartworm meds. (plus). It never made much sense to me. Personally if you are using natural mosquito deterrent then there really shouldn’t be a reason for these so called drug preventions.
Cannot wait for the Part 2 to get more educated. Thank you!
June 4th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
Thanks PsD-SD. It would be nice to not have to do research for dozens of hours to get to the bottom of these things! Part 2 is about half-written. I hope you’ll sign up at the blog. Please check out my newsletter, just posted a few hours ago. Now that that is out, I can get back to the HW article.
June 4th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
I appreciate the information. It does make me feel that in upstate NY that heartworm is not needed every month. Our vets have advised us that it is NOT needed every month. I had a dog of mixed heritage die from a “normal” dose of Ivermectin. It was awful. I have not wanted to give the medication at all since that time. I wonder now many other dogs have died from it…is it worth the risk? Can the presence of the disease be determined early enough and treated well enough that we could skip it all together? I have read that Ivermectin kills other parasites that could be spread to humans.Which ones? and what is that risk?? Thanks for you info, I will keep studying.
June 5th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Great article Jan, this year I had decided to give my dog HW meds – haven’t the last two years. She tested negative for HW so I had decided to give her a lower dose (as per FDA testing) and watch the temperature as to when to start. The vet gave me nothing but grief for this and I had to sign a waiver absolving them if my dog gets heartworm. Now I am rethinking (again) and not giving the meds – it is a hard decision to make. I would feel awful if my dog got heartworm, at the same time giving my dog a pesticide to ingest seems crazy, would I be willing to take it if the tables were turned?? Probably not! Look forward to part 2!
Keep up the great work!
June 5th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Heartworm decisions depend on where you live. Until you decide, keep your dog inside at dawn and dusk, eliminate standing water, etc. I hope to put up Part 2 next week. I’m trying to recover from getting my e-newsletter out yesterday. If you haven’t seen it, sign up at Dogs4Dogs.com. And shame on your vet. You are obviously an educated pet parent. The best vets work on compromises that suit both parties and never give clients grief!
June 5th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Ann, the reason it kills other worms that can be potentially be spread to humans is that it contains additional medication. My vet friends believe that you should treat for known problems, not all possibilities, especially when potent chemicals are involved. I personally wouldn’t give it to myself to prevent roundworms, etc. Better to wash your hands when handling poop. Keep studying and so will I.
June 6th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Most of the people I know that show and breed dogs do not give their dog heart worm meds. They choose to do a blood test yearly. I dont believe these meds have been tested and approved for embryos or fetuses or breeding dogs. The same goes for fleas and tick preventive.
June 7th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
I agree that it’s unlikely these meds are tested long term for safety. I’ll be writing about adverse effects of heartworm meds in Part 2 of this article. It should be up by June 9th or so. Have you read about all the problems with flea remedies? Check out Pesticides & Preventatives Poisoning Pets?
June 9th, 2009 at 9:10 am
I live in Oregon and use Revolution when we travel with the dog. If we stay in the cool Pacific NW, then I treat her once in the summer and once in early fall. We do not have a problem here but some dogs do bring it with them when the move into the state. My vet, who is better than most pushing pharmacutical products, claims that he tells his clients to use it regularly so they don’t forget to do it in the summer. I’m not sure I buy that arguement.
I use flea treatments only in the summer and space out the dose. (Revolution counts). In my dog’s 9 years, I have never seen a sign of a flea.
Robin
Oregon
June 9th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Robin, even if I believe your vet’s argument about people forgetting to start heartworm meds, I find it insulting. Also, if vets can send out notices promoting dental cleaning and vaccination (that most adult dogs don’t even need), why can’t they send out a “It’s time to start your heartworm meds” notice? Why take toxic meds year round in a cool-weather state like Oregon? To me, it doesn’t ring true.
June 16th, 2009 at 12:03 am
[...] Written by Jan on June 16, 2009 – 12:01 am If you haven’t read Part 1 of this article, “Heartworm Medication: Truths, Omissions and Profits,” please read it now unless you completely understand how and when heartworms are transmitted. [...]
June 24th, 2009 at 9:34 am
I live in Southern Florida so I feel that I need to use the medication year round. I know a dog rescue person in the mountains in Georgia and they have winter from November – February with 30 degree highs for weeks, 4 out of the 4 dogs that they had rescued as strays last summer have had heartworm. Wouldn’t that cold weather break the cycle of those dogs contracting heartworm?
June 24th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Heartworm in hot areas Hi Deanna. I understand your feelings about using year round medication, although I hope you’ll investigate giving meds every 45 days rather than monthly. That means only 8 doses of toxic meds instead of 12. Every holistic vet I’ve consulted believes this is just as safe as monthly meds. I’d also take a look at the Safeheart method. Remember, heartworm meds aren’t harmless. None of us knows the long-term health implications. You need to balance risk with reward. I hope you’ll find a knowledgeable vet and discuss this.
COLD WEATHER AND HEARTWORMS Cold weather means heartworm microfilariae (babies) will not mature inside the mosquito so they can’t grow to the infective stage. In fact, cold weather also kills off mosquitoes. Without mosquitoes, there’s no transmission of heartworm to dogs. In short, sustained cold temperatures prevent dogs from being infected. It does not, however, kill existing adult or immature heartworms already in the dog. Here’s an analogy: you won’t get a sunburn at midnight, but the sunburn you already have won’t suddenly disappear. It’s the same with heartworms.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:47 am
I am so glad I found you. I live in Oakland Ca, adopted a 1 yr old rescue lab from San Jose. He had been on heartworm meds there. Took him to my vet who said not needed in Bay Area, disease not endemic here. Great old vet I loved who’s philosophy was similar to that of the oncologist I worked with (I am an oncology nurse) if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Now have a different vet wants to do everything all the time. Gave me heartgard at our 1st visit which I didn’t use, returned 6 mos later semi convinced me to use it, but still haven’t given it to my dog. Going back soon, needed something more than my gut instinct to discuss with him and here you are! I have a lot of experience with what we call Big Pharma. Talk about selling fear and hope: ain’t nothing like cancer to set those feelings. Many drugs may be useful in certain circumstances but are completely oversold and driving up costs for care with miniscule value, and indcreasing side effects. I want to do right by my dog. Thanks for the valuable info. S
July 2nd, 2009 at 11:45 am
Okay, that’s all great BUT my dog in the Northwest was just diagnosed with stage 1 heartworm. Now what? Do you suggest the arsenical “slow kill” treatment? What about the newer but not necessarily agreed upon treatment of using a monthly preventative (plus antibiotics) to take up to two years to kill the worms (but possibility causing pulmonary problems over the longer span)? My vet recommends the first but I’d love some other informed opinions. Thanks.
July 2nd, 2009 at 12:36 pm
WHAT TO DO IF YOU THINK YOUR DOG HAS HEARTWORM Susan, it’s relatively rare to contract heartworm in the Pacific Northwest. I’m sorry for you and your dog, but don’t panic.
Dogs survive heartworm all the time. In fact, the current movie star dog Benji is a healthy heartworm survivor many years removed from his life on the streets in a Gulf Coast State. Wild animals live their whole lives with parasites. Parasites don’t want to kill their hosts because they, in turn, will die; they want to co-exist.
I’m not a vet, but here are some ideas for treatment.
You’ve had a heartworm antigen test, right?
Have you given your dog a cardiac ultrasound? My vet recommends it before starting any treatment. If the infestation is mild, you will treat differently than if it is major. Some vets would treat with homeopathy, good food and supplements like Transfer Factor or bovine collagen if the infestation is minor. A single female worm can make an antigen test positive. Everhaving had heartworms, but not having them now, can make an antibody test positive. You can learn more about diagnosis at http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article_11.html
Third, there’s an interesting video by a vet on heartworm treatment that you should watch. You can fast forward through the commercial beginning to about halfway through. This is about the long-term non-arsenic treatment.
