Vet Trip for heart worm Rx. Anyother ss way to deal with heart worms?

[big brown horse]

Our dogs need to go to the vet in order for them to resubscribe their heart worm rx. It is putting us in a bad mood because we know it will cost an arm and a leg.

Is there a way around having to go to the vet to treat heart worms? I'm open to any ideas at this point. (Two St. Bernards can get quite expensive.)

 

[lorihadams]

I don't know but if you find out let me know! I have 3 labs....I feel your pain!

 

[Beekissed]

I have pound puppies and the older one already had heart worms and the younger, I'm sure does by now. I don't see any difference in her health and she acts just fine for an 8 year old lab.

My treatment? Nothing. Feed healthy, plenty of exercise, fresh water and a warm place to sleep. Best I can do and it seems to be working. I know that sounds callous but I don't expect my dogs to live forever and, as long as they aren't suffering right now, I don't treat.

 

[FarmerChick]

heat worm prevent is doable by the vet.

With heart worm prevent or without, does the dog live longer????

Most cases NO.

Heart worm effects the heart and will make a dogs life "a little shorter???" by what? who knows......

I had a dog with heartworm at age 13.....got treated ($$) and lived even though treatment was very harsh!!!

He died at 15 from heart trouble (well, duh??)---LOL

but anyway, prevent is best.....that means LUCK

 

[miss_thenorth]

Heartwrom medicine is just ivermectin. When I take my pups tot the vet, I am going to talk to her about it. I have a huge bottle of ivermectin that I need for my livestock. makes more sense to me to just use stuff I have at home--plus the whole bottle cost me $100, whereas doing the whole shebang at the vet will cost me around $600. I will report back what she says after I go.

 

[big brown horse]

Heartwrom medicine is just ivermectin. When I take my pups tot the vet, I am going to talk to her about it. I have a huge bottle of ivermectin that I need for my livestock. makes more sense to me to just use stuff I have at home--plus the whole bottle cost me $100, whereas doing the whole shebang at the vet will cost me around $600. I will report back what she says after I go.

Thank you.

I knew a hunting dog trainer years ago that did give his dogs bovine ivermectin, gosh, I wish I could remember what he did!

 

[breconbcs]

I don't use heart worm meds at all. Instead I get my dogs tested twice a year (Spring and Fall), and if they did contract heartworm, I'd treat them homeopathically for it with Paratox. I've never understood why bother treating the dogs with chemicals for a potential problem that will lower and possibly compromise their systems with a product that is not 100% effective anyway so they are still at risk. And then if they do contract it, their already compromised systems are asked to take on stronger meds (chemicals) and fight off the worm ontop of trying to take on fighting the chemicals.

As a natural rearer, I'm for natural preventatives rather than chemicals in or on the body. Starting with good food, lots of exercise, minimal/limiting vaccinations (which aren't 100% effective either) - basically by boosting their immune systems so they can fight off most anything they may contract and keeping them in top condition.
As for lowering the chance of contracting heartworm. Heartworm is passed on through mosquitoes, so the best thing to do is try to prevent the mosquitoes from biting. I use natural (homemade) sprays and soaps that help repel not only mosquitoes but ticks, fleas and flies, plant mosquito/bug hating plants like pennyroyal, spray oil of garlic around the yard and spraying the dogs' area more often then the rest of the yard with the oil of garlic. By testing twice a year, if one of the dogs were to contract heartworm, I'd catch it early and be able to deal with it easier and with less stress/damage to the dog's body and the worm will be easier to expel and do less damage to the heart as it wouldn't have had a chance to grow as much as it would if I only tested once a year or when the vet recommended to (I've seen vets give out meds without testing being done).

 

[big brown horse]

Thanks for the info breconbcs! It was very helpful. In Texas (where I was from until last October) if you didn't have your dogs on the preventative, they just got them. I have two St. Bernards and I couldn't bear compromising their already short lives.

Now I am in N.W. Washington and I am not too concerned about them because it is far less likely for them to get them. So I like your approach LOTS! Thank you!!!!

(The vet said that due to the high number of "Katrina dogs" sent up here to Washington to be adopted, the number of heartworm has increased where before there was hardly a case.)

 

[Mackay]

I don't treat my dog for heart worm either but what I do do is give him MMS. you can read about what sodium chlorite can do for animals here.
MMS is stronger than this product.

http://www.nzymes.com/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=7&idproduct=17
http://www.nzymes.com/pc/successStoriesView.asp?a=dog

I have every reason to believe that mms can kill parasites.

 

[smithx9]

We have a great vet that realizes dogs are dogs, not people. with 7 kids, I can't afford the expensive monthly heartworm treatments. My vet sold me a bottle of ivermectin horse wormer for about $40 ....this will treat my dogs for years to come! (As long as the medicine does not expire....The standard monthly treatments are just money makers for the vets...the manufacturers, advertising executives....and the list goes on....

And you thought Merk was the only pharmasutacle (?) company gouging....