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04-14-2014, 07:05 AM | #1 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 2,631
| Heartworm season - time to make a choice part 1 of the article Protecting Your Dog From Heartworm | Dogs Naturally Magazine Heartworm is a pretty hot topic when it comes to dogs. While many pet owners are ready to jump on the whole food and no/fewer vaccinations bandwagon, they quickly put on the brakes when it comes to packing it in on the heartworm meds. And why wouldn’t they – nobody wants their dog to die of a preventable disease. But if we’re talking about what’s preventable, let’s talk hard facts. Before I begin, I’d like to share a comment that was left by a vet on our 5 Steps To Prevent Cancer post: “As a veterinarian, I can tell you that you are absolutely incorrect in your statement that “healthy dogs aren’t good hosts for parasites.” Healthy dogs are GREAT hosts for many parasites including fleas, ticks, and heartworms. I would like to see a scientific journal backing your claim that homeopathic vets have seen “great success” in treating heartworms naturally. Do you have any sort of medical training? Are you a veterinarian? Do you have an advanced science degree? If not, I don’t think that you should be presenting highly misleading (and incorrect) information regarding something in which you have no training. The fact of the matter is that parasiticides DO often have toxic chemicals in them, but the safety margin is so high that only a small percentage of pets get ill. For me, I always balance risk vs. benefit. For example, although heartworm is found in all 50 states, it is MUCH more prevalent in the south. I would absolutely recommend that all healthy dogs in this area take heartworm prevention, because the chance of catching this deadly disease (and it is deadly) is extremely high.” Well, I do actually have an advanced degree in physiology, so thanks for that! No, I’m not a vet, but forgive me because I’m going to share my two cents worth anyway – because somebody without any ties to people who are making money off heartworm medications has to stand up and tell the truth – and that’s exactly what I’m going to do. What Are You Protecting Your Dog From? Here’s my favorite question for dog owners: if you’re giving your dog monthly heartworm preventives, what are you protecting him from? Well, heartworm, right? But I would like for somebody to answer this question that I seem to be the only one asking: Why is the risk of heartworm disease unacceptable while the risk of death and illness from heartworm preventives is widely accepted? Read that question again. Now tell me in the comments section why you think that is. Here’s my thoughts: it’s because the drug manufacturers have told us those side effects and adverse events are OK. They’ve also scared us into thinking that heartworm, especially in the southern states, is a larger problem than it is. So we risk the adverse events in exchange for the protection given by heartworm meds. Because unprotected dogs get heartworm, right? Well, not exactly. What About The Wild Dogs? Now, the vet who left her comment, like most conventional vets, has urged everybody in the southern states to use heartworm preventives because the risk is “extremely high.” If that were true, wouldn’t the wild dog populations be decimated? Because heartworm really seems to like dogs as a host, those wolves and coyotes must be really hard hit, right? Well here’s something that’s interesting. Researchers have looked at the effect that heartworm has had on the wolf and wild dog populations. If we really want to know the real risk of heartworm disease, we should look at those animals who are exposed to mosquitoes 24/7 without any protection whatsoever. Let’s first look at a study examining wolves in Wisconsin. They captured adult wolves and took some blood to see what diseases they were exposed to. From 19991 to 1996, only 2% of those captured wolves were found to have any trace of heartworm. That’s a pretty small percentage. Well, I guess you could argue that’s a northern state, where heartworm is less rampant. I’ll give you that, but suffice it to say that it might not be all that great an idea for people living in those areas to expose their dog to the risk of heartworm meds for such a slight chance of getting some heartworms. Notice I said some heartworms, not heartworm infestation. There’s a difference but we’ll get to that later. Now, some vets may argue that the risk of adverse events from heartworm “preventives” is pretty low – but there are already 700 dogs reported dead this year alone from just one product. Thousands of other dogs suffer from neurological complaints, cancer, hypothyroidism, blindness, skin disease and more from the use of heartworm products. And that’s because… These Drugs Are Meant To Kill Things Have you ever opened the safety data sheet from these seemingly harmless products? Open it up and here’s what you’ll find: “In case of ingestion by humans, clients should be advised to contact a physician immediately. Physicians may contact a Poison Control Center for advice concerning cases of ingestion by humans.” So wait a minute – it’s OK for a ten pound dog to take this, but if a 100 to 200 pound human takes it, we should call the Poison Control Center immediately? See, this is where