Certified Veterinary Homeopathy by Dr. Glen Dupree

Heartworms are the bane of dogs in climates that support mosquito populations. This means that dogs in the South are exposed to heartworms year around. In colder climes, there may be times of the year when mosquitoes and heartworms are not a concern. Bottom line is that as long as there are mosquitoes, dogs will be exposed to heartworms.

Conventionally dogs are placed on heartworm medicine - daily or monthly - during the months in which mosquitoes are active and for at least the month after mosquitoes are no longer active. This translates into a fairly consistent exposure to toxic medications for the entire life of the dog. Industry backed safety tests have shown that all the approved heartworm medicines are safe for the dogs and that is probably true for the majority of the population. However these tests do not take into account the potential additive effects of other chemicals to which our canine companions are also exposed.

So what are we to do? Limit our use of heartworm preventative? Limit the other chemical exposures? Look for the least intrusive method of preventing heartworm disease?

The first step is to realize that having heartworms and having heartworm disease are two separate and distinct things. Having heartworms means that the dog's body is harboring heartworms. Having heartworm disease means that the heartworms are causing physical, clinical symptoms in the dog.

I think we can probably prevent heartworm disease without preventing heartworms by optimizing the health of our canine companions. In the evolutionary scheme, heartworm disease makes no sense (or at least, canine death from heartworm disease makes no sense). Heartworms are obligate parasites. Obligate parasites cannot live without a live host. If the host dies, the parasite dies.

If heartworms evolved to kill dogs or if dogs evolved to succumb to heartworms, the heartworm life cycle would be dead end. I think most probably heartworms and dogs evolved to live in coexistence with the heartworm taking what it needs for life from the dog but not taking so much that it deprives the dog of life.

The problems come when our canine companions are not vital, not healthy enough to sustain in the face of heartworms (supposing they are not on heartworm prevention and develop a case of heartworm disease). Heartworm disease is more a reflection of the health status of the dog than a measure of the pathogenicity of the heartworm.

As we have said previously, the best way to prevent any disease in our pets is to optimize the pet's health. Addressing heartworm disease is no different. We should limit the external stressors on our pets as much as possible by providing proper housing and nutrition and by limiting the pet's chemical exposure to insecticides, vaccines, and unnecessary medicines. We should chose the medical therapies which will not only remove the symptoms of illness but which will improve the overall health of the pet. We should limit the internal stressors by making sure that all the pets systems are working as well as possible.

Having done all that, the we need to think about preventing heartworm infestation in our canine companions. We can start by considering the dog's natural mosquito deterrent - its hair coat. Dogs with thick coats are less susceptible to mosquito bites than is a smooth or short coated dog. Perhaps we can limit our pet's time outside when mosquitoes are the worst such as at dusk. We can drain standing water and remove the mosquito reproductive habitat. Maybe we can use topical mosquito repellants when our pups are outside.

Then we can consider the use of conventional chemical heartworm preventative. There are a variety of monthly preventatives which have longer or shorter durations of blood levels. Some of these monthly preventatives have been shown to actually have good efficacy at 6-8 week intervals as compared to their labeled 4 week interval.

Use the medicine which is the safest and which has the shortest half life in the blood stream and use it at the longest possible intervals. Keep your pup safe from heartworm disease but don't poison them in the process.

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