A friend of mine that lives in FL and is heavily into holistic treatments (she has 3 GSDs) told me the amounts she uses and this is what I used last summer: 1 Artmesia Combination capsule per day and 1 Black Walnut capsule twice a day. This is for only one week per month when it's mosquito season and then one month after you see your last mosquito. For us, it's about 6 months of the year. I was just thrilled to see the negative results! It also kills off worms in the intestines -- both dogs have been worm-free since we started this last summer.

FYI: I buy my natural products here, but I'm sure there are other places if you search around on the web: The Herbs Place - heartworm preventative (http://www.theherbsplace.com/heartworm.html)

Thanks for posting the dosages Barb - we will be starting this, this year. Do you start in April?

So with breakfast I give 1 Art. and 1 black walnut, for dinner 1 black walnut for one week each month, then nothing for the other 3 weeks.

We have a vet appt sat for their annual checkup - I'm anxious to see what he will say when I tell him I'm going this route instead of Heartgard

That's what we use, Jacky. I wait until I see our first mosquito, which is normally mid-to-late April. Yup, one week out of the month. I've never had any trouble with loose stools, so I hope it works the same for your dogs! :) My vet was very curious, but as long as it worked, he had no objections.

Thanks Barb & Jacky!

Do you think there would be any issues for year round dosing? We have mosquitos during any sign of nice weather... granted, not as bad as spring/summer/fall but...

I am going to follow this for a while longer... I would LOVE to go this way! :)

It's not toxic like the Heartguard can be to some dogs, Heather. My friend in FL uses it year-round with absolutely no problems.

Thanks Barb. I figured your friend had to be on it year round. The insects in Florida are incredible! :D

A very good article:
http://healthyherbs.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=healthyherbs&zu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ivillage.com%2Fpets%2Fexpert%2 Fholistic%2Farticles%2F0%2C%2C261248_77656-1%2C00.html

Interesting, but right now, I wouldn't take the chance. Ours are on Interceptor year round. My dogs don't have worms of any kind.

Why does your friend prefer the Art. & Walnut?

Why does your friend prefer the Art. & Walnut?
Because it's not a poison, plain and simple. Read the link that Pru (diver03) posted just above yours. Very interesting!

I went looking for the artemisia combination, when I asked the workers they referred me to this product 'Fresh Blackwalnut Wormwood complex' (liquid) http://www.nowfoods.com/?action=itemdetail&item_id=3306 they did have the black walnut in capsules... Should I continue looking for the artemisia combination elsewhere? Or is the artemisia combination the same as the blackwalnut wormwood complex?
I am completely confused.

hey barb.i live in florida i would not give any heart worm meds excepted from the vet..to chancy.

I went looking for the artemisia combination, when I asked the workers they referred me to this product 'Fresh Blackwalnut Wormwood complex' (liquid) http://www.nowfoods.com/?action=itemdetail&item_id=3306 they did have the black walnut in capsules... Should I continue looking for the artemisia combination elsewhere? Or is the artemisia combination the same as the blackwalnut wormwood complex?
I am completely confused.
Sorry -- been so busy with parents lately in my spare time and at work in my other life, LOL. :)

That sounds like a combination of both -- if you can get the dog to eat it on their food that would be good. I wouldn't risk putting it in the water because you don't know how much they'll get.

hey barb.i live in florida i would not give any heart worm meds excepted from the vet..to chancy.
My friend with 3 German Shepherds has used this for years without any heartworms or worms of any kind in her dogs. To each his/her own. I prefer not to give toxins to my dogs if I can help it.

How do you know the natural chemicals aren't toxic? I've been looking into other stuff besides Interceptor, but I haven't found any research on the natural chemicals. What do the chemicals in black walnut do once inside the dog to kill heatworms but not harm the dog?

I also noticed on one of the links a warning for pregnant individuals...I suppose this goes for pregnant dogs as well? What about puppies?

Sorry to throw so many questions out at one time, but I'm curious and woefully uneducated with respect to natural heartworm therapies.

Read the link that Pru (diver03) posted just above yours. Very interesting!

That link is not working for me.

I gave it to my dogs for 7 months last year with no ill effects. The one that had the warning for pregnant women had a slight amount of alcohol in it. Alcohol can harm a human fetus, and although I doubt if you drank the whole bottle it would hurt anything, they have to cover their bottoms, so to speak. My friend in FL has been using this method for years and years (year round) without a single health problem or heartworm for her three dogs.

And you're right ... that link is no longer working. :(

The one that had the warning for pregnant women had a slight amount of alcohol in it.

Gotcha...that makes sense.

I thought I would also post this here to let all of you know the cost and serious treatment that occurs when your dog gets heartworms, make sure all of you are talking to your vets about this herbal treatment. I hope no one else has to worry like we are right now.

Well our Kramer got horrible news today at the Vet where we found out he has heartworms. He was just tested in February for them, but we found out today that once infected it can take 6 months for the positive result in the blood test. Tomorrow morning he goes in for 3 days at the Vet with a bill expected to be a little over $500!!! Then for the next month we have to keep our 2 year old lab calm and no exercise. The treatment is low dosage of arsenic. The survival rate is 95%, but the danger is after the procedure. Ugh, someone explain how you keep a lab calm. His symptoms were just restless and he got severe diarreha the past 3 days immediately after eating. I guess I am writing this out of anxiety, first time pet owner, and making sure everyone else knows the risk of heartworms. Your pet still needs to be tested even if he/she is on medication. If anyone has any clues on how to make the next 30 days peaceful and restful please let us know.

What herbal treatment are you referring to?

I've been using Heartgard monthly, and wonder if there is anything unhealthy about its use. Heart worm is a real problem in San Diego east county, and certainly nothing with which to take a chance.

