Heartworm, flea, and tick preventative?

[CeeCee]

I've heard and read a lot about the safety (that it's not) of using the heartworm, flea, and tick preventatives. I've read so much that I'm lost. So I'm wondering if the people here have any advice on the topic? My girl, Lila, has Atypical Addison's and is considered immune compromised and I don't want to do anything that could put her at increased risk.

If you opt not to use pharmaceuticals, what do you use?

Any guidance you can offer would be GREATLY appreciated!

 

[Rugers-Kris]

I give Ruger heartworm every month and strongly believe that all dogs and cats should be on heartworm preventative but have never done a flea or tick preventative because he has never had any. I would if he needed it but to date that hasn't been an issue.

 

[ruthcatrin]

Discussion is mixed.

I DO know of several holisitic vets who recommend heartworm treatment every OTHER month instead of every month (and not over the winter). The reasoning being that they don't really PREVENT heartworms, they just kill the baby worms before they're a problem. And that can be done every other month no problem. I've decided to do this with my two this year.

I don't actually treat with a flea preventitive. We've never had a flea problem.

Ticks....I HATE TICKS. And we have horrid problems with them here. I've always used tick preventitives, and I'm struggling this year with what to do. The Preventic collars only JUSTBARELY fit him this year.

 

[mx5055]

I use Heartguard and Frontline Plus. I don't really know enough about your dog's health condition to advise you regarding using these treatments. What does your vet say? I agree with Kris, I think the Heartguard (or whatever brand you choose to use) is important...I think with the flea/tick a lot of your decision should probably be based on the area you live in and what kind of problems you face there. I live in an area with both a flea and tick problem, thus my decision to use Frontline Plus

 

[Robtouw]

I use revolution for heartworms/fleas and Equyss Marigold Spray for biting flies and ticks. We have a little farm and a high population of wild visitors, deer, rabbits, opossums, racoons, foxes, etc. so prevention for all of my animals is a must do!

 

[Gypsy Moon's mama]

Hi CeeCee. It is so very important to give our dogs heartworm preventative EVERY month. Heartworms are an UGLY thing and the treatment, if a pet is postive, is often so harsh that it can kill your pet. I believe that giving a pill once a month is a small compromise...Just discuss with your vet any concerns that you have...flea preventative comes in many ways...it's not that important unless you have a problem with fleas or ticks.

 

[Gypsy Moon's mama]

I use Heartgard and Advantage for Gypsy Moon (my mastiff) and Trifexis for Ivy Mae (my Dobie)...Trifexis is heartworm and flea meds all together in one pill...it does get super expensive for the big ones...but Heartgard is reasonably priced.

 

[Gypsy Moon's mama]

Many moons ago as a horse person...we used Avon "Skin So Soft" to repell horse flies and mosquitos...I'm sure it's ok for dogs too. It's pretty mild.

 

[STEVSH]

I use Pet Armor (or something like that). Its the same exact thing as Frontline, just half the price. And the heartworm chewables I get every year when we go to the vet. They get them when I remember to give it to them. So it probably works out to every other month. LOL Never had a problem with fleas or heartworms in all my history with dogs though. Ticks are horrible here, but nothing is going to keep them off the dog. The Pet Armor just makes them not want to feed off the dog for very long. They still will initially bite. Not much I can do about it though.

 

[CeeCee]

I live in the Northeast and we had a hard winter (which will keep the mosquito down much more than last year). She said the key to preventing heartworm is stopping the mosquitoes. According to a CDC website, Rochester had less than 26 instances of heartworm last summer. For this she recommended - what she uses for her dogs - is a spray of natural oils. She puts it on them once a day.

As you might have figured out, I'm a little nervous about taking this leap and was wondering what others do.

 

[mx5055]

I live in the Northeast and we had a hard winter (which will keep the mosquito down much more than last year). She said the key to preventing heartworm is stopping the mosquitoes. According to a CDC website, Rochester had less than 26 instances of heartworm last summer. For this she recommended - what she uses for her dogs - is a spray of natural oils. She puts it on them once a day.

As you might have figured out, I'm a little nervous about taking this leap and was wondering what others do.

