# Natural Heartworm prevention?



## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

I have black walnut in a liquid form, the ingredients are : black walnut hull in glycerin/alcohol base.

When I went to my new vet today I was discussing with her how I want to avoid chemicals and try the natural route. She had no problem with that, but she told me to be cautious of using black walnut because there is a mold that is toxic to dogs that grows on black walnuts. 

Now, I would assume this liquid version I have wouldnt have the mold, especially since it is in an alcohol base. The dosage is 3 drops for every 10 pounds, so Ruby would get about 4-5 drops (shes 16 pounds). But I cant help but worry about it being toxic now. 

All the things I have googled about black walnut hw prevention have all come back positive though, I did not find any sites saying anything bad about it. Are there other HW preventatives? Should I be ok giving Ruby this stuff? The black walnut liquid I have is supposed to be given for 1 week of every month. 

I also do have a natural bug repellant spray which is supposed to repell ticks, mosquitos, and fleas, but I do still want to use something else, just in case. 

Any other natural/holistic products out there for HW prevention?


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## twoisplenty (Nov 12, 2008)

Heartworm Treatment ~ HeartWorm Free helps your dog overcome heartworm naturally!


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

That seems to be advertised as a treatment only... so Im guessing I cant use it as a preventive? And they suggest using it with the kidney rejuvenation.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Kat said:


> That seems to be advertised as a treatment only... so Im guessing I cant use it as a preventive? And they suggest using it with the kidney rejuvenation.


I clicked the prevention tab and they also advertise it as a preventative. I don't get it...why does it have alcohol in it?


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Im guessing the alcohol is used as a stabilizer to keep the product fresh longer.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Kat said:


> Im guessing the alcohol is used as a stabilizer to keep the product fresh longer.


I guess it's better than my dog eating pesticides 

I would love to try it...I might e-mail them and ask if it can be used as a preventative as well.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Let me know what they reply if you end up doing so, please


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Kat said:


> Let me know what they reply if you end up doing so, please


Just sent them an e-mail, so it might take a day or two.


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## Liz (Sep 27, 2010)

The alcohol is necessary to keep the black walnut fresh for the longest time. I use water at home when we make our own mixes but I also make tiny batches and don't worry about it keeping for long periods.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Got the reply, here is what she wrote:



Yes, the HWF can be used as a preventative. Here is the page on preventative use. Natural Heartworm Preventative Treatment Helps Prevent Canine Heartworm

If you have any other questions, please feel free to email those.


Hugs, Howls, Meows, Health, & Happiness,


Vicki

Customer Care


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Good to know  Would anyone agree that the HWF preventive sounds better than the black walnut preventive, or can I go either way? Going chemical free is confusing!

Looking at the wolf creek ranch link. I like how the HWF has garlic and grapefruit seed extract, but I dont understand why they would put apricot pits, it says "_contains small amounts of natural occuring cyanide_" Why would I want to give that to my dog, is that even safe? 

They dont use black walnut because apparently it is a "_high allergen causing hives and other types of allergies_" That would be something I am worried about with using black walnut, I never knew it is highly allergenic. With all the random allergies Ruby already has, Im not sure I want to risk trying it if she might get an allergic reaction to it. Even the wrong doggy shampoo makes her break out in hives.


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

kat said:


> good to know  would anyone agree that the hwf preventive sounds better than the black walnut preventive, or can i go either way? Going chemical free is confusing!


amen sister!


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to natural hw prevention, mostly because theres a lot of controversy whether its truly effective. I found a really good holistic vet in town that pro raw and pro limited vaccine, I'd be interested to know what his take it on this because I dont live giving Uno the meds, even if its 6 months out of the year. 

heres the result study I found for the above mentioned product
http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/Heartworm_Free_report1.pdf


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

Unosmom said:


> I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to natural hw prevention, mostly because theres a lot of controversy whether its truly effective. I found a really good holistic vet in town that pro raw and pro limited vaccine, I'd be interested to know what his take it on this because I dont live giving Uno the meds, even if its 6 months out of the year.
> 
> heres the result study I found for the above mentioned product
> http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/Heartworm_Free_report1.pdf


That was an interesting read. What are you using right now for HW prevention? 

