Heartworm season - time to make a choice

[ladyjane]

My Teddy Bear had liver shunt surgery last year and his bile acids were mildly elevated. I was told that LS pups usually have some degree of MVD. I have never ceased giving him Heartgard. We have to remember that IF they contract heartworms, the treatment is far worse than the preventatives. The alternative...let them suffer and die from heartworms.

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

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.

So this made me think. I know that the drug Ivermectin is used in HW medicine for dogs. So I decided to take a look if it was also prescribed for humans and it is used to treat Scabies and other parasites that we can acquire as humans. There is also a study regarding using it to kills bed bugs.

Ivermectin. DermNet NZ

Bed Bugs Can Be Killed by Giving Humans a Pill - Yahoo Voices - voices.yahoo.com

These scare tactics that are being spread about are nothing more that hogwash! Of course you shouldn't just eat your dogs HW meds and while you are at it your dog shouldn't eat your birth control pills either.....but that's for a totally different topic.

[megansmomma]

and this too

Ivermectin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[yorkietalkjilly]

Tibbe has MVD but has taken his monthly Heartgard since his diagnosis almost one year ago.

[pstinard]

The OP made the comment, "What about the wild dogs?" Here is a quote from a National Geographic article:

In St. Louis, Randy Grim, founder of Stray Rescue, is out on the streets everyday feeding 50 or more mutts.

If these wild dogs don't die of sheer starvation, he said, diseases such as parvovirus, heartworm, or intestinal parasites usually kill them. Their average life span is one to two years.

U.S. Facing Feral-Dog Crisis

It's much better taking your chances with preventative heartworm medicine AND vaccinations than risk your dog living for only one or two years and dying a horrible death. There are many different heartworm medicines out there, so if one gives a bad reaction, there is likely to be another medicine that doesn't give a bad reaction. Just my two cents.

[yorkietalkjilly]

As my Animal Control Shelter manager told me, most dogs that are out running the streets for any time at all will contract heartworm in a matter of months so plan on having to deal with that if I took one of their dogs. Now I understand they automatically test dogs as part of the adoption package fee but back then, in 2008, when I was looking for a dog, before I got Tibbe, they didn't run the test but made no bones about the fact that very many of their once-strays already had or likely would contract it. With all the mosquitoes in Texas, I imagine most of our "wild" dogs have contracted it.

[Wylie's Mom]

Originally Posted by megansmomma

These scare tactics that are being spread about are nothing more that hogwash! Of course you shouldn't just eat your dogs HW meds and while you are at it your dog shouldn't eat your birth control pills either.....but that's for a totally different topic.

Wait, you're saying I shouldn't be giving my kiddos my birth control pills!!!????

Coulda told me sooner, woman! THUMBS DOWN.

[megansmomma]

Originally Posted by Wylie's Mom

Wait, you're saying I shouldn't be giving my kiddos my birth control pills!!!????

Coulda told me sooner, woman! THUMBS DOWN.

-----> this is YT and I'm sure if we did a search we would find someone somewhere

[pstinard]

Originally Posted by megansmomma

-----> this is YT and I'm sure if we did a search we would find someone somewhere

FWIW, there are birth control pills for dogs, but dosing them sounds complicated, and it sounds like there are a lot of dangerous side effects:

Birth Control Pills for Dogs

[Teegy]

Originally Posted by megansmomma

and while you are at it your dog shouldn't eat your birth control pills either.....but that's for a totally different topic.

Hahahahaha
Now here's a thought if you live in a high risk area why not avoid exposing your dogs to the risks of contracting HW in the first place.

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Teegy

Hahahahaha
Now here's a thought if you live in a high risk area why not avoid exposing your dogs to the risks of contracting HW in the first place.

??? Um, like leaving them inside all summer? What a boring life.

[ladyjane]

Originally Posted by Britster

??? Um, like leaving them inside all summer? What a boring life.

Heck, I have found mosquitoes in my house. You would actually have to buy a bubble.

[OwnedByJezebel]

Originally Posted by Britster

??? Um, like leaving them inside all summer? What a boring life.

+1

We have mosquitoes here year-round. The occasional mosquito manages to get inside at times, so I would have to confine my pups like bubble boy, or never open the door to the outside ever again.

[OwnedByJezebel]

Originally Posted by ladyjane

heck, i have found mosquitoes in my house. You would actually have to buy a bubble.

lol gmta.

[107barney]

Originally Posted by Teegy

Hahahahaha
Now here's a thought if you live in a high risk area why not avoid exposing your dogs to the risks of contracting HW in the first place.

Wow. I have a similar but different thought. Just use the meds and stop exposing your dogs to this kind of craziness and let them romp outside free of worry.