Personally, and this is just my own opinion....I would never take a chance with heartworm and leave my dog unprotected. If you take your dog outside at all, (even if it's supposedly a good year for mosquito...it only takes one) you run the risk of mosquito....and, if your dog were too get infected it is terrible what they go thru...the treatment is "harsh" to say the least, very expensive, and even then, not all dogs survive. I would never risk it; just my own opinion

 

[musicdeb]

I do not use heart worm or flea prevention. I've had 3 dogs in the past in TX and they never got heart worm or fleas. I heart worm test my dogs every 6 months. *knock on wood*

I use skin so soft on Titan to repel mosquitos. No flea problem except when we went to FL for Christmas and he got them from a hotel we stayed in. Used Dawn dish detergent to bathe Titan and used table salt on my carpet. They were gone within 10 days.

 

[Ayla]

i use panoramis its a monthly tablet that covers worms , heart worm and fleas. I find it easyer to use and i just wrap it in bacon or cheese. im in australia so not sure if it avalible to every one. its $134 Australian and has 6 months worth.

 

[Hank DDB]

Just my 2 cents, I would use it every 2nd month, and not use it in winter ( when mozzies are gone). These chemicals should be limited for the dogs health. This is what I have done for over 15 years and my dogs have never had heart worm.

 

[jersey girl]

I do not use heart worm or flea prevention. I've had 3 dogs in the past in TX and they never got heart worm or fleas. I heart worm test my dogs every 6 months. *knock on wood*

I use skin so soft on Titan to repel mosquitos. No flea problem except when we went to FL for Christmas and he got them from a hotel we stayed in. Used Dawn dish detergent to bathe Titan and used table salt on my carpet. They were gone within 10 days.

Musicdeb - Table salt on your carpet? I have never heard of this...do you apply then vaccum off after a few minutes?

 

[musicdeb]

Musicdeb - Table salt on your carpet? I have never heard of this...do you apply then vaccum off after a few minutes?

Sprinkle the carpet, quite heavily, with the salt. Let it set for 2 days and vacuum. Repeat one more time. I am living proof that this works. You can also add baking soda if you want, but I didn't. I sprinkled salt on carpets, couch and mattress for good measure.

 

[cayeesmom]

Borax is also good to sprinkle on carpets in the couch/bedding, used it when I had carpet. Do the same as with salt, sprinkle heavy everywhere, but does not need to be vaccumed up. No need to reapply until the carpet get cleaned. Both salt and borax do the same thing, dries the carpet and fleas need some moister to thrive. As for heartworm meds , I use Trifexis for Luke, so far so good, but the fleas and mosquitoes are not quite awake around here yet.

 

[Hank DDB]

Borax is a stomach poison, it kills fleas as they ingest small amounts of it during their grooming routine. Borax has also been used in many products such as tooth paste, fire proofing, etc, etc it is considered a safe poison and is widely use by numerous industries.

Cayeesmom I would use borax, if memory serves me correct it is actually less toxic then salt.

But the safest would be to use DE its crushed coral and works by cutting up the fleas, and yes it's safe you can feed it to your dog to kill intestinal parasites.

 

[craignsteph]

I have had a really hard time making this same decision. It's really hard to decide to put pesticide into my dog's body and yet it would also be awful if he were to get heartworms. However, I have found a wealth of information on this website that makes sense to me. Vital Animal § The Natural Path - Holistic Health from a Veterinary Insider

 

[bean2eat]

I use, and have always used black Walnut hull powder. I live in Florida, so mosquitoes are always a problem. I have never had an issue with heartworms or any other intestinal worm or fleas and ticks for that matter. The powder works good for all of the above. I don't like to give to many meds to the dogs if at all possible. Any regular vet that Ive mentioned this too never says anything one wY or the other. But I got the recommendation from a holistic vet. Traditional vets and holistic vets rarely agree. My view is that it's the pharmaceutical companies that sponsor the regular vets, so that's how they are trained and they want to sell you expensive meds. Just my opinion tho. Go to BioComplete Natural Diets and check it out for yourself! I've always had great luck with it. It is also used to treat heartworms, not just prevent them. Hope this was helpful!