clever marketing and fear comes into play. You have this substance that, if ingested, is considered a poison and warrants a doctor’s appointment – immediately. But the manufacturers of this product scare the heck out of us – and our vets – with the threat of heartworm and somehow make us think that it’s a good idea to give our pets these drugs because the risk is worth the benefit. But here’s the question we have to ask if we’re going to fairly evaluate whether we should use these poisonous products on our pets: http://www.dogsnaturallymagazine.com...1d4404c944.gifHow Deadly Is Heartworm? Now I know all you rescue people in the south are crying foul at the moment – I’ll get to you soon because I know you’re concerned about all those rescue dogs who are infected with heartworm. So on one hand, we seem to have 700 dogs reportedly dead this year from one heartworm product alone. So what is the risk for those dogs who get heartworm? From the FDA website: “Heartworms can kill a dog. More likely, though, heartworms will make dogs extremely sick. Dogs infected with heartworm can be successfully treated; however, such treatment may be inconvenient and emotionally stressful for the owner.” So your dog, even if he’s carrying a heavy heartworm load, is unlikely to die. The treatment (at least the conventional treatment – for natural treatment options refer to the May 2013 issue of Dogs Naturally Magazine), is inconvenient and emotionally stressful for the owner. OK, got it. For me, that’s not a good enough reason to feed MY dogs that poison. And the good news is that I don’t have to. Because my dogs have something in common with those wolves from the study: they aren’t taking heartworm preventives and they’re not getting heartworm. But the conventional vets don’t understand this concept. They can’t see how this can happen. This is what they say: “I can tell you that you are absolutely incorrect in your statement that “healthy dogs aren’t good hosts for parasites.” Healthy dogs are GREAT hosts for many parasites including fleas, ticks, and heart worms.” Well, the nice vets at the Heartworm Society might disagree with you there. This might interest you: “Single sex heartworm infections, host immune responses affecting the presence of circulating microfilariae and the administration of heartworm preventives can be factors which produce occult infections in dogs.” An occult heartworm infection means that there is an infection of some sort but the microfilariae, or the heartworm offspring, aren’t found circulating around in the blood. So if all of the heartworms are of the same sex, or if the dog is taking preventives, then those little guys can’t reproduce and cause much of an issue. While the vets and researchers may call this an occult infection, I might be inclined to call it a functioning immune system. Yes, that’s a novel concept for modern medicine. Look at that quote again. If you go to the Heartworm Society, it’s easy to miss for all the talk about costly heartworm drugs. But there it is, nonetheless, shoved into a little corner and never mentioned again: Host immune responses affect the presence of circulating microfilariae. In a nutshell, this means that dogs with functional immune systems aren’t good hosts for heartworms and other parasites. But the sad part is that few dogs these days have a strong immune system. |
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04-14-2014, 07:06 AM | #2 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 2,631
| part 2 Canaries In A Coal Mine Do you know what a canary in a coal mine is? Early coal miners didn’t have anything in the way of ventilation systems, so legend has it that miners would bring a caged canary into new coal seams. Canaries are especially sensitive to methane and carbon monoxide, which made them ideal for detecting any dangerous gas build-ups. As long as the bird kept singing, the miners knew their air supply was safe. A dead canary signaled an immediate evacuation. The phrase “living like a canary in a coal mine” often refers to serving as a warning to others. Our dogs are canaries in a coal mine – but we don’t see it. We keep filling them with toxic chemicals like heartworm meds and, as long as they keep singing, we think they’re fine. But they’re not – something insidious is happening inside, while the toxins build up and, over either the short or long term, eventually kill or harm our dogs. And the evidence has been right under our nose all along – you see, it’s the constant exposure to those heartworm drugs – the ones that should send humans to their doctors immediately – that makes dogs get heartworm! The Heartworm Society overlooks this fact, as do conventional vets, because they don’t understand what a healthy immune system – and hence a healthy dog – look like. As long as dogs are chronically exposed to heartworm poisons, flea and tick meds, processed foods, repeated vaccinations and drugs, they simply aren’t healthy – the immune system can’t possible keep up to that chemical onslaught. So while the dog’s immune system is busy fighting off his last visit to the vet where he got flea and tick powder, vaccines, maybe some antibiotics, and even some nice, processed veterinary food, the microfilariae are free to take over because the defenses are taxed to the limit. Is this just speculation? Maybe. But for those