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The most popular heartworm "preventives" Heart guard and Interceptor are not really preventives at all, rather they act by killing the microfilariae, L3, and/or L4 larva in an infested dog. Interceptor kills the L3s, and L4s while Heartguard will kill the L4s and some of the youngest L5s. In other words they're poisons. Neither of them kills the fully adult heartworms. There are basically two standard tests for heartworm. One is called the antigen or occult test which tests for the antigens produced by the adult female heartworm. This test does not show the presence of microfilaria. The other is the microfilaria test. This test, of course, tests for microfilariae. Both Heartguard and Interceptor kill microfilariae. Therefore if ones dogs have been on either of these products they will test negative for heartworm when given the microfilaria test even though they may be infested with adult heartworms. It is not common, but it does happen. There have been many reports of dogs having very bad reactions to both Heartguard and Interceptor. Giving ones dog doses of poison month after month to kill something which probably isn't there anyway doesn't make an awful lot of sense to me. In his book "Homeopathic Care For Cats and Dogs", under the heading Heartworm, Dr. Don Hamilton says: "This is a serious disease that primarily affects dogs... It can be treated homeopathically but this should be under the care of an experienced veterinarian. Heartworm preventives are generally very effective at protecting dogs against the disease....In dogs the "monthly" preventives are effective if given at six week intervals, and possibly even at seven- or eight week intervals.... The daily preventives are almost a thing of the past, but these are usually effective if given every other day. Although the preventive drugs are generally safe, they can initiate an autoimmune disease in susceptible animals...The homeopathic nosode that is made from heartworm larva is employed commonly as a preventive to avoid the drug side effects. Many question its effectiveness, though I have several clients who use the nosode (apparently successfully) with animals in heartworm endemic areas. Most animals have no trouble with heartworms. I do know of some cases where the nosode did not protect, however. I believe it does offer some protection, though it may be incomplete... If you decide to try the nosode, you must understand that its effectiveness is currently unknown." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To me this quote says pretty clearly that Dr. Hamilton has more faith in the drugs like Heartguard than he does in any homeopathic approach to prevention. On the other hand, Dr. Martin Goldstein, in his book, "The Nature Of Animal Healing" page 221 says: "Granted, heartworm is a serious condition... A few caveats are in order, however. Only a small percentage of dogs who get heartworm die of it, especially if they're routinely tested twice yearly for early detection. Even in untreated dogs, after a period of uncomfortable symptoms, the adult worms die... The chances of a microfilaria infected mosquito biting your dog the first time are slim. Of it happening to the same dog twice? Very slim...Early in my career, I saw and treated hundreds of cases of heartworm disease, most with routine medication, yet witnessed only three deaths (the last was in 1979). By comparison, we're seeing, cancer kill dogs on a daily basis. To my mind, the likelihood that toxicity from heartworm pills is contributing to the tremendous amount of immune suppression now occurring, especially in cases of liver disease and cancer, is far greater and more immediate than the threat of the disease they're meant to prevent... As a precaution, I recommend that all dogs be tested twice a year for heartworm. For clients who insist on a more active form of prevention, I suggest doses of black walnut given two to three times a week, as I've actually reversed clinical heartworm with it..." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Obviously two very differing opinions of the safety of the common heartworm preventive drugs and the efficacy of alternative treatments from two very respected authors and healers. Other alternative preventives I've run across are: Soaking an old towel in equal parts of the essential oils of pennyroyal and citronella; tearing it into pieces and hanging it in various places around ones dog runs or property is said to make an excellent repellent. Citronella, eucalyptus, pennyroyal, rosemary, rue and wormwood are the strongest herbal repellents available, not only for mosquitoes, but for fleas, and ticks as well. Rubbing fresh leaves of pennyroyal, rosemary eucalyptus, lavender and/or wormwood on ones dogs' coat and/or ones own skin is also said to be a good temporary repellent. We keep a small spray bottle with a mixture of the above essential oils plus black walnut on hand for use on ourselves and our dogs. Mixing in equal parts of distilled water makes it considerably less costly and still seems to do a good job. Spraying it on things like lawn or deck furniture can also be very effective. For a quite different view of the subject as well as some interesting additional information go to The Vet Column. Langsley T Russell Bulloved Bulldogs
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise noted, individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified holistic veterinarian
or alternative practitioner and is not intended as veterinary advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Healthy Pet Boutique, its owners and our community. We encourage you
to make your own health care decisions for your pets based upon your own research.
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