Joyce, I love your perspective on this and think its admirable that you're looking into the best course of action for your pups.

Every year I'm reminded of the push on vaccines. Not from my vet but my employer. We won't go there but at this point in my life, I get so few colds as it is, you couldn't pay me to have that vaccine shoved in my arm.

The unfortunate reality of animals in the wild (wolves in particular), man being their number one enemy, is that they generally don't live past the age of 4. Surviving to 8 or 9 is fairly rare in a species, that in captivity, can easily make 15 and many reported cases of 17 and 18.

I remember there was some controversy in the 90's about giving these vaccines to dogs with a wilder type heritage. The owners that were vaccinating were asked to provide their vaccinated results and the testing came back favorable, that immunizations were working.

I don't know all the in's and out's of that testing, just a few conversations on the topic I remember, but it's no problem these days to get these guys vaccinated, if that's the course you want to take.

We don't have much of a heartworm issue up here and I don't treat for it. From what I understand though, wild animals do get heartworm and they do die from it. Maybe even quicker than domestic dogs?

The packs of animals (decimated by man) that are tested, generally come back fairly young and negative. Not many old wolves out there these days and perhaps some of these diseases have something to do with that? Have no idea, just a thought.

But I do so agree with you in that I think we're a long way from fully understanding the effects of the protocols the medical systems currently have in place.

The fact you are questioning them can only lead to a better understanding and better practices.

Thanks for the great discussion.

Joyce, I think it's great to question too. If your dogs are mainly indoors with their heavy coats maybe you can get by.

I would not be spending money though for some homebrew that has no controlled studies that is supposed to be a heartworm preventer. If you need to do "something" about heartworm, then I'd only pay for something proven. I wouldn't pay for some stuff because I liked the man and thought his heart was in the right place.

Thank you CJ and Dr. Betty for your comments and good discussion, I really appreciate your thoughts and input.

I wanted to just clarify that the supplement I am giving my dogs is called Transfer Factor Canine complete. It is not a heart worm preventer so to speak, but rather an immune system regulator.
It is not a 'home brew' but in fact does have proven studies on its efficacy.


http://www.alt4animals.com/tfcanine.pdf

It was developed by Veterinarians, and nutritonal scientists, Dr. Betty.

Also for anyone interested, this is the Veterinarian who has my full respect and admiration for his unconventional approach to health and wellness for animals.
Dr. Will Falconer, DVM
http://vitalanimal.com/about-dr-falconer/

I'm a long-time fanatical raw feeder and vaccination minimalist. But I do give my dogs heartworm preventative. Ivermectin has a decent long-term safety record, but I still prefer to minimize my dog's exposure to ANY chemical. We don't have mosquitoes year-round in Colorado, so I start Heartguard in mid-May and end it in November. I do this because heartworm is a horrible parasite and the treatment for an infected dog is harsh and way more toxic than ivermectin.

The wild coyotes-don't-die-of-heartworm argument has been around for a while. A number of peer-reviewed studies published in the wildlife biology literature report that in regions where heartworm is endemic, significant numbers of coyotes and foxes are found to be infected. Reduced body weight and fertility has been correlated with heartworm infection in coyotes, but I don't think there is agreement among biologists on the extent to which heartworm as part of the general parasite load contributes to the shorter life span of wild canids, even when they are not hunted. My thoughts on this are 1) I own domesticated dogs, not wild coyotes, and their genetic makeup has been altered; and 2) the infected coyote population - even if they are surviving with heartworms - is a reservoir of heartworm larvae that contributes to the number of infested mosquitoes around. Something to consider when you are weighing your local heartworm risk.

IMO to rely on a supposedly "immune-boosting" mixture of vitamins, minerals and mushroom extract to stave off heartworm when you live in an area with high level of endemic infestation is taking a huge risk. Joyce - you say this "immune system regulator" you are using has "proven studies on its efficacy" but none are cited in the link you provided. Can you give more information about these studies?

Sarah I am working today, but I will see what I can do to find those studies. They may have been done from a human perspective.
Be back later.

I've worried all day about making such snide remarks to you Joyce. I apologize.
My husband is a surgeon. He's always talking about people who have decided no surgery, chemo, radiation (I mean, who wants any of it, you can understand why people dont) so they end up taking medication or going to Drs. where they are given medications that don't work, they pay a fortune, it's all false hope, then when they do come back in, it is too late to help. The last one was just a few weeks ago, a woman having coffee enemas for breast cancer --- 3x a day, and soaking her cancer which had now eroded thru the skin in coffee soaked dressings+a vitamin pack for "immune boosting". She will die, soon. My hubby thinks she didn't have to.
Ivermectin is a poison, for sure. I get where you are coming from. I don't give it all year round either.
Maybe if you live where they spray for mosquitos and your dogs don't go out much at dusk and dawn with their heavy coats you can get by.
You just don't want to get duped. Something has to kill those L3 infective larva once a month to keep them from maturing. Healthy dogs already have good T-cell function.

I think I have the Flu! My temp is 102.8 and climbing.
I promise to get back to finish this when I feel better.

P.S. No worries Dr. Betty! Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I was not offended in the least.

Not sure if you're being sarcastic (if so, bravo haha), but if you really have the flu, I wish you all the best and a speedy recovery!

Dear Joyce -
If your doctor tells you that you need an antibiotic, for God's sake take it! Just kidding, and hope that you feel better soon.
B

Ugh, Joyce...I hope you feel better soon.

A few articles that support what you are saying.


http://www.homeovet.net/content/lifestyle/section4.html

I practiced for seven years in the Santa Cruz, California area, and treated many dogs with heartworms. The only dogs that developed symptoms of heart failure were those that were being vaccinated yearly, eating commercial dog food, and getting suppressive drug treatment for other symptoms, such as skin problems. My treatment, at that time, consisted of switching to a natural (that is, homemade) diet, stopping drug treatment whenever possible, and eliminating any chemical exposure, such as flea and tick poisons. I would usually prescribe hawthorn tincture as well. None of these dogs ever developed any symptoms of heart failure.


I concluded from this that it was not the heartworms that caused disease, but the other factors that damaged the dogs' 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.

It seems to me that the real problem is that allopathic attitudes have instilled in many of us a fear of disease, fear of pathogens and parasites, fear of rabies, as if these are evil and malicious entities just waiting to lay waste to a naive and unprotected public.

Disease is not caused by viruses or by bacteria or by heartworm-bearing mosquitoes. Disease comes from within, and one aspect of disease can be the susceptibility to various pathogens. So the best thing to do is to address those susceptibilities on the deepest possible level, so that the pathogens will no longer be a threat. Most importantly, don't buy into the fear.

That having been said, there are practical considerations of risk versus benefit in considering heartworm prevention. The risk of a dog contracting heartworms is directly related to geographic location. In heavily infested areas the risk is higher, and the prospect of using a preventive drug more justifiable. Whatever you choose to do, a yearly blood test for heartworm microfilaria is important.



http://www.aunaturelk9s.com/heartworminfo.html

http://peterdobias.com/community/2012/04/are-drug-companies-honest-about-heartworm/