folks in the south, I’ve got something saved up that might give more credence to my thoughts. What About The Southern States? OK, here we are: the dreaded southern states! You probably noticed that the wolf study I mentioned was done in Wisconsin where the threat of heartworm is obviously lower than in the south. So what about the wolves who are living in the southern climate? The Red Wolf was decimated and nearly extinct in 1980 but is being reintroduced throughout southeastern Texas, Florida and North Carolina – the states that are heartworm hotbeds. The population has grown to 100 animals and they’re keeping very close tabs on them. Here’s something that’s interesting: most of the wolves are testing positive for heartworm – but the infestation hasn’t been shown to be a major source of mortality. (view the study here) Now why do up to 45% of “unprotected” dogs living in the southern states suffer from heartworm while the wolves may have a couple of heartworms swimming around but rarely suffer from a life threatening infestation? Why are our companion dogs so readily infected with heartworm? Here’s an important thought from the late Dr Glen Dupree, a popular veterinary homeopath who resided in Louisiana and never treated or tested his dogs for heartworm: “I operate under the assumption that all of my dogs have heartworms. But there’s a very big difference between having heartworms and heartworm disease.” And that difference is a healthy immune system. The constant flow of toxic chemicals gets in the way of good health. Common sense would tell you that it’s ridiculous to expose your dog to vaccines, neurotoxins, carcinogens and think that you’ve made him healthy. How did giving poisonous products to healthy dogs to make them healthy become a viable treatment option? Where did it go so wrong? I ask myself this question and when people say “I’ve put my dog on heartworm preventives,” I have to ask, “what exactly have you prevented?” And more importantly, “what is the cost?” Why are we exposing 100% of our dogs to this poison when the reality of healthy dogs actually getting a heartworm infestation is about the same as those wolves who aren’t exposed to the same constant chemical onslaught? We don’t know what a healthy dog is any longer. They are few and far between. But I assure you, they exist and they are living and thriving in the southern states without heartworm preventives. So to answer the final question from that vet who challenged my thoughts: am I a vet? No, I’m not a vet. I’m just holding them accountable for the demise of healthy dogs. |
04-14-2014, 07:14 AM | #3 |
T. Bumpkins & Co. Donating YT Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: New England
Posts: 9,816
| My choice is to continue to give Heartgard every month of every year that my dogs are alive from puppyhood into their golden years until the day that they die.
__________________ Washable Doggie Pee Pads (Save 10% Enter YTSAVE10 at checkout) Cathy, Teddy, Winston and Baby Clyde...RIP angels Barney and Daisy |
04-14-2014, 07:39 AM | #4 |
Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: USA
Posts: 7,652
| One thing I'm going to add here that is beyond the actual statistics, theories and various schools of thought. I am certain that each year, month, week etc....there are many pups who die from heartworm, not like epidemic but many more than are recorded or reflected in the statistics. Why? Because it is fact, that many many people don't take the time to have their CRITICALLY ILL pups tested and take the euthanasia route instead. Additionally, many pups become so sick and die and their brilliant owners don't take the time to have a necropsy done. Period. How many folks know someone (rhetorically asking) who have had a pup that "had to be put down because of some unknown illness including pnuemonia (symptomatic of heartworm), heart failure (symptomatic of heartworm) liver failure (jaundice symptomatic of heartworm) etc...many times vets give an estimate of charges.....and well unlike me and many of you they aren't willing to pay out the big bucks....."??? I'm guessing a fair number of those are heartworm infected pups. Sad but true. As far as I'm concerned, Heartworm prevention is a proven method, there will always be the exception, but I'd rather know that I did everything I could to prevent any suffering or disease in my pup, heartworm disease in pups is horrible....both the illness and the treatment....I'm not willing to gamble. Bayer commends AHS and CAPC for updated heartworm guidelines - WLOX.com - The News for South Mississippi
__________________ The Above advice/comments/reviews are my personal opinions based on my own experience/education/investigation and research and you can take them any way you want to......Or NOT!!! |
04-14-2014, 07:39 AM | #5 |
Donating YT 10K Club Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: S. W. Suburbs of Chicago, IL
Posts: 12,235
| When I see posts like this encouraging people not to use HW prevention it is very troubling. Our pets expect us to keep them well much the same as our children. So if you are going to chose not to use prevention, I guess you need to be prepared to stand by your decision if your dog does become infected with HW. Good luck with whatever you chose. Personally, I consider myself proactive and not reactive so I use prevention.
