I
have
taken
quite
a
bit
of
heat
for
my
opinions
on
Heartworm
and
Flea
and
Tick
preventatives.
I
certainly
understand
the
increased
awareness
and
problem
of
heartworm
in
high
mosquito
populated
areas.
Everyone
has
to
balance
how
they
handle
heartworm
issues
by
where
they
live
and
what
breed
they
own.
Richard
Pitcairn,
a
well-known
and
highly
regarded
vet
with
great
experience
in
dealing
with
the
immune
system
of
dogs,
says,
Despite
the
extensive
use
of
heartworm
preventive
drugs,
the
rate
of
heartworm
infestation
in
dogs
in
any
geographical
part
of
the
US
is
the
same
today
as
it
was
in
1982.
The
same
can
not
be
said
for
the
rate
of
cancer
in
dogs.
One
out
of
every
two
dogs
alive
today
will
die
with
cancer!
In
my
opinion,
much
of
the
ever
increasing
rate
of
cancer
in
our
animals
is
due
to
attempting
to
poison
our
way
to
health.
Now
let’s
say
that
a
mosquito
has
bitten
an
infested
dog
(or
rarely,
cat);
and
that
the
weather’s
temperature
has
remained
above
57
degrees
F
for
a
minimum
of
14
days
since
that
bite;
and
that
that
particular
mosquito
bites
your
animal.
Still,
your
dog
is
not
infested
because
the
larvae
are
deposited
in
a
tiny
droplet
of
mosquito
saliva
adjacent
to
the
bite,
not
injected
into
your
dog
by
the
mosquito--as
many
would
have
us
believe.
Providing
the
humidity
and
temperature
are
such
that
the
droplet
does
not
evaporate
before
the
they
get
the
chance,
the
larvae
must
swim
through
the
saliva
and
into
the
hole
left
by
the
mosquito
bite,
thereby
entering
your
dog’s
system.
Heartworm
can
be
a
devastating
disease.
Dogs
with
moderate
or
severe
infestations
display
a
chronic
cough
and
can’t
engage
in
much
activity,
as
worms
choke
their
heart
and
major
blood
vessels,
reducing
their
blood
(and
thus
oxygen)
supply.
The
disease
often
leaves
its
victims
incapacitated,
incapable
of
doing
much
more
than
a
slow
walk
without
gasping
for
air,
and
kills
many
dogs.
Thanks
in
large
part
to
the
scare
tactics
of
many
veterinarians
in
promoting
preventive
drugs,
many
people
believe
that
contracting
heartworms
is
the
equivalent
of
a
death
sentence
.
This
is
not
true.
If
your
animal
becomes
infected
with
heartworm
it
is
NOT
necessarily
a
crisis.
It
is
not
simply
the
presence
of
adult
heartworms
in
the
heart
that
cause
disease,
but
the
poor
diet,
over-vaccination,
toxic
wormers
or
other
factors
that
deteriorated
the
animal's
health
to
the
point
that
they
could
no
longer
compensate
for
an
otherwise
tolerable
parasite
load.
It
is
not
really
that
different
from
the
common
intestinal
roundworms,
in
that
most
dogs
do
not
show
any
symptoms.
Only
a
dog
whose
health
is
compromised
is
unable
to
tolerate
a
few
worms.
Furthermore,
a
truly
healthy
dog
would
not
be
susceptible
to
either
type
of
worm
in
the
first
place.
There
are
basically
two
standard
tests
for
heartworm.
One
is
called
the
antigen
or
occult
test
which
tests
for
the
antigens
produced
in
response
to
the
adult
female
heartworm.
This
test
does
not
show
the
presence
of
microfilariae.
The
other
is
the
microfilariae
test.
This
test,
of
course,
tests
for
microfilariae.
The
presence
of
microfilariae
does
not
mean
that
adult
heartworms
have
been
able
to
set
up
shop
in
the
heart.
Nor
does
the
presence
of
antigens
for
adult
heartworms
determine
whether
they
are
still
alive
and
able
to
reproduce
more
microfilariae.
Most
veterinarians
will
recommend
giving
a
daily
or
monthly
pill
to
prevent
heartworms,
but
in
actuality
you
are
administering
a
drug
on
a
regular
basis
that
is
designed
to
stop
the
baby
heartworm
-
"microfilariae"
from
becoming
adults.
The
most
popular
heartworm
preventives,
Heartgard
and
Interceptor,
are
not
really
preventives
at
all;
rather
they
act
by
killing
the
microfilariae
larvae
in
an
infested
dog.
In
other
words
they're
poisons,
as
are
all
of
the
other
popular
HW
“preventives.”
None
of
them
kills
the
fully
adult
heartworms
in
the
dosages
prescribed
for
“prevention.”