What would I do if it were my dog? I’d have the cardiac ultrasound and consult a holistic vet. Vets who seem to know a lot about this can be found at http://www.thepetwhisperer.com and http://www.alt4animals.com/ and http://www.homevet.com/ I think they both consult by phone. You can find a holistic vet in your area, or a vet trained in homeopathy, at Find A Vet. I can also highly recommend a vet who treats all sort of hard cases by phone (he treats both my dogs): Dr. W.K. Kruesi at http://www.crvetcenter.com.
Let me know how it goes. Don’t worry. Learn the facts and then proceed calmly. Remember, your dog will sense your stress and then become worried herself. Think positive and relax.
July 18th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Hi Jan,
I’ve bookmarked this, I found it invaluable, thank you! I adopted a dog late last summer. He had tested negative for heartworm and I’ll have him tested before summer is over. We’re in Connecticut. I made up my mind to go as natural as possible with him. He’s an indoor dog but we walk around the neighborhood, which isn’t near water, etc. When we go outside, it’s after sunrise and we walk before true dusk. I spray him with a spray containing neem and I just bought a big jar of diatomaceous earth. I read the labels on some of these conventional flea/tick/heartworm meds and I won’t use anything on my dog that I won’t use on myself!
Have him eating GOOD quality dry food (grain free) and have been adding freeze-dried pathogen-free raw food to it, give him distilled water. He had shots before I adopted him; only one he’ll be getting is the legally required rabies every 3 years. I have a local holistic vet- he hasn’t seen him yet but has met him and said based on him having been checked in August, late spring/summer would be fine. I hope we’re on the right page or I may shlep him to see Dr. Marty (Goldstein)
Friends of mine further scared me, but NOT into going against my instinct. A friend who gave her dog these poisons said he had seizures- yet she still gave it to him. I’m just glad I live up North.
August 5th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
Even though I recently let me vet talk me into rabies and heartworm shot, and I’m watching my baby closely right now, I have NEVER had the need to put ANY flea control on my dog. I live in the DEEP SOUTH(ALABAMA), where flea infestation is a huge problem, my Penny has never had fleas!!!! I swear!!!!! I just wish I had known about the adverse effects of these shots! I wish I had known my girl is probably immune by the age of 10 to these diseases! I made a huge mistake, and hope she doesn’t have to pay for my ignorance! She was even tested for heartworms, (she had never had prevention before) and came back negative! The guy that had her before us, gave her a raw meat diet, which included deer! It must have been the best thing, as she never had any problems in such a pest prone state! I feel now that if a dog is healthy, these pests don’t want to hang around. It’s the weaker ones that they go for. Am I wrong? Please give me any info!
August 31st, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Ok So I am ready to rant and very happy I found this article. I have had my 2 dogs on heart guard as far back as I can remember sometimes keeping them on it all the time and then all of a sudden the vet comes up with this new thing we have to test the blood before we can prescribe it. I then got a new vet who recomended we try novartis so we then had the blood checked for hw came back negitive. The 2 dogs have been on this for a year to this day since they were tested. and I get my notice from my vet saying if I want to continue novartis I have to bring my dogs in for another blood test to get the pill. They didn’t have it last year and they have been on the stuff ever since. Scam if you ask me.
September 17th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
One thing that isn’t mentioned here is that a major reason why many vets recommend heartworm prevention yearly is that it also protects against many intestinal parasites that can also be transmitted to humans. Of course, this may be viewed as another scare tactic to you, but if you were the mother of a child with roundworm infection I’m sure you’d have a different point of view.
I appreciate your stand on the issue but certain statements make you appear less credible. Such as when you say, “I’m not a vet” and “Most of these companies have sales reps that regularly call on vets and show them how to sell you heartworm meds.” If you’re not a vet you shouldn’t be making assumptions about what happens behind the scenes.
September 17th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
Hi Amanda. Your point about the meds protecting at risk children is fair, although not all children are at risk, nor are all dogs. Like millions of others, I’ve had dogs all my life, but have never contracted roundworm. My dogs have never had roundworm or heartworm. It is my understanding that you have to add a second poison (pyrantel) to heartworm meds to kill roundworms. Why also give ivermectin (for heartworms) year round when it isn’t needed? We have come to think of infestation and pesticides as inevitable. They are not.