__________________ “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.” Mark Twain |
04-14-2014, 07:47 AM | #6 |
♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas
Posts: 22,140
| We live in Texas so I've always given monthly heartworm preventative to all my dogs for as long as I can recall. My ex-husband's dog had heartworm and the treatments and you never want to see a dog have to go through that - ever.
__________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis |
04-14-2014, 07:57 AM | #7 |
YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Texas
Posts: 1,921
| My friend rescued a boxer from an animal shelter. She was picked up as a stray and was heartworm positive -- at the young age of 10 months she was already infected. She is fine now but I never want to see mine go through what that pup did. I see mosquitoes here year round, and I simply cannot even consider doing nothing to try and prevent HW. Sentinel here, year-round.
__________________ Life is merrier with a Yorkshire Terrier! Jezebel & Chuy ... RIP: Barkley Loosie & Sassy |
04-14-2014, 08:45 AM | #8 |
Furbutts = LOVE Donating Member Moderator | I think it's absolutely great to question the norm and the "way we do things". Otherwise, we'd never advance from anything to anywhere else. So hopefully this thread will muster up some good discussion. To augment this discussion, I've attached some incidence maps from 2007 and 2010 below. I'm in Arizona...you can see that our incidence is very low. Regardless, I choose to treat my kiddos rather than risk them getting heartworm. Ivermectin is a broad spectrum antiparasitic that I feel is much less toxic, monthly, than the risk/toxicity of getting the actual disease and the subsequent treatment w/ arsenic. Here's a little story. About 5 years ago, we found a GORGEOUS female black lab stray in our neighborhood - beautiful temperament, trained, purebred. We tried to find her owners for weeks, to no avail. Some friends ended up adopting her. At their first comprehensive vet check, they found out she had heartworm...which is/was an utter shock given I can't imagine a dog contracting it here in our dry, non-mosquito DESERT where we live. But, she had it. What are the chances? SO SLIM to none. I cannot tell you how glad I was that I happened to be treating for the just-in-case heartworm disease. The lab, Ella, went through just horrendous treatments to get rid of it - it was treated w/ arsenic, which is typical. Some will say that the "slow kill" version of treatment is effective, but there is also evidence/thought that it is not. Either way, they elected to go the arsenic route as recommended by 2 different vets. Personally, I don't ever want to risk my dogs having to go through treatment for heartworm disease. Sure, every med has potential side effects, and every med on the planet will likely and unfortunately result in some very rare deaths. In terms of Ivermectin, any severe poisonings due to it seem to be related to a gene anomaly in that particular dog. For my dogs personally, I don't observe any side effects whatsoever. Can some effects be happening, but not observable? Sure. But again, the risk/benefit outweighs the risk of getting the disease for my dogs. As far as the warning that if ingested by humans, a doc should be seen immediately: I need more information. It could be that on ANY dog/animal med, it's required to have that disclaimer (I don't know). It could be that, genetically, heartworm meds metabolize differently in humans than in dogs. So, unless I know more about that part -- it really means nothing to me presently. I respect the choices of others to do what's best for their pets and who knows, maybe someday I'll be against heartworm meds bc of new information...but for now, I'm for the prevention of heartworm that these meds offer.
__________________ ~ A friend told me I was delusional. I nearly fell off my unicorn. ~ °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° Ann | Pfeiffer | Marcel Verdel Purcell | Wylie | Artie °¨¨¨°ºOº°¨¨¨° |
04-14-2014, 08:53 AM | #9 |
YT Addict Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Ohio
Posts: 364
| Working at a vet clinic, I've seen dogs euthanized because people couldn't afford the treatment for heartworm positive dogs. I've also seen what a dog has to go through for treatment. I'll take my chances with heartworm prevention. My dogs have been on it their whole lives with no problems and I know their is always a chance of a reaction but I'm not willing to risk it not giving it to them. |
04-14-2014, 09:52 AM | #10 |
Yorkie mom of 4 Donating YT Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: LaPlata, Md
Posts: 23,247
| I think it's sad someone is going to read this and believe it and then there dog is the one who is going to have to suffer. Natural remedys and natural ways to do things have not been through the testing that actual medicine has and I would not be surprised if it not only had side effects and even long term effects that but ones that are far worse for your dog then actual medicines. I think it's a lot more dangerous to use things on our beloved pets that have not gone through testing and we don't know the effects it has on them then the stuff we do. It's kind of like making your dog a guinea pig. Everything can possibly cause death as a reaction heck my Grandmother is allergic to morphine so much so when they gave her some on the table she died and had to be brought back but that's not the normal for morphine. The two heart worm medicines that have been around a long time heartguard and interceptor/sentinel are not known to be ones that cause lots of deaths. Giving your dog heart worm medicine does not shorten there life or make then sickly or poision them as far as the research I have done this is just a myth " natural" vets are using to scare people into using there product which normal costs twice or three times as much as buying a year worth of heart guard and has not been tested like heart guard. I personally will not risk my dogs life and not use it. She will get it every month for the rest of her life because I love her way to much to play with heart worms. If you want to take that chance that's up to you but your poor dog is the one who will end up suffering!
