[Ellie May]

Well, I think I've said about all I can about heartworm disease and preventative. The bottom line is that I will use preventative year-round and try my very best to help my dog avoid deep and very painful injections of arsenic.

Any drug can cause side effects including liver damage. So if we start giving Denamarin before giving heartworm preventatives, then we would need to do that before giving any and all drugs. I suppose if that's what an owner wants for their dog(s), then that's their choice. However, we could apply the same theory to glucosamine and joint health, Azodyl and kidney health, mega doses of omega 3 and skin/tissue health, enzymes and pancreas health, probiotics and intestinal health, etc., etc. And you'll have a dog living on completely unnecessary supplements. That isn't standard of care and it isn't what I consider good medicine. It gets out of control very quickly. To each their own. Just as I don't take SAMe and milk thistle daily (because I take drugs), my dog(s) won't either unless there is a diagnosed liver problem.

Also, animals can and do get heartworm disease even in places wehre it freezes. It is showing up here during the winter when owners stop the drug. What each owner does is between them and their vet. I can't and won't agree that skipping preventatives during the winter is okay. And besides, tehre is now concern over the new MP3 strain. The best chance that the older preventatives have at killing the larvae are if the preventative is giving for three months consecuively after infection. So if the dog gets infected in October and the drug is stopped for the winter in November?? This may become more of a concern when some data is released about where this strain has spread to.

And btw, Ellie's post bile acids have been up to 106. That doesn't even come into the year-round vs. half-year equation. Her liver would be in much more rouble if I had to have arsenic injected into her.