Also, about my not being a vet: How do you think I get my information? Numerous vet techs and many more vets tell me about the behind the scenes practices. You can’t be saying that drug companies don’t help doctors and vets sell their products. Of course, they do. It’s no secret. This is big business.
I’m sure you’re on the side of animals, and that’s why you’re a vet tech. Well, so am I. I’m not against vets. I’m against over-medication. I’m sure you are, too. Thanks for your comment.
September 23rd, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Jan, if you owned your own business I’m sure you would like to make a profit. That’s how it works. But that’s not my point. I’m sure we agree that no one should benefit by putting animals in harms way. I think the main argument is whether or not there is more harm done by giving HW meds year-round than not. Unfortunately I don’t think a lot of drug companies are racing to get that research study done.
I know many dogs that acquire roundworm and other intestinal parasites as adults. Roundworms don’t look at the calendar and say, “I can’t infest this dog–it’s December!” Unlike humans, dogs stick their noses where they don’t below, lick their paws after running around outside, and eat the stool of other animals. Of course, some dogs are more susceptible to these types of parasites than others.
I agree that HWP is not needed during the winter months. Why give it when it’s not needed? Because it’s more convenient (for the owner, vet and drug company) to combine both meds in one pill. I’m not saying I agree with it but that’s the answer.
Also, you have to keep in mind that just like human doctors veterinarians are in constant fear of litigation. If they don’t recommend these types of meds and the dog or human becomes infected guess who gets blamed. If an owner declines HW meds at our clinic they have to sign a waiver. Fun stuff.
Like I said, I do appreciate your stand on the issue but using the term “poison” does irk me a little. It’s a poison for the parasites, not the dog. This is like saying antibiotics are a poison because they kill bacteria.
You wrote, “While everyone agrees that heartworm infestations can be life-threatening, infestation is far from inevitable nor is it the immutable death sentence advertisers would have you believe. (Otherwise, all dogs and cats not on meds would die of infestation. But they don’t.)”
You are using the exact same scare tactics by calling these medications “poisons.” If they really were poisons, all dogs and cats would die from taking them. But they don’t.
September 24th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
Hi Amanda, thanks for the comment. I don’t disagree with what you wrote.
Is a pesticide poison for the pest but not the dog? I’m not sure. 46% of dogs not dying of accidental causes now die of cancer. Who’s to say that flea and worm meds aren’t damaging the dog just as small amounts of poison would. Drug safety tests are done for short periods of time, not decades, not even years. Adverse reaction reporting has been estimated by a former FDA head as less than 1%. Does giving a dog this medication month after month, year after year, decade after decade increase the probability that dog will develop cancer? Many vets I know believe it does.
Why not wait to see if your dog has worms before treating for them? Would YOU take a pesticide every month just in case? I wouldn’t. In fact, I moved from Florida in part because I was allergic to “no-see-ums,” a small sand flea inhabiting beach communities. If I went outside in the evening without covering myself with repellent, I itched for a week. I couldn’t believe the repellent was good for me over time.
My next article is on the cumulative effect of vaccinations. I’m particularly sensitive to the subject of repeated doses of drugs at the moment.
October 1st, 2009 at 6:52 am
[In another comment Amanda wrote]“Of course, this may be viewed as another scare tactic to you, but if you were the mother of a child with roundworm infection I’m sure you’d have a different point of view.”
Just to clarify that the roundworm that is toxic to children is the species carried by Raccoons.
That means all the wormer in the world will not prevent the possibility of a child contracting this deadly form of round worm if you live in area that has a coon population and your child comes in contact with contaminated feces from the coon ( eg playing out side barefoot, in dirt ect )
I wish people/Vets would clarify this before they make this statement in which strikes major fear into any parent
I live in Fla. and treat my dogs once every other month and that has worked well for me
October 1st, 2009 at 9:13 am
Hi Mari. Thanks so much for your information on roundworms. It certainly wouldn’t make sense to treat your dog for roundworm in order to protect your child from roundworm if raccoons are the culprit. I’ve had several concerned parents write about this. I’ll refer them to your comment in the future.
