First, as always, let us quickly say that we not vets. What we have to say is based on personal experience and opinion. Talk to your vet before making any decisions about your dog.

Four years ago HUA alumni, Zeke, was diagnosed with diabetes. We had a terrible time with the disease. He went completely blind and had to have cataract surgery to restore his sight. He developed a neurological disease that caused his eye to sag. Then he developed a different neurological disease that caused him to waste in his back legs. He, of course, met every challenge with the grace of a dog - always an inspriration.

We’ve done a lot of research on diabetes since that time and learned that Zeke is not the typical type of dog who gets this disease. He’s a mixed breed dog, and it typically strikes certain breeds of purebred dogs. He has not been vaccinated annually, and it typically strikes dogs whose immune systems are stressed by annual vaccinations. He eats top quality foods and drinks filtered water, and it typically strikes dogs who have poor diets. And he’s not treated with flea and tick chemicals which can also stress the immune system. So we asked his vet how it could be possible that this dog, who has never been sick in his life, got this disease. Although the vet can’t prove it, the probable cause of Zeke’s diabetes was the heartworm pill that he got two weeks before the onset of the diabetes. Heartworm chemicals alter the normal cells so that the body considers them foreign and attacks them. This can lead to a variety of immune problems from allergies to liver failure or as in Zeke’s case, diabetes.

This statement by Zeke’s vet sent us off to research heartworm preventatives. The Summary of Adverse Drug Reactions published by the Food and Drug Administration tracks the numbers of dogs who have reacted to heartworm preventative treatment and who have died from them. The numbers are pretty startling. For instance ivermectin which is the ingredient in Heartgard had 681 dogs react and 134 dogs die from 1987 to 2000. These numbers don’t even include dogs like Zeke since the links can’t be proven. The story of Sage the Aussie who died after being treated with Revolution was reported widely on the Internet. That fact is that the heartworm “preventatives” are all poisons. They are designed to kill the worms. Now of course heartworms are an terrible thing. So the question is whether the treatment is worth the risk.

Heartworms are really disgusting, no question about that. The female can reach sizes of up to 11 inches and produce thousands of eggs. They can make a dog very ill and even cause lasting damage. But this risk must be weighed against the risk associated with the poison that is meant to kill the worms. Heartworms are spread by mosquitos. If a mosquito bites a dog that is infected with heartworms, it ingests an early form of the worm called microfilaire. These microfilaries undergo changes while they are in the mosquito and become larvae. To continue their life cycle the mosquito must bite a dog and deposit the larvae into a dog’s tissue. These larvae reach the heart, become adults and then reproduce. The catch though is that for the larvae to infect a dog they must be in a specific stage of development - the L3 stage. For the larvae to reach the L3 stage the temperature cannot at any time during the development process drop below 64 degrees F or the process stops and must start over. Since the mosquitos’ entire life cycle is only thirty days, there cannot be many starts. It takes approximately 14 days for the larvae to reach the L3 stage. So if at any time in a fourteen day period the temperature falls below 64 degrees, your dog cannot be infected by a mosquito. Given the limited time during which your dog could be infected, many holistic vets are questioning whether it makes sense to treat dogs with poisons that are likely contributing to cancers and immune suppression diseases when it is unlikely that the dog would ever get heartworms to begin with.

We have some suggestions for how to protect your dogs:

1. Never give your dogs heartworm preventative when the temperature is below 64 degrees at some point during a 14 day period.

2. If you are going to give preventative during those times when the temperature is consistently above 64 degrees, only do it every 45 to 60 days. Studies have shown that is sufficient to kill the heartworms. The pills do not need to be given every month. Depending on where you live, this may limit the number of doses given to your dog to one or two a year dramatically reducing their exposure to to the toxic chemicals.

3. Add garlic to their food. Garlic acts as a mosquito repellent. This is a great preventative. Small quantities only.

4. Keep standing water away from your property to discourage mosquito breeding.

5. Don’t let your dog stay outside for long periods of time (especially in the evening) during those periods when the temperature is over 64 degrees at all times during a 14 day period.

6. Make a natural mosquito repellent from distilled water with lavender oil and spray it on your dog before he goes out.

7. Have your dog tested every year for heartworm exposure.

We were talking to Flora's (the delightful dachshund) mom and she told us that they had dramatically limited the number of heartworm pills that Flora gets. She said they noticed that whenever Flora peed in the yard after taking a heartworm pill, the grass would turn yellow. If the chemical is so poisonous that it kills the grass, imagine what it does to your dog.

Your dog can’t speak for himself, he relies on you to protect him. His life depends on you.

UPDATE: PROMERIS POISONING! Please, we implore you, do not allow your vet to give your dog the new drug Promeris for heartworm, fleas and ticks. Many many dogs have fallen ill and died from this drug. We have heard first hand accounts, and been called for help and advice when people's dogs are dying, not even able to stand up. It is horrible. Do research on this drug. There are already class action lawsuits in the works. Do not risk your dog's life with this poison. Stick to what you know works for your dog. Of commercial drugs Heartgaurd is the most proven. Veterinarian's are being paid to push Promeris. Don't let them make a buck at the expense of your beloved pet. A good vet will make sure a product is on the market and proven before they push it out the door in mass quantities to unsuspecting consumers.