Both
Heartgard
and
Interceptor
kill
microfilariae.
Therefore,
if
one’s
dogs
have
been
on
either
of
these
products,
they
will
test
negative
for
heartworm
when
given
the
microfilariae
test,
even
though
they
may
be
infested
with
adult
heartworms.
It
is
not
common,
but
it
does
happen.
There
have
been
many
reports
of
dogs
having
very
bad
reactions
to
both
Heartgard
(Ivermectin)
and
Interceptor
(Milbemycin
Oxime).
These
drugs
contain
chemical
insecticides.
Administered
over
a
period
of
time,
the
toxic
side-effects
become
a
serious
health
risk.
Giving
one’s
dog
doses
of
poison
month
after
month
to
kill
something
which
probably
isn’t
there
anyway,
doesn't
make
an
awful
lot
of
sense
to
me.
I
don't
believe
that
we
can
ever
poison
our
way
to
health.
According
to
the
American
Veterinary
Medical
Association,
65%
of
adverse
drug
reactions
and
48%
of
all
reported
deaths
resulting
from
drug
reactions
are
caused
by
heartworm
preventatives.
The
potential
side
effects
of
Ivermectin
(the
active
ingredient
in
Heartgard)
include
liver
problems,
vomiting,
diarrhea,
loss
of
appetite,
depression,
lethargy,
skin
eruptions,
seizures,
tremors,
paralysis,
auto-immune
disorders,
thyroid
problems,
fever,
weakness,
dizziness,
coughing,
nose
bleeds,
difficulty
breathing,
pneumonia,
irritability,
sudden
aggressive
behavior,
nerve
damage,
fertility
problems,
and
sudden
death.
The
drug
poses
a
particular
risk
to
Collies,
Whippets,
Irish
Water
Spaniels,
Bull
Mastiffs
and
related
breeds.
Other
chemical
heartworm
preventatives
have
many
of
the
same
side
effects.
The
best
prevention
against
any
parasite
(or
disease)
is
a
healthy
immune
system.
Help
make
your
animal
an
inhospitable
host
to
the
heartworm.
This
always
begins
with
diet
and
I
recommend
feeding
the
best
raw
or
holistic
diet
you
can
afford
and
that
fits
your
lifestyle.
To
this
I
recommend
the
5
core
product
system
from
Amazon
Herb
Company
to
Cleanse,
Nourish
and
Balance
the
body.
Treasure
Tea
an
Fiberzon
(plain)
to
cleanse
and
detoxify
the
organ
of
elimination,
Aquazon
and
Illumination
to
provide
a
complete
nutritional
profile
and
Sumacazon
to
balance
the
organs
and
endocrine
system.
Follow
the
dosages
on
the
Amazon
Herbs
for
Animals
Dosage
Chart
to
determine
how
much
to
give
each
day.
For
those
living
in
areas
known
to
be
high
in
mosquitos
and
heartworm,
I
would
like
to
suggest
a
monthly
regimen
of
three
days
of
Sangre
de
Drago
at
triple
the
therapeutic
level
in
order
to
purge
microfilariae
from
the
blood
stream.
This
is
a
new
approach
and
relatively
untested
but
shows
great
promise
due
to
the
incredible
benefits
of
Sangre
de
Drago
-
both
as
an
anti-parasitical
herb
as
support
to
the
circulatory
system
because
of
its’
high
level
of
bioflavonoids.
It
is
a
good
idea
to
have
your
dog
checked
for
heartworm
prior
to
beginning
this
regimen
and
at
the
end
of
the
mosquito
season.
If
you
are
willing
to
try
this
approach,
Please,
Please,
Please
keep
me
informed
of
your
results
and
the
overall
health
benefits
you
see
for
your
animals.
Another
beneficial
approach
is
to
use
a
homeopathic
Nosode
for
heartworm.
The
nosode
helps
the
body’s
cellular
memory
to
build
a
defense
against
the
parasite
should
it
come
in
contact
with
it,
thus
enabling
the
body
to
take
care
of
the
problem
at
the
early
stages
so
no
further
development
could
occur.
The
nosode
is
initially
given
at
a
lower
strength
and
over
a
course
of
five
weeks
is
built
up
to
the
maintenance
potency.
The
maintenance
strength
is
then
given
monthly
on
a
year
round
basis
to
continually
strengthen
the
defense
against
the
heartworm.
Nosodes
are
really
homeopathic
"immunizations"
as
opposed
to
"vaccinations".
They
are
made
the
very
same
way
as
a
homeopathic
remedy,
by
dilution,
and
succussion,
except
they
are
made
from
the
"discharges"
when
an
organism
(animal
or
human)
gets
sick.
Protection
