Quote: Shannon Reed

 Quote:

If you check the map that Shannon provided a link to, you will see when you need to start the preventative, and when you can stop.

Just a quick note. The link I provided is only a resource. I personally do not advocate for monthly heartworm treatment, but instead a periodic blood testing.

Shannon

I don't have that option, unfortunately. In S. Florida, we have the potential for 60 degree nights year round. And mosquitoes out the wazoo.. (on the plus side, I can go swimming in the ocean whenever I want! )

Karla, I don't know. I thought that the possibility of being infected w/ heartworm was pretty much everywhere, at certain times of the year.
Maybe Connie will see this and respond; she lives in CA also...

Bumping for Connie...hoping she sees this...

Here is a link to the use of paratox and nosodes in the treatment of heartworm.
http://www.danebytes.com/heartworm-cures.htm
I found this information in a yahoo group I belong to. There was quite a bit of information in the files section on heartworm, preventatives, treatment... The biggest misnomer is calling HW preventative a "preventative". Then name would imply that it would prevent your dog from getting HW when in fact what it is really doing is treating the dog for HW monthly, which in turn can really tax the immune system. There was also information on healthy dogs naturally building "immunity" or basically being able to keep the microfilaria in check. If you want to see the rest of the information you can join the group here
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/BeyondVaccination/

Shannon

 Quote: Lynne Barrows

Karla, I don't know. I thought that the possibility of being infected w/ heartworm was pretty much everywhere, at certain times of the year.
Maybe Connie will see this and respond; she lives in CA also...

I live far from San Diego ... way up, north of Monterey.

How one deals with heartworm is something that individuals have to decide on. My decision is to use prevention in the months when we have the weather to support the mosquito cycle.

I would decide based on careful research, because the Salt Lake area and the SoCal desert area had no heartworm ... until they did. Presumably the folks in Salt Lake and the SoCal desert areas relied on their vets to know best until the local agencies finally noticed that there were no-longer-isolated cases of HW being reported and that they were not all from travelers to more likely areas, such as the Southeast.

When a Salt Lake City urban redo triggered a big tree planting and then the trees were later pruned, the tree-hole mosquito moved in.

L.A. appears to be hosting more mosquitos with urban sprawl and the increase in planter boxes and swimming pools.

Last I read about L.A. county was that the HW rate varied wildly from neighborhood to neighborhood.

I'd get the best and most recent info available from the CDC or local health orgs and base my decisions on real knowledge.

P.S. Shannon's info is important, too.

I'm not there in terms of not giving Heartguard, because no matter what I might read about the ability of a supremely healthy immune system to deal with heartworm, I have pre-owned dogs whose histories are both unknown and (in view of their rescue status) very unlikely to indicate a great diet, etc., since birth.

This is an idividual decision. My own decision was to use it in every month when there's mosquito-cycle weather here.

I've gone through heart worm with two of my dogs. First time was 30+yrs ago when heartworm wasn't considered a threat in my area.
Second time was aprox 2 yrs ago because I didn't think the meds were needed during winter months.
Both time it was not only dangerous for the dogs but expensive and a royal PIA.
I'll never let my dogs go without year round Ivermectin/Heartguard again.

It IS a personal decision....I've read a lot on both sides of the equation and at this point, since we're in Austin and mosquitos are a fact of life I keep the dogs on Heartguard for about 6 to 9 months depending. I've lived in NE Ohio, North County San Diego and now Austin for the last 40 years and one of my dogs got heartworm when we spent a summer in Maine.......my brother's dog currently has them and he visits with us several times a year. Going thru the treatment was the pits and I'd rather not ever put any of my guys through that again..........so while I won't vaccinate, I do keep the dogs on Heartguard. Maybe we're lucky but I've not seen any adverse reactions to it so.........

Wow, thanks guys...I just don't know what to do...rare is the time I see a misquito here...but, according to that report there were 44 cases of heartworm in our county...but then again, could those people have taken their dogs on vacation somewhere where they contracted it??
What is the prevention? A montly dose of something? Maybe we should just do it at the times of the year where misquitos could be a problem...