Also, on a side note, would it be stupid of me to do nothing at all for HW prevention other than Ruby having the good raw diet, natural bug repellant spray, and staying indoors at dusk and dawn when mosquitos are most active. As a pug, I cant take her out in super hot weather anyways, so Im guessing her risk of getting HW would be a lot lower than others. But, at the same time, with the mild winter, mosquitos and fleas are supposed to be back with a vengeance. Agh, why cant there just be something out there with no negative side effects? The whole allergic reaction thing makes me uneasy because she does react to random things so easily. 

What do I do >.< Im so lost and I need to start doing something starting June 1


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## Makovach (Jan 24, 2012)

Kat said:


> That was an interesting read. What are you using right now for HW prevention?
> 
> Also, on a side note, would it be stupid of me to do nothing at all for HW prevention other than Ruby having the good raw diet, natural bug repellant spray, and staying indoors at dusk and dawn when mosquitos are most active. As a pug, I cant take her out in super hot weather anyways, so Im guessing her risk of getting HW would be a lot lower than others. But, at the same time, with the mild winter, mosquitos and fleas are supposed to be back with a vengeance. Agh, why cant there just be something out there with no negative side effects? The whole allergic reaction thing makes me uneasy because she does react to random things so easily.
> 
> What do I do >.< Im so lost and I need to start doing something starting June 1


I take my dogs out every where any time of the day. I spritz them down with my repellant (ACV and essential oils) before we go out. I've not used HW prevention in two years. I do believe I've heard some one say a healthy dog should not get parasites, and if they do, should be able to ward them off? But don't hold me to that. I looked at HWF before. My problem is I would not remember to give it every day, so I don't see the point. My dogs get HW tested three times a year. and we go from that. If they get it, there are affective holistic ways to get rid of it.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

I have heard that as well that if a dog is healthy and is fed a species appropriate diet their immune systems should be strong enough to fight off any parasites. My plan was to get Ruby tested for HW twice a year, in April/May-ish and October/November-ish. Should I add in an extra test around August, or would it be find just doing two a year?


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

heartworm is something I don't have the guts to go natural on right now; however, I've reduced the dosage of heartguard from once a month to once every two months. I'd like to go to 2.5 months but haven't quite worked up to it.


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## malluver1005 (Nov 15, 2009)

Kat said:


> That was an interesting read. What are you using right now for HW prevention?
> 
> Also, on a side note, would it be stupid of me to do nothing at all for HW prevention other than Ruby having the good raw diet, natural bug repellant spray, and staying indoors at dusk and dawn when mosquitos are most active. As a pug, I cant take her out in super hot weather anyways, so Im guessing her risk of getting HW would be a lot lower than others. But, at the same time, with the mild winter, mosquitos and fleas are supposed to be back with a vengeance. Agh, why cant there just be something out there with no negative side effects? The whole allergic reaction thing makes me uneasy because she does react to random things so easily.
> 
> What do I do >.< Im so lost and I need to start doing something starting June 1


I stopped giving Aspen Heartgard months ago. I just repel the mosquitoes and he's good...I've been using a good recipe of alcohol and water to spray him down when we go out. But that is always in the back of my head...what if that one mosquitoe bites him on the nose? They really can't bite him anywhere else because of his fur.


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## Kat (Jul 12, 2011)

That's my problem too xellil, I work up my courage to go buy something, then read something like "highly allergenic" and I back right out of it. Its so much harder going the natural way I think, because there are so many more options available and each one has its own pros and cons. 

I spent 20$ plus tax on this black walnut tincture, I hope they will at least let me have a store credit >.< lol


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## xellil (Apr 4, 2011)

Kat said:


> That's my problem too xellil, I work up my courage to go buy something, then read something like "highly allergenic" and I back right out of it. Its so much harder going the natural way I think, because there are so many more options available and each one has its own pros and cons.
> 
> I spent 20$ plus tax on this black walnut tincture, I hope they will at least let me have a store credit >.< lol


Yep, I keep waiting for it to all come clear to me. But just talking about fleas - there are 500 different remedies. 