October 1st, 2009 at 9:18 am
Amanda, this comment came in on my blog for you: “Just to clarify that the roundworm that is toxic to children is the species carried by Raccoons.
That means all the wormer in the world will not prevent the possibility of a child contracting this deadly form of round worm if you live in area that has a coon population and your child comes in contact with contaminated feces from the coon ( eg playing out side barefoot, in dirt ect )
I wish people/Vets would clarify this before they make this statement in which strikes major fear into any parent.
I live in Fla. and treat my dogs once every other month and that has worked well for me.”
October 13th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Our dogs and cats are contracting cancer like never before, why is that? Perhaps too much garbage pumped in to them like we do humans! Enough with over medicating, period!
October 13th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Hi Jason. Given heartworm meds, arthritis meds, flea meds and over-vaccination, it’s amazing ALL dogs don’t die of cancer. It’s currently just (just)46% of dogs and 39% of cats now.
Thanks for your comments. Tell your friends!
November 15th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I work for an absolutely wonderful allopathic vet and treat my kids homeopathically through an equally wonderful homeopathic vet. The vets I work with are very caring and are somewhat accepting of my homeopathic bent but they are not all about the money, they truly believe in the way they practice medicine as they were trained. I hate the “prescription” diets it breaks my heart whenever an unsuspecting client buys the overpriced crap that they believe will extend thier beloved pets life and I believe will not. I switched to feeding raw food several years ago after losing yet another beloved cat to renal failure. I did everything I believed was right, I vaccinated for everything, fed them a prescription diet as I was taught was the way to a long happy life for my cats. They do recommend the heartworm prevention all year round because they believe that will prevent heartworm as well as intestinal parasites even though it is inhospitable for mosquitoes several months out of the year. Again it is what they have been taught and recommend by the drug companies. More people should take their furry children to homeopathic vets, feed raw food, give less vaccines, less toxins in and out and hopefully give them a longer healthier life. Here ends my rant.
November 15th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Sue, thank you for your informed reply — not a rant at all. I don’t often get comments from people who work for an allopathic vet but treat their pets homeopathically. I wish everyone had such an open mind — including the allopathic vet. Re doing what we’re taught, I was taught be a nice little girl, to always defer to men and not to make waves. I outgrew all of that!
November 17th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Do you have any suggestions on fish oils for the skin? I currently give my girls probotics but have been told by others that fish oils would be a good supplement too! There are so many on the market I just don’t know which ones are the real thing and which ones are just money making gimmics! Thanks.
November 17th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Fish oils are very important for general health as well as the skin. The main thing is to get organic fish oil. Otherwise, it’s made from farmed fish which can be hazardous to your dog’s health. http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/02/20/farmed-salmon-in-pet-food-is-it-safe/
I like Nordic Naturals and Halo’s Dream Coat. halopets.com They’re both available in lots of pet stores.
I hope this is helpful.
December 8th, 2009 at 8:28 am
We haven’t given our dog heartworm medication in four months, due to financial problems. We live in North Carolina, in a wooded area with lots of mosquitoes though. We tend to be holistic in our family, so this article makes sense to us. We’re wondering though, if we gave her a dose of heartworm medication now after four months, would it kill any heartworms without hurting our dog? We’d like to get her tested, but fear the vet bill.
December 8th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
Sara, winter is generally the end of the heartworm season. Check the temps in your area re the article on heartworms. Some vets apparently give hw meds as a way to kill heartworms in an early stage. Others say it’s dangerous. If your dog has been off meds for only 4 months, that’s not long at all. They can’t have matured much. I wish I could tell you what to do. It’s unlikely the test will show anything.
January 20th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
This page is terrific. We just adopted 2 West Highland Terriers who are brother and sister, 2 years old. They are in excellent health and had been on a monthly Heartworm (Sentinel) medication. Living in Dallas I wonder how oftern I really need to give them the medication. It is warm in late spring and into the fall but plenty cold based on what this blog is saying pertaining to temp and heartworm growth. Any advice please?
