Is anyone using chemical free heartworm prevention?

[Kat]

Ruby did not do well on Revolution when I was using it for her last year. I am really looking into using a chemical free way of preventing heartworm. Iv come across a product called Heartworm Free and a Black Walnut tincture. However, both may cause allergic reactions in dogs, and the black walnut especially is known as being highly allergenic, so i do not want to risk that with her. She is allergic to the most random things, even the wrong shampoo can cause her to break out into hives, so I dont want to risk it with the black walnut.

Does anyone on this forum go chemical free for HW prevention? If so, what do you use, and how is it working for your dog(s)?

[pugtown]

I don't use the natural heartworm nosodes, but use natural flea/tick/mosquito spray to prevent the bite of a mosquito. If you want to use a safer chemical dose, use Interceptor 2.3 mg - the smallest dose (Safe Heart dose) It has been tested and shown to prevent heartworm but never went to market. A 20 lb pug only needs 1 mg which is still half of the small dose. (0.05 mg per lb) but is better than overdosing them with the 5.75 mg dose. At this lower dose, it will not protect from intestinal worms, just heartworm. But I use DE powder, garlic, and pumpkin seed for a wormer.

NADA 140-915 Safeheart? - supplemental approval (June 4, 1998)

You might want to check out Earth Bath dog shampoo or Dr. Bronners soaps for bathing.

Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps Retail Store: Classic Liquid & Bar Soaps

Welcome :: earthbath® - totally natural pet care

[Wonka & Nilla]

But I use DE powder, garlic, and pumpkin seed for a wormer.

Would you mind sharing (or PMing me) the recipe? I used to have a wormer recipe with pumpkin seeds and I wanted to share it with someone and I just can NOT find the recipe again... I've looked online and around the house and can't find it. I think my recipe also had molasses and you rolled it into little balls and fed it for three days as a "treat."

[shaynapug]

I'd be interested in the recipe too!

Does it work??? I'm using revolution for the first full year....wormed in Nov....getting ready again...WOULD LOVE not putting junk in my guys!

[pugtown]

I haven't seen a "recipe". According to the DE instructions, I give 1 teaspoon. Ground pumpkin seeds 1/2 teaspoon. Make a fresh batch weekly. and granulated garlic 1/8 teaspoon or up to 1/2 fresh garlic. There's a lady I know (on-line), her father is a master herbalist, and she is a very "natural" person - teaches on dog nutrition and home remedies. Knowledgeable in lectins, excitotoxins, anti-nutrients, phytates, enzyme inhibitors, etc...and another I've met is a toxic injury specialist - she knows her toxins! I can email her and see what kinds of "recipes" she has but these are some of the things she's used that I've learned of over the past year or so. She also had a congenital kidney dz dog that was diagnosed before 1 year of age that is still thriving at 5 or 6 years old.

While I don't give these everyday, I give what I have on hand. The garlic I would give regularly for fleas (and anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer). I've been eating a bunch of pickled garlic myself!! DE comes in large bags so that I can give everyday but don't. I don't get to the grocery store every week for pumpkin seeds. But my pugs have not had worms. My fosters do!

Coconut chips are also known to be a "vermifuge". I'll have to have them check it out for me. Somewhere on the cocotherapy.com site it use to say that. It may or may not be so although coconut oil is antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral. I can't find that info now but I give it for other benefits.

So basically I give alternating/rotating/when I have it/when I remember: DE powder, pumpkin seeds, pineapple, and garlic.

Home Remedies For Tapeworms In Humans | LIVESTRONG.COM

Diatomaceous Earth Flea Control-Home Remedy For Ear Mites

Natural Remedies to Treat Internal Parasites in Dogs | eHow.com

Here is one of the sites that was recommended for natural heartworm remedy:

Heartworm Cures

Anthelmintic - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And there are those that don't believe in natural remedies and prefer toxins/synthethics and those that say don't believe everything you read on the internet!!

[pugtown]

I don't make a treat out of it, just put it in their food with some canned food. I guess you could roll it up into some ground beef or something!

[Wonka & Nilla]

Thanks for the information. I'm going to read the links when I have more time!
The "recipe" I used to have was something that was given the the dog almost as a "detox" once a month, for three days.... but I remember it was for de-worming as well. I even tasted it myself and it was a bit like a mildly sweet nutty-fig-ball, but I don't remember if it actually had figs in it. I was using it for Nilla to see if it would help her because I wondered if she had vaccinosis or an undiagnosed infestation causing behavioral problems, itchiness and skin issues. Apparently some worms are really hard to catch with something like a yearly fecal sample at the vet office. And I'm fairly sure she had "every vaccine under the sun" TWICE in the year before we adopted her because she was moved around to many different homes (including one who paid for some vet care) and then she got all vaccines ("just in case") when she went to the rescue foster home. That's a lot of vaccines for one little middle-aged pug!!

[Wonka & Nilla]

Kat- I just realized I never answered your original question.... we give regular (chemical-based) heartworm pills because I'm too afraid of the possibility of a natural method not working as well. It does concern me, but the thought of heartworms infesting my pugs concerns me more. We try to feed our dogs the best and most natural foods that we can and help them be healthy in other ways to offset any chemicals from the heartworm pills or other "necessary evils."

I only recently learned (within the past two years or so) that the way monthly heartworm pills work is by killing the larvae and thereby stopping the growth or spread of any that are already growing in the dog's system. A monthly pill (like regular old Heartgard) does NOT stay in the dog's system (does not actively "protect" the dog), for a full month until the next pill is given.... it more or less kills and "flushes" any heartworms out once a month, before they have time to reproduce or grow enough to cause damage. In some ways that makes me feel better about giving it... it's not like a steroid injection that, once given, is actively in the body for months, the monthly pill does it's job and then is done. That's not the best explanation, but if your vet is holistically minded they could probably explain it better and guide you toward options that would work best for your pug.

[pugtown]

For detox I use chlorella, milk thistle, dandelion treats from Detox Bites after Interceptor. I give tumeric for liver/immune/anti-cancer/joint. I give a plain chlorella tab couple times a week. I give a mushroom tab once or twice a week for anti-cancer/tumor/immune system. I give anti-oxidant spirulina couple times a week. Burdock root is also a detoxifier but I don't use that currently.

There have just been so many rescued pugs with mast cell tumors and cancer and joint problems at an early age.