__________________ Taylor My babies Joey, Penny ,Ollie & Dixie Callie Mae, you will forever be in my heart! |
04-14-2014, 10:09 AM | #11 | |
♥ Love My Tibbe! ♥ Donating Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: D/FW, Texas
Posts: 22,140
| Quote:
We've been fortunate enough to have made the change from Interceptor to Heartgard with no ill effects, though the change sure scared me. Tibbe loves his Heartgard, though I have to break it into two pieces as he would likely choke trying to swallow that one big chunk whole. He wolfs both halves down like a treat and it is easier to give than that tiny Interceptor pill was.
__________________ Jeanie and Tibbe One must do the best one can. You may get some marks for a very imperfect answer: you will certainly get none for leaving the question alone. C. S. Lewis | |
04-14-2014, 10:11 AM | #12 |
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Texas
Posts: 27,451
| Sadly, I have seen the results of the holistic approach to heartworms. Yes, people can voice their opinions and all I can say is that I am happy to see that many don't listen to scare tactics and continue to protect the lives of their pups. If people really want to play Russian Roulette with their dog's health, there sadly is nothing anyone can do. They are not protected like children....and heck even children are being neglected and exposed to illnesses that they could be immunized against. Here is a link to a thread about one very sweet pup, Callie, who died as a result of not being protected from heartworms. I will also be bumping that thread so that people who may be on the fence can gain some knowledge about this topic. http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/yor...kill-dogs.html
__________________ |
04-14-2014, 10:38 AM | #13 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 2,631
| There is no dispute that heartworm disease can kill. The article outlines that we need to question the state of our dogs health and immune system. Consider what is regularly put into it's body and honestly believe they are 100% healthy. There are too many dog foods loaded with lab created equivalents to the natural enzymes and minerals in a natural diet. Look at all you do to your dog every year with vaccinations. The proportions are the same of that given to a dog of 150 pounds. Unlike heartworm meds that are dispensed by weight. Do we vaccinate ourselves annually. There has to be long term effects. Just like the toxins in smoking damage your lungs. And alcoholism tends to destroy your liver. There will always be those who have lost pets to the disease and those who never medicated and never lost a pet. I appreciate that most of you err on the side of caution. I know loads of people who don't and have never had issues all the years they have had dogs. So they will swear by not giving it as much as many will swear by administering it. Last edited by Teegy; 04-14-2014 at 10:43 AM. |
04-14-2014, 11:11 AM | #14 | |
And Rylee Finnegan Donating Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Posts: 17,928
| Quote:
Vaccination dosage is the same for all dogs because the immune system is not measured in pounds. It takes a certain amount to mount an immune response. I have noticed the lingo related to enzymes has become popular online. What are these natural enzymes that are killed off supposed to be doing?
__________________ Crystal, Ellie May (RIP), Rylee Finnegan, and Gracie Boo🐶 | |
04-14-2014, 01:04 PM | #15 |
Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada
Posts: 2,631
| I also read all the comments from readers, pros and cons are given and similar points that you all yourselves make. Elli May, the explanation my vet gave me regarding dosing of the vaccines was that if he doesn't give the entire amount the pharma company doesn't guarantee it, as I had asked him to split it. I asked him so if my dog dies of an adverse reaction to the vaccine do they have an guarantee on that. What else can you tell me about vaccines in regards to mounting an immune response and can you point me in the direction of a good source for this. Thanks |
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