I had to use one of my more dignified photos bepaws I have my pawsome friend and fellow dog author, Chiclet T. Dog writing this next article that is VERY impawtant to us dogs, WOOF!

It’s getting warmer outside. Time for merchandisers to start scaring you to death about heartworms.

It’s also time for my annual sermon on heartworm treatments. For my book’s chapter on parasite control, “Stop Pest-ering Me,” Mom interviewed three veterinarian-authors and two other famous holistic vets, and did a ton of research. Truth be told, she wasn’t much fun for a while.

While everyone agrees that heartworms can be life-threatening, every vet Mom consulted also thought heartworm medications could be toxic. Well-known vet, author and columnist Martin Goldstein has written that he sees heartworms as less epidemic than the “disease-causing toxicity” of heartworm medicine. These meds do not, by the way, prevent heartworms. They kill them. That’s why you have to test before giving this medication. If your dog already has a bad infestation, the die-off can kill her.

Heartworm microfilariae (babies only a mother heartworm could love) can only be delivered to dogs by female mosquitoes. (Girl mosquitoes must feel so used!) The microfilariae also require sustained periods of warm weather (day and night) to develop to the proper stage to mature and be delivered.

I can’t advise you, because as you know, I didn’t earn my Dogtoral Degree from an accredited vet school. (Vet schools continue to discriminate against canine applicants.) With our vet’s help, however, Mom and I decided to forgo toxic meds, preferring non-toxic alternatives like natural bug repellent, mosquito-zappers, and staying indoors when mosquitoes are buzzing.

For more information, I can highly recommend my book’s chapter “Stop Pestering Me!” I’m the only source I can vouch for as being completely unbiased. Mom didn’t care what the heartworm solution was. She only cared that we were safe.

You can also search around on-line, but suspect the SCARIEST information to come from people selling heartworm “preventatives.” Expect photos of hearts stuffed with spaghetti worms and maps with alarming death tolls. Beware any site professing the absolute safety of any medication and any site that says you should give meds during sustained cool weather. With any on-line investigation of anything, always find out who sponsors the website and factor in any conflict of interest. One .org site is sponsored by a pharmaceutical company. Humans can be sneaky.

You can generally get the most reliable information from a vet school site. For example, when speaking about the baby heartworms (microfilariae), The University of Pennsylvania vet school states: “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.”http://cal.vet.upenn.edu/merial/hrtworm/hw_1a.htm We’ve never found this information on a site selling heartworm meds.

Jiggy and I used to get heartworm meds year round until Mom did her research. Now we we don’t get any at all. I admit to living in an area where mosquitos aren’t a big problem, but even in Skeeter country, we can’t see any reason to protect when those skeeters aren’t around or when it’s too cold for the microfilariae to mature. Can you?

To protect your dog, learn about natural prevention methods and get your dog a blood test at least once yearly. Twice is even safer, especially if you live in infested areas and forgo meds.

So why do so many vets recommend year round protection? We think they’re afraid you’ll forget to start meds at the right time. They think you’ve never heard of new-fangled technology called calendars and computer alerts. Remind yourself to test before mosquitoes are a problem in your area—so you can start the meds or more natural remedies. Program another reminder to stop medicating eight weeks or so after the weather cools. Remember: meds kill; they don’t prevent.

Many vets also told us that you don’t need to give meds monthly. They prefer intervals of six to eight weeks. Don’t take our word for any of this. Do your own research and decide what’s best for your furry kids. We have no one to rely on but you.

Personally (or is it dogally?), I do everything possible to keep potential toxins out of my body. Mom and I get so many e-mails from people whose dogs have cancer. It’s epidemic. The Morris Animal Foundation says half of all older dogs who die of disease die from cancer. Many others have kidney and liver disease. Can all the toxic products we use on dogs and in our environment be blameless?

Permission to reprint granted by Jan Rasmusen, author of Scared Poopless: The Straight Scoop on Dog Care. Learn more, and sign up for a free newsletter, click here.

Disclaimer: The content of this newsletter is provided for general information purposes. Any information provided is not veterinary advice and should not be substituted for a regular consultation with a veterinary professional. If you have any concerns about your dog’s health, please contact your veterinarian’s office immediately.
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Have a pawsitively tail waggin’, naturally heartworm-free day, WOOF!

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