I bet they give you a refund. They certainly should!


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## Unosmom (May 3, 2009)

> That was an interesting read. What are you using right now for HW prevention?


hes on generic one called Pet Trust plus


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## Nana52 (Apr 28, 2012)

Hello all. I'm new here, spent the last few days reading, catching up, trying to learn all I can about raw, screwing up the courage to take the plunge, so to speak. More than a little intimidated about the whole think, to say the least, especially in light of my vet being dead set against anything remotely holistic (unfortunately nearest holistic vet is 200 miles away). But that's not the subject here, is it?

I've been seesawing about the heartworm prevention situation for the past couple of years myself, especially with one of my dogs having seizures. I'm trying to avoid as much drug and potential toxin exposure as possible. Vet all about drugs and continues to badger me about flea "poison" and so forth. While I can't quite bring myself (yet) to completely stop giving the heartgard together, since I live in the south with a high mosquito population and a high incidence of heartworm (is that among well-cared for, indoor dogs or neglected strays ... can't get a straight answer to that one), I have cut back to giving the medication every 6 weeks, and with the next dose I'm plan to give a small dose of milk thistle for a week following dosage (reportedly helps the liver to process and expel toxins). And as so many of you, I'm using various essential oil spritzers to hopefully discourage any bugs from biting my boys.

In any case, just to give you something else to chew on, here's a product at Only Natural Pet I've been thinking about trying. Take a look, read customer reviews, etc., maybe it'll be something you'd be interested in.

http://dogfoodchat.com/forum/holist...ies/15471-natural-heartworm-prevention-3.html


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## shellbell (Sep 24, 2011)

Unosmom said:


> I'm a bit of a skeptic when it comes to natural hw prevention, mostly because theres a lot of controversy whether its truly effective. I found a really good holistic vet in town that pro raw and pro limited vaccine, I'd be interested to know what his take it on this because I dont live giving Uno the meds, even if its 6 months out of the year.
> 
> heres the result study I found for the above mentioned product
> http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/Heartworm_Free_report1.pdf


Me too. I see a holistic vet with Tux who is pro raw and against over vaccination. I asked her about natural heartworm preventatives. She does not believe there are any out there that truly work, and told me she would never tell a client to stop using HW preventative. Also, for the area we live in, she said she used to recommend giving preventative every 45 days, but she her recommendation is now to give it every 30 days. There is a new strain or mutation of mosquito down south making its way up the Mississippi, and it has caused the life cycle of the HW to be much shorter, which means HWs can develop much faster. 

My vet does not believe in topical flea/tick treatments. For HW preventative, she recommends Interceptor or Heartguard. She doesn't believe in the things (I think all topical) that are supposed to prevent HW/fleas/ticks/etc, as she feels that is too much. But she thinks that Interceptor and Heartguard are such a low monthly dosage of preventative to give, that they are safe. And necessary. And I don't even know if she sells either of these, I've never seen them advertised in her office so I can't say she is pushing them just to make money. 

Do what you are comfortable with though....


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## kksher (Apr 19, 2012)

Yikes! this is a hard one. Being a holistic nutritionist (but for people, haha) I always like to go the natural route whenever possible and i too have a vet that is usually against any holistic remedies which can be frustrating because they're not even willing to look into it. I checked out the ingredients in the HWP and they're fantastic. The apricot pitts are actually safe as well and are used as an alternative cancer treatment in humans since the cyanide kills cancer cells. The other ingredients look great too and I just emailed my vet about it, though I already know what she'll say. She gave me a sample of the heart guard when i was there last week but i haven't given it to Willie yet. I just moved to Boston so not sure what the flea/mosquito situation is here but still nervous to go entirely holistic. Ahhhhhh, what to do??


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