posted June 24, 2012 12:43 AM            

Very long informative article. Here are some quotes from it:

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The dogs that die from heartwom are the dogs that are being vaccinated, fed processed pet food and are being treated with suppressive drugs for every little thing that comes along"."

Did you catch that? This is so vitally important to note. Please re-read that last sentence above again.

I (as well as other veterinary naturopaths and many holistic vets) maintain that, "Allopathic medicine is based on fear - fear of disease, fear of pathogens, fear of death. It's fear-based medicine. Allopathic/fear based medicine has been the approach that's been used to get people to use heartworm preventives. It is not to say that heartworms don't exist, obviously, they do. The very same fear-based approach is used as the main basis of vaccinations and for a lot of things.

Disease, illness and symptoms come from within. A relatively healthy animal will not be susceptible to those things. So the ultimate answer is not to prevent heartworm (or distemper or parvo or whatever), by some artificial means, but rather to work on improving and maintaining good health. To the degree that you can improve your dog's level of health, disease of any kind becomes less threatening."

(See my articles on the immune system)Here

NOW, realize this, a dog must be essentially healthy in order to resist succumbing to heartworm (or its treatments). This statement is more than just an idle observation, it is the principle that ensures the survival of wild canines, who (think about this now...) suffer far greater exposure to heartworm-carrying mosquitoes then our domestic pets; however, they succumb in far lesser numbers than our domestic dogs!

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Interesting point, don't you think?
So why are our pets/domesticated dogs falling prey to heartworms? Surely they are healthier then the wild canines, with all our feeding of "scientifically balanced", processed foods and vaccinating them to prevent them from getting all the nasty and sometimes fatal diseases right? ... WRONG!

We are vaccinating our dogs way too much and way too often, we are feeding them poor nutrition to say the least, and we are using chemical pesticides to kill their fleas, ticks and any internal parasites they may have. All of these things combine to weaken their immune systems, and their immunity is the only thing that can save them.

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Parasites were never intended to kill their hosts. It and when they do, then you can be assured that something is very out of balance. A parasite's whole evolutionary thrust is to continue to live/survive its life cycle; if it kills its host, then there is a dead end. The fact that our dogs are dying of this disease in greater and greater numbers indicates loudly that something is way out of whack!

Given the wild canine's innate efficiency in dealing with heartworm, virtually all veterinary naturopaths and holistic practitioners, recommend utilizing as many aspects of the wild canine's lifestyle as is practical for domestic dogs, including, most importantly, a natural diet of raw meat and bones, minimal vaccination, and severely curtailed exposure to flea/tick -killing pesticides. Just STOP using them! There are many alternative, healthy ways of preventing and even killing pests but again, a healthy immune system is the key.

Animals with healthy, balanced immune systems are not in need of any specific preventives because their very lifestyle is their preventative!

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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, autoimmune disorders, thyroid problems, fever, weakness, dizziness, coughing, nose bleeds, difficulty breathing, pneumonia, irritability, sudden aggressive behavior, nerve damage, fertility problems, and sudden death. Other chemical heartworm preventatives have many of the same side effects.

These drugs weaken your pet's immune system which recognizes the chemicals as poison. The body works hard to eliminate the toxins and major organs, like the liver and kidneys, are taxed. For this reason, the pet's body is not able to handle contact with the normal bacterial or viral substances in our world, so it gets sick more easily.

Part of the veterinary industry has acknowledged these dangers. These "alternative vets" are open to natural, safe and effective alternatives. Many of these vets believe that the long-term use of heartworm prevention drugs are a link in the chain of diseases such as arthritis, liver and kidney diseases, skin allergies, and many types of cancers.

Please, understand, when your dog is on Heartworm pills or chews (all pesticides), mosquitoes will still be attracted to your dog and will still bite them. The key is to get the blood of your pet in a healthy enough condition that the mosquitoes won't want it. Healthy dogs actually have a bitter tasting blood to parasites. Un-healthy dog's blood is more attractive them and may taste sweet to them.

For those of you just changing your pet over to a natural lifestyle and are looking for a natural prevention in addition to nutrition and minimal vaccinating, there are some Natural Heartworm Prevention Programs

Mosquitoes are a parasite. Many herbs and essential oils have anti-parasitic properties that will discourage not only mosquitoes, but fleas and ticks as well.

Herbs such as Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), Clove Flower Buds (Eugenia caryophyllata), Garlic (Allium sativum),Spearmint Herb (Mentha spicata), Turmeric Root (Curcuma longa), Black Walnut (Juglans nigra), and Wormwood (Artemisia annua) are examples of what can be used to formulate an effective preventative and are used by some as part of a treatment program for pets already heavily infested.

Were you aware that dogs and cats have their own way of protecting themselves from mosquitoes? They instinctively will avoid the hot, muggy places where mosquitoes congregate and spend time in the cool, dry areas. You may also notice them roll in the dust or even mud to remove moisture from the skin and change their scent to be less attractive to mosquitoes.

Again, I stress, prevention of any dis-ease comes from proper, species appropriate nutrition. With proper carnivore nutrition, they will develop and maintain a strong immune system. It is pretty rare for worms to kill dogs. They will die eventually when their environment is not conducive to their own life and perpetuation. However, remember if your dog has a low immune system, the parasites they may be host to are more likely to reproduce and take over with infestation.

Proper nutrition is the foundation for thriving health. Proper nutrition for a carnivore is raw meat, bones and organs. While a home cooked diet is better then kibble or canned, processed foods, it is still lacking in the live enzymes, amino acids, etc. needed for perfect health. If you are interested in learning how to feed your dog a raw diet and just beginning your homework and research, please consider using a freeze dried or dehydrated raw diet in the mean time. At the very least, feed them a diet layered with dehydrated raw containg NO grains or potatoes so they are getting SOME live, vital nutrients.

There are several great Natural Preventative Programs out there. However, PLEASE Remember, the key is to keep your dogs healthy with a strong immune system; not to rely on herbs or other modalities while still feeding junk food, vaccinating and using chemicals on your pets.

If you live in a region with a large mosquito population and/or your dog has been on a not so perfect, kibble diet and regularly vaccinated until now, you may want to use an herbal/botanical approach which can be used with the support and supervision of a veterinary naturopath or qualified holistic veterinarian.

Since the best way to prevent heartworms is clearly having the dogs immune system in tip top shape, I do want to share two products that science has proven work to improve the immune system:

Transfer Factors (found in Bovine Colostrum) and Humic extracts, specifically Fulvic acids.

Colostrum contains tiny fragments of molecules, possibly DNA fragments, that somehow remain functional. These fragments seem to be energized with some unknown mysterious power of self-replicating communication.

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posted June 24, 2012 10:27 AM            

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Disease, illness and symptoms come from within. A relatively healthy animal will not be susceptible to those things. So the ultimate answer is not to prevent heartworm (or distemper or parvo or whatever), by some artificial means, but rather to work on improving and maintaining good health. To the degree that you can improve your dog's level of health, disease of any kind becomes less threatening."

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At least he was careful to state less threatening

If you ever saw a dog with parvo, after you were done being sick over the symptoms, pain and horror; you would run and get the parvo distemper injection.