Comments on: Heartworm Medication Part 2: Options to Fear-Based Recommendations

By: Cindy

Cindy — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:17:05 +0000

Ted:

I live in Portland too. What vet do you use? Mine won’t approve a prescription getting filled by PetCareRx, because they want to charge me $14 MORE dollars for my Interceptor. Their practice is all about the revenue – not necessarily what is best for my dog.

By: Karen R Rickers

Karen R Rickers — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 14:35:07 +0000

These two articles were incredibly informative. Thank you so much for putting so much energy into keeping dogs everywhere healthy! I’m going to be reading a lot more on your website.

By: Debbie Smith

Debbie Smith — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 04:36:22 +0000

I would like to comment to Mary Ellen – if you read the article, testing is suggested twice a year in very warm climates. If you are testing twice a year and they find any heartworms, you can probably kill them with the regular heart meds instead of the arsenic treatment. This is because it takes 180-183 days for the larva to develop into adult worms. I don’t know if the number of days was in part I of the author’s article, or if I have read it elsewhere. If a dog has a large number of adults, they don’t want a quick die-off of a large number of worms because of damage to the heart that could cause death, but I’m thinking that with testing every 6 months you would – IF your dog actually had heartworms – be able to give a “regular” so-called preventative.

Also, remember that rescued dogs are often in a poor state from things like neglect, poor nutrition, stress from outdoor life in extreme temperatures, etc. This can make them more susceptible to heartworm compared to healthier dogs that may be infected but are able to get rid of the problem before it becomes one! I certainly know of many rescues that come in with heartworm, yet not all owners give heartworm meds and their well-kept, well-nourished, unstressed dogs don’t get heartworm.

By: Mary Ellen

Mary Ellen — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 21:39:36 +0000

As an owner of a rescue dog, who during her first exam, tested positive for heartworm I will continue giving her year round preventative. She is 4 years old, and while she is classified as a Class I/II (leaning toward Class I, she already had changes to her pulmonary and heart vessels. Is it better to risk getting the heartworm and then having to treat it with an arsenic based product? If she had cancer, I would also opt for chemo therapy. Holistic is nice, but let’s use some common sense in treating and/or preventing serious diseases, whether we are talking about canine, feline or human!

By: Nancy

Nancy — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 21:00:48 +0000

Jan,
Thank you for the great article, I’m a holistic supporter myself and am always looking for a better way for my pet. My vet always uses the scare tactic and tells me that Heartgard protects against other worms and parasites as well as heartworm. She says that these other parasites can be transmitted to my kids. I question if this is really true, and if so, is this just a problem in warm months. I live in Colorado Springs, which according to the start and stop months, I only need to do the meds from July to November. We have an incredible dog park nearby and my Miniature Schnauzer goes every day of the week.

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:45:25 +0000

Hi Day Marie. I’m so sorry about your dog. The “holistic” vet who told you to take Heartgard and Advantix is unlike any holistic vet I know. These days, lots of vets are calling themselves “holistic” for marketing purposes, but they clearly aren’t.

You should report your dog’s death to the EPA. Here’s a link to report the reaction to Advantix. http://pesticides.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/pesticides.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=5482&p_created=1224683751&p_sid=-wtG7MJj&p_accessibility=0&p_redirect=&p_lva=&p_sp=cF9zcmNoPTEmcF9zb3J0X2J5PSZwX2dyaWRzb3J0PSZwX3Jvd19jbnQ9MTQsMTQmcF9wcm9kcz00NzQmcF9jYXRzPSZwX3B2PTEuNDc0JnBfY3Y9JnBfcGFnZT0x&p_li=&p_topview=1

You can also report a problem with pesticides, drugs or foods at a new AVMA reporting page. Also fill out the form at Beyond Pesticides. You can find links to these sites, and an article about the dangers of pesticides and pets. http://www.dogs4dogs.com/blog/2009/01/08/pesticides-poisoning-pets/

Thank you for your kind words about my articles. (Tell Val thanks!) I hope you’ve read the ones on vaccinating as well. Shots are yet another can of worms.

Best of luck. — Jan

By: Day Marie

Day Marie — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:08:10 +0000

Jan, Thank you for the most informative articles Part 1 & 2 about heartworms. My beloved Sport, a Lhasa mix of 14.5 years took ill just one week after taking heartgard & advantix (one day apart) and within one month died from liver cancer that triggered so many other organs to breakdown. I was so devastated because I had just moved to San Antonio, TX from Colorado and the fleas & ear mites had become a problem for him. Even the holistic vet told me it would be okay to give both although she knew his prior history of liver disease. I had doubts about giving both of these chemicals but instead trusted the vet too much…
I made the mistake of believing the holistic vet knew what she was talking about. Since his death 5 months ago, I have researched books & the internet & learned how toxic these chemicals really are and the alternatives available. I have had to deal with huge amounts of regret & despair by not listening to my own gut feelings. I did report to the EPA about the toxicity of Heartgard & Advantix. Now that I have a new companion, I will not give either of these meds to her but instead will be more proactive in natural remedies and have her tested twice yearly for heartworms, continue cooking homemade meals, etc to keep her immune system strong & healthy. I have found a new vet who practices regular vet care with Chinese herbs & acupuncture for my Australian Shepherd but she still encourages Heartgard & using antibiotics but I won’t agree to these any longer especially since I’ve learned Aussies are sensitive to Ivermectin. Thank you Jan. Keep up the good work. I learned of your book from Val Heart, animal communicator here in San Antonio.

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:07:30 +0000

Hi Ted. I understand what you’re thinking, but all the items you mentioned as favorites of your dog to gobble down — pine cones, bark and poop — are organic. Your dog’s high level of hydrochloric stomach acid protects him from pathogens and hard-to-digest items. Heartworm preventatives and other meds are synthetic chemicals. The hydrochloric acid doesn’t help. That your dog has shown no symptoms doesn’t mean anything. If your dog ultimately dies of cancer or organ failure, you may go looking for a cause. Toxic chemicals cause cancer in humans. Do you think they don’t cause them in dogs?

By: Ted

Ted — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 20:32:24 +0000

I live in Portland OR. I have a black lab. Like most labs, he eats everything he finds on the ground that looks interesting, even right haver he’s been fed. pine cones, cat and dog turds, tree bark, you name it, he eats it. I’m constantly pulling his head out of some disgusting thing or other, one of his favorites is the toilet, expecially if there’s paper in there and someone has used it and forgot to flush. He’s never been sick from any of this. I give him the monthly heatworm preventative. He’s never been sick from that, either. Not every dog is delicate. Just thought I’d give some balance, here. By the way, I buy the preventatives online. They are a lot chepaer than a yearly blood test.

By: Jan

Jan — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 20:09:22 +0000

Heartworm medication and seizures. Carol, I'm so sorry for your dog's problems. Click this link to find a holistic vet who can help you with your dog's problems. Why would a vet continue to give the same medication that caused seizures? For one thing, different preventatives use different insecticides. I wonder, have you reported the problem to the manufacturer and asked them to pay for your dog's treatment and recommend what you should do. I bet the first thing they tell you to do is to stop the medication. I'm sure a holistic vet will help you wean your dog off the meds and will suggest safer ways to prevent heartworm infection. I wish you the best of luck.