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Originally Posted by kjc  |
I am not going to read every single one of those links. What I read and refer to in this post is the study done at NIH (see second link you posted). What I gather from that study is just what I said previously. That they believe that the Doxycycline's effect on the Wolbachia organism is interferring with the transmission of heartworm disease, not the direct effect on the worm itself. If anyone sees something different in the below referenced quote from the NIH, please explain it to me.
Effects of doxycycline on the endosymbiont Wolbach... [Vet Parasitol. 2010] - PubMed result The effect of the antibiotic therapy on the worms may have interfered with the transmission of heartworm disease because the population of microfilariae and the number of microfilaremic dogs were reduced and the microfilariae positive samples that were found did not test positive for Wolbachia sp. in many cases. These findings suggest that in areas were doxycycline is extensively used D. immitis transmission may be impaired by the reduction on the number of microfilariae and on the endosymbiotic bacteria in the larvae turning them incapable of completing development once they infected a new host.
As to your last comment, let me simply say this: Just because something such as Denarmin has an effect and is indicated in certain illnesses that effect the liver, it does not to me indicate a wide usage of such product. I am a firm believer that "if isn't broke, don't fix it". Denarmin, while good for liver compromised dogs, IMO should not just be used because someone "thinks" there could be some sort of effect from a medication. I simply believe that many people go completely overboard with things that they want to believe are totally harmless. I have seen people become ill from overdoses of vitamins. I also am totally astounded at the numbers of people who continue to say that Heartgard is harming dogs' livers. Then, so many who read that stuff, don't give preventatives and the poor dogs suffer. Fear mongering to me...plain and simple. I have been giving Heartgard to my dogs for many, many years now and none of them have compromised livers, thank God.