January 20th, 2010 at 3:06 pm
Hi Texas Family. I’d happy you found my heartworm article interesting. I suggest you read both articles at http://www.truth4dogs.com, follow the links, discuss them with your vet and decide for yourself. Each of us has to make their own decision.
I hope you’ll read the vaccination articles as well.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:54 pm
I found this link that shows on the US map the heartworm clinics reporting incidents. Is this a reputable site…I live where it says 1-5 cases clinic….they push heartworm!
http://www.capcvet.org/recommendations/heartwormdog.html
February 5th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Trish, I don’t find any maps, including the identical map on my blog, very useful because the incidence of heartworm can vary in a few miles. To learn about any website, see who is sponsoring it. In this case, it’s a bunch of drug companies. The info may be mostly good, or not, but it does not appear to be unbiased. http://www.capcvet.org/capc/sponsors.html
February 5th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Thanks Jan, I really enjoy reading your site, of course the skeptic in me is cautious because the owner suffers the consequences for the wrong choices. Your site makes sense. That map shows hundreds of miles from severe incidences from where I live….
February 5th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
Trish — Don’t forget that temperature has a huge effect on heartworm transmission. It’s pretty cold most places now. Also, I don’t know if you read part 2 of the heartworm articles but there are lots of choices there.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:55 pm
Oh my, you have the same map listed here:
Read Part 2 of this article: Heartworm Preventative Options Learn how to reduce the number of times you give “preventatives,” about the little-known FDA approved low-dose preventative, and what to do if you don’t want to give meds at all.
That takes you to the same map on that site
February 7th, 2010 at 9:06 am
another question….I’ve tried searching for this answer…can you cut chewable Iverhart plus tables for a dog half the size of the 61-100 pound range….vet won’t give me a straight answer.
February 7th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Trish, you should contact the manufacturer.
February 14th, 2010 at 7:19 pm
Thanks Jan
February 16th, 2010 at 5:03 pm
update:
Went to get pup shots, Vet said that the “chewable” heartworm cannot be cut in half as they just inject the medicine into the chewable cube. I asked about the Iverheart plus hard tablet, have 51lbs to 100 lbs dog size. Since my dog is 39 lbs I can cut that table into 3/4. Also checked with her on that map that shows 1-5 heatworm cases in my surrounding ara…that map is correct. She stated that the 5 years she has been practicing, she has seen 4-5 cases. Stated there wasn’t a heartworm problem here. Boy I feel so much better!
February 22nd, 2010 at 5:11 pm
To clarify the issue of which species of roundworm causes horrible harm to children, it is Toxocara canis, the dog roundworm. It causes visceral larval migrans, which is the condition of having the worms travel through liver, lungs and other organs. It also causes lesions in the retina, which causes irreversible blindness. The raccoon roundworm can actually be fatal to humans. Please don’t refer the unsuspecting public to answers from uneducated lay people regarding the safety of their children. You could do more harm than you think.
March 2nd, 2010 at 9:39 am
First….you can cut the chewables in half…they do not “insert” the medication into each individual pill. Chewable heartworm is “cut” into pieces at the manufacturer. Some pills might contain more of the active ingredient and others less but overall your dog will be getting enough if you cut the pill in half. Second, in theory, you should only have to give your dog a dose of heartworm medication once every 7 months as it takes that long for adult heartworms to grow. I wouldn’t test that theory on my own dog, but if you miss a month don’t worry about it…..and finally…ONLY give your dog heartworm medication during mosquito season and don’t start until the month after mosquito season….hear in the North….that would mean no earlier than May 1 and depending on how cold it is…June 1 could be sufficient.
April 20th, 2010 at 11:44 am
I work in a veterinarians office in western North Carolina and just wanted to let you all know that we diagnosed 5 new casee of heartworm last week. The owners of these animals were devastated and all of them had regrets of not putting their pets on prevention.