Thanks, in advance, for any help.

Hey KrazyKramer good to see another Alabamian on here, I work in Huntsville :cheers2:

Be careful!! Just because your dogs haven't become heartworm positive doesn't mean that your concoction is working! It could just mean that they haven't had a positive mosquito bite them yet. I'd stick with a veterinarian prescribed product. They are guaranteed.

I want to revisit an earlier post. Is there anything that has been proven bad about heartgaurd?

I want to revisit an earlier post. Is there anything that has been proven bad about heartgaurd?
Kevin, check out this website and do a search for "heartworm drug." http://www.wholisticanimal.com/veterinarydrugs.html

Not saying it will harm your dog in particular, just that it could. They recommend the black walnut once a week. I used that plus artmesia combination for one week per month. As I've said before -- my friend who is very big into holistic treatments and a raw diet has had German Shepherds (at least 3 all the time). She lives in Florida where mosquitoes are year-round and has NEVER had a HW positive dog. She's the one who recommended this dosage and program to me.

Awesome! Thanks for the info Barb. I just found a holistic vet in my area, and he's suggested this route as well. I can't wait to learn more from him. ^_^

A friend of mine that lives in FL and is heavily into holistic treatments (she has 3 GSDs)
your friend doesnt happen to be a lady from palm harbor/tampa area?
used to live in coloradO? lol

your friend doesnt happen to be a lady from palm harbor/tampa area?
used to live in coloradO? lol
That's funny -- my aunt lives in Palm Harbor and this lady had family in CO, but no, that's not her. :) She lives near Punta Gorda -- lots of damage from Hurricane Charlie last year.

i think the active ingredient in artemisia is wormwood--the stuff they used to make absinthe out of? the stuff that gave people hallucinations & then killed them, [liver damage] so it is illegal to make it since Edgar Allan Poe died from it?
IMO it's important to remember that things that are sold as 'medicine' are subjected to rigorous testing under controlled conditions, NOT true for ''natural'' remedies--even if the stuff was truly a wonder, there is no way to know that what you're buying has the right dose, or even any amount inside.
it's also important to remember that ''natural'' does NOT automatically mean benign/helpful. examples: heroin is natural, it comes from poppies, so is cocaine, from coca plants--but i'm not trying any just cause it's ''natural''!!!!!!
asbestos, lead, uranium are all 'natural'--they're mined ores...but i'm not hoping they find any in my backyard!
arsenic, strychnine, pennyroyal--all 'natural', but deadly! and these are just a few examples off the top of my head.......
incidentally, when we adopted an 8-yr old who had never been to a vet in his life, and lived chained in a backyard, [in our hot humid mosquito-laden climate] he didn't have heartworm [out of a million things he did have medically wrong!], so your negative test doesn't really indicate efficacy, just not every mosquito is a carrier.

Black walnut is an herbal supplement.

I have never heard of it killing worms in humans or dogs.

What I did hear from an employee at a holistic vet about 7 years ago was that her son took B.W. all summer while working at a summer camp amd did not get bit once by a mosquito.

The reason: when a mosquito bites you, the first thing it does is draw on some of your blood before it injects its poison that makes you itch and swell.

The B.W. makes your blood bitter so that when the M. draws your blood, tastes the bitterness, it backs out and never injects you with its poison.

However, I just thought of something. If it is at least injecting into your skin (or your dogs') can it spread the disease that way or only by injecting its poison? Food For Thought here folks.

If anyone knows the answer to that I would sure like to know.

I'm curious about the other product you combine with this. Maybe that is the one killing worms? I have heard you can use the BW by itself. I did buy it years ago but was afraid to use it for fear it wouldn't work - not for fear of it being toxic to my dogs.

I agree with the less poison we put into our dog's systems, the better.

This is amazing, I had no idea there was natural heartworm prevention. And you say this works for all worm types? I would love to learn more about the other types as well and how this works for prevention. Also I know this is an odd quesiton, but I have two horses as well, would something like this work for their worms?

Black walnut is an herbal supplement.

I have never heard of it killing worms in humans or dogs.

What I did hear from an employee at a holistic vet about 7 years ago was that her son took B.W. all summer while working at a summer camp amd did not get bit once by a mosquito.

The reason: when a mosquito bites you, the first thing it does is draw on some of your blood before it injects its poison that makes you itch and swell.

The B.W. makes your blood bitter so that when the M. draws your blood, tastes the bitterness, it backs out and never injects you with its poison.

However, I just thought of something. If it is at least injecting into your skin (or your dogs') can it spread the disease that way or only by injecting its poison? Food For Thought here folks.

If anyone knows the answer to that I would sure like to know.

I'm curious about the other product you combine with this. Maybe that is the one killing worms? I have heard you can use the BW by itself. I did buy it years ago but was afraid to use it for fear it wouldn't work - not for fear of it being toxic to my dogs.

I agree with the less poison we put into our dog's systems, the better.

Oh tell me everything you know... how does it work? Do you take the pill once a day, once a week? Me and my son are both allergic to mosquitoes, and in Georgia it makes for a very long summer. I think I'm gonna google this.

Hey KrazyKramer good to see another Alabamian on here, I work in Huntsville :cheers2:

How do you know that?
KrazyKramer has no profile and no posts (at least that what it is posted)
Beats me.:confused:

Hey guys

THis is first time for me and credit goes to my friend who recommeded me this site.
I have this boxer about 10 months now. He is having some problem with some problems with eating disorder. Everything he eats comes out in 10 mins... and doc said some virus are causing it. I amsorry if i posted this is wrong section but forgive me I amfirst timmer...
so any suggestions that my Dog needs. Should I be more carefull with him because it might infect me too???

thanks for your time

charlene