Natural heartworm preventative?

[Apollopuppy]

We were just discussing natural flea/tick preventatives/remedies. Anyone know of a natural heartworm deterent?

My cat and ferrets LOVE going outside, but with the mosquitoes out (and being in the heart of mosquitoe country, St. Louis, MO) I am not wanting to take them outside :no: I want to find a natural heartworm preventative because in ferrets ONE heartworm is all it takes to cause MAJOR problems.

Any recommendations? If it comes down to it and there are no RELIABLE ways of deterring heartworm, then I might just have to bite the bullet and use a heartworm tablet. :'( I REALLY dont want to, though.

Oh, and I should add that the ferrets are on mostly whole prey (NO kibble) and the cat is on a raw/whole prey mix. They all get Apple Cider Vinegar in their water (as a flea/tick deterrent) and neem oil sprayed on them when we go outside (as a flea/tick deterrent) if this makes any difference.

Thanks! I know I dont have a lab, but I figured the answer to this question could benefit us all, so thats why I went for it and asked.

[jlab]

I have not been able to find a holistic vet to support anything but the commercial heartworm preventatives but here are a few old threads that discuss the subject:

http://www.justlabradors.com/forum/i...c,45533.0.html

http://www.justlabradors.com/forum/i...c,48689.0.html

[Apollopuppy]

Thanks for the threads JL.

I just dont know what to do. Like I said, with ferrets, ONE heartworm is all it takes to cause serious problems. They are so small that they just cant carry a high worm burden. I worry about using a heartworm nosode and not having it be 100% effective. I cant afford for it to not be 100% effective. :no:

Sigh, perhaps I will get some heartworm preventative but only give it June-September. I dont like the idea of doing it, but I would rather be safe then sorry. I will probalby try out the heartworm black walnut nosode IN ADDITION to the tablets, but ugh, it looks like I might be stuck on this one.

They eat naturally and get titers before we re-vaccinate them (IF we revaccinate them) but I still worry. Sigh.

[Labs4me]

The first link is the best one that I have found for "natural heartworm" prevention. The other links talk about a "safeheart" dosage for prevention of heartworms which is Intercpeptor used at a lower dosage to only control heartworms, no other worms. Hope that helps some.

http://www.healthyhappydogs.com/Heartworm
http://www.dogaware.com/HeartwormPrevention.html
http://www.b-naturals.com/newsletter/heartworm/
http://www.fda.gov/cvm/FOI/1365.htm

[Baloo317]

Just be careful, G. Heartworm is BIG this year because of all the louisiana dogs that were shipped around the country (and up to Canada) that were positive. My vet says (and I've heard others say as well) They've gotten more heartworm positive dogs this year than in as many years as she's been at the clinic.

Having said that, I'm giving interceptor, but only at the recommended dose. Which means, instead of giving Baloo the dose for his weight (51-100lbs) I'm giving him a combination of the lower doses to be more accurate for his needs, as 51-100 lbs is quite the stretch. We've also had some worm-y issues around here too, so I'm not going lower than that, just to be safe.

Also, it's important not to split pills, as the meds are not uniform throughout.

[Apollopuppy]

Thank you, Kate!

BTW- Baloo has gotten SO big and SO handsome! I remember when you posted pics of him before you were gunna bring him home, he was just a little blob! Now look at him!

[Baloo317]

Thanks! I can hardly believe he was ever that small now! *sigh*, time just flies!