April 20th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Charris, I’m sure these people were devastated. It is not my goal to keep people from using heartworm medication or tell them to ignore the problem. But they should know that the medication is not risk free, and in most places, does not need to be used year round. The entire goal of my work is giving people information on which they can make informed choices. I wonder if your practice tells people to use the meds in winter? I wonder if they tell people that transmission is impossible in winter? If they do, bravo!
April 29th, 2010 at 11:30 am
I give heartguard plus year round. I have a 3yr that I got from a shelter at approx 1 yrs old . Had her tested for heartworms came back negative, started on heartguard I then got another dog at 8 weeks old started him immediatly. I live in Souther Ca and we camp out all summer in the mountains, lot of mosquitos and stale water often near the fishing area. The temp in the summer 75-105 daily even in the Spring most time is warm. Winter months are generally January-March my vet recommend year round what is your opinion
April 29th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
I have read that a mosquito lives its life within approximately a few hundred square yards. I live in the middle of the country and there are no dogs within 1000 feet of my house. I see the possibility of a mosquito biting an infected dog or coyote within the small area of my house and then biting my dogs as quite remote. In my childhood our dogs lived 14 to 16 years. I have buried 3 dogs that died of cancer in my adulthood. Why? It has to be the poisons we medicate with and the garbage they sell as dog food. I have switched to a natural flea and ticket deterrent and will test for heart worms twice a year, but not treat it unless I get a positive test. I feel that I have killed my other dogs by listening to the sales reps/vets that only have profits in mind. How can you get an honest answer from a vet when you have to pay them a fortune for meds on every visit? Its their business to sell you that stuff.
April 30th, 2010 at 8:10 am
Hi David. Vets are obligated to inform you about the risks and benefits of any product or medical procedure, but few do. In my experience, it the holistic vets who are most forthcoming. They have become holistic practitioners they question the status quo.
There’s a list of vets who consider themselves holistic, and others who practice homeopathy, at my website: http://www.dogs4dogs.com/vet
BTW, many vets are pushing meds for profit. Others, because they don’t trust their clients to be consciencious. A shockingly large group is not up to date on the lastest science. This is particularly true when it comes to vaccination. We have to stay educated and up to date ourselves. Good for you for doing it.
May 1st, 2010 at 4:18 pm
Gloria, you know the temperature in your area and have to make your own decision. I personally wouldn’t give my own dogs potentially toxic meds when contracting heartworm is impossible — i.e., during cool weather. Most places in So Cal are chilly Nov – March. I’d also give the meds every 6 weeks rather than monthly. Every vet I know agrees that every six weeks is fine. But it’s up to you. I live in So Cal and don’t give meds at all. I test once to twice yearly and have never had a problem in 10 years.
June 14th, 2010 at 8:25 am
Thank yo so much for this information. I have a pug who seems to have a sensative system. I was scared by our vet about heart worms, and he sent us home with 6 months doses for all 3 of our dogs, at a pretty good cost I might add.
He also said we needed to keep them on it year round, even though we have cold winters here.
I almsot started them on their doses several times since then, but reading the list of side affects always made me stop.
I was so thankful for this information on this website, and I plan to continue preventative measures for the warm months.
I’m breathing a sigh of relief that I did not give them that medication, but also know I need to stay vigilant. (Not a problem here.. our dogs are definetly our kids!)
Many Thanks to you.
June 15th, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Tammy, I’m happy my articles on heartworms were useful. I hope you’ll check out the articles on vaccinating adult dogs. Most vets way over-vaccinate! http://www.truth4dogs.com
June 15th, 2010 at 7:03 pm
Thank you Jan. I already did read most everything on this website. This site validated what I had already felt, by previously looking up information.
For one thing, about rabies vacs..
And I had had concerns when we took the “kids” to the vet about reactions to the vaccines they were given..
I guess I feel the same way about my fur-babies as I did my own kids. Except that I trust vets a lot less now. My self a lot more.
My initial inquiary was just to see if there was any thing out there to validate my concern about giving them the heart worm meds… I didnt think there would be, but I had to look.
So glad I did look, and found this site.
I’m a fan of this site.
THANK YOU!