i have two dogs..one i adopted in july (lily) and daisy ive had for 9 years since she was a pup. daisy has never been on any heartworm prevention meds and has never had any problems.....however, my vet is pushing me to start both dogs on heartworm prevention meds. is this truley nessecary or is my vet (who is young and inexperianced.....i dont much like her actually) just trying to get me to spend more money? i spend so much money on my dogs as it is and i dont really have any extra money...but if heartworm meds ARE nessecary then i will have to find a way. i dont think they are as both my dogs are indoor dogs and dont have contact with many other animals besides each other and my cat.....but i wanted the opinions of others who arent going to make money off of a "yes they are nessecary" infact i just read on the net that most vaccinations from the vet are unnessecary (and can be harmful to some dogs)and vets know this but push for them anyway to make money off of people........
I will say that I do use heartworm medication on my dog...my vet told me basically that it was necessary, particarly in a humid southern climate (where mosquitos come into the house sometimes because there are so many). I like my vet a lot, and trust her; she has actually saved me money on some things that I might have done had I not talked to her. So, just be safe, I do put my doggie on heartworm, and I do the vaccinations...not exactly a scientific explanation, just my experience!! If there are wholistic vets in your area, you may want to ask them, or at least, get another regular vet's opinion...good luck!
well i have a feeling that any vet is going to say "yes" because if they should say no and then my dog got heartworms.......they wouldnt want me holding them accountable im sure. like when i adopted lily from the shelter....i was told by the shelter staff that she had had all of her vaccinations (altho i didnt get any paperwork on it) and so two days after i adopted her i took her to the vet just for a check up to make sure she was healthy....the vet asked if she had her vaccinations and i explained that i had no paperwork but that the shelter said she had....without even contacting the shelter she immediatley said that lily should have all the vaccinations that day just to be "safe" and that if she already had them it wouldnt hurt her to have them again. i was reluctant because it was expensive and i didnt want to do it if she had the shots already but i said ok because at the time i just didnt feel like dealing with it and the vet was pushy. now i feel like she just wanted my money......she could have (or i could have actually) called the shelter to see if there was any paperwork on lily) id like to find another vet but i live in a small town and thats the only one close by.
My dog's never had any vaccinations, heart worm included, and he's as health as, but getting near his use by date now. I've given him homoeopathic treatment once when he was a pup for heartworm I used "Aurum Metallicum" which is gold and has beneficial effects for the heart on the physiological level. Leave a gold ring in water overnight and put the water in the dog's water dish for drinking. That's all I ever did. Dogs can only get heartworm direct from other infected dogs, so it is usually only found in unhygenically kept groups of dogs. But vets need to keep the dollars rolling in, and any new dog is a new opportunity for wealth. Multiply the cost of vaccinations over the lifetime of the dog and you'll be very surprised how many Hawiian holidays you give your vet.
I thought heartworm was spread by mosquitos...never heard that it was spread by other dogs...where did you hear that? Not trying to be confrontational, just curious...
it can be spread through the poo of infected dogs. If your dogs spend a lot of time outside or ever get around other dogs i would say yes but if they are inside most of the time and you live in a relatively cool place i would say you are safe. I agree that vets will try to sell you a lot of shit you don't need, but vaccinations are important. The shelter should have given you the paperwork but better safe than sorry. that said, my dogs are treated for heartworm. If you work it out it is only a few dollars a month for heartworm and flea medication so it is really forth it for the safety of your dogs.
i spend about $50 a month on frontline plus for all my animals as well as $50 a week on their food (their food is expensive)......not to mention toys and treats which they get new ones every week so im of course hesitent to spend any more money where it doenst NEED to be spent. the time they spend outside is either on our porch or with me on their walks and they dont come into contact with other dogs hardley ever......i dunno....if its that important of course im going to get it for them......im still thinking about it but will probably end up doing it.
It's a blood borne parasite. The eggs are ingested, the larvae burrow through the gut and enter the bloodstream, and locate themselves in the heart where they feed and breed, completing the life cycle by going back to the gut to lay eggs.
It's better safe than sorry. Heartworm is one of those things that are really hard to cure, if even possible, so it's pretty much once the dog gets it, it's likely going to suffer and die. You don't notice something is wrong until it's too late to get rid of the heartworm. Not worth the risk, in my opinion, although for indoor dogs with their own yard who never go anywhere or play with other dogs, it's not as big of a risk. But heartworm can still be transmitted even to these dogs, such as if a cat walks through heart worm poo and then walks through your yard, then the dog steps on that, and licks his paws later. Bam, heartworm. Just ain't worth the risk. Save money elsewhere.
