Help me get passed this

[Nancy0]

Ok before the board went down I had a thread about heart worm preventative. Up until last Friday I have never given the boys heart worm preventative.I did have them tested twice yearly though. They both got Heartgard Plus. I keep getting updates from CAPC how there are now 66 cases reported in San Diego. I freaked and showed the email update to my vet.Though she told me they have yet to see a case at the clinic it is on the rise. She really didn't say yes you need to do this or no you don't need to worry. A few years ago both vets at the clinic would tell me we didn't need heart worm preventative. They no longer say one way or the other. My friend has a lab who never gave heart worm preventative either until last year. Her friend's dog got heart worm - that friend lives in a community not far from here.

Here is my hangup. I know so many of you give heart worm preventative because you are in a high risk area - I get that. There is no way around it. I honestly believe these preventatives using them month after month, year after year can cause autoimmune disease and even cancer. I know some of you will say getting heart worm is worse. My first lab Cooper was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and then cancer. He got heartgard month after month, year after year. I wish there were studies on the long term use of these preventative, but there are not. And I am not saying the heartgard caused this - I am sure many things did. The preventative is not a preventative at all. When we give heart worm medication we are actually treating the dog with the cure. What are your thoughts? I guess I am not comfortable giving the preventative nor am I comfortable not giving them. So sorry if this sounds paranoid. I am literally scarred after what I went through with Cooper.

Thanks
Nancy

Any of you have/had a dog on heart worm meds given month after month year after year and your dog lived to a very old age? Just curious. Doreen did, but I don't know if she gave the preventative year round. Here in San Diego it is suggested because of our warmer climate to give year round.

[charliebbarkin]

I will say this...

Even my super hardcore raw people that are totally against vaccinating and flea/tick meds still give heartworm meds. Do you remember Hershey always saying you can just go buy the active ingredient and give a small dollop, that's what they do. I don't want to risk it so I give the meds (heartgard from the vet), but we move a lot, vacation a lot, hike a lot, swim a lot etc. Choice is yours. I think, even if I lived where you do, I would still do it. But maybe every 6 weeks or something instead of every month.

I know it is hard. We are making these choices for our dogs and if they get cancer or sick or whatever, we take all the blame because we make the choices. But you have to decide what is best for you and the boys, what's your risk benefit?

Good luck making your decision, Nancy. I know it's not easy.

[arentspowell]

Daisy is our first dog and Lily is our second so we don't have experience with heart-worm meds over the life of the dog but we live in Florida and mosquitos are prevalent. You HAVE to give heart-worm preventative here. In fact monthly heart-worm preventative is a condition of my adoption contract for Lily.

The rescue I got Lily from actually took in a dog recently that was never given heart-worm preventative. He looked obese but it was really the heart-worms infesting every inch of his poor body. They took him only to give him a comfortable last few weeks, he was terminal. It was the saddest thing.

Anyway, I digress. My fiancés childhood lab passed away from cancer at 7. He had pretty severe allergies his whole life and they think the chronic allergies and long term steroid use eventually led to he cancer. So it really could be anything. I really wouldn't stress so much about Nancy. We live in a world where nearly everything we come to contact with is a carcinogen. There's really not much we can do to control it. To me the risk of heart worm is the more immediate threat so I would give the preventative.

[Maxx&Emma]

Prior to Ozzy, who I lost at a young age, all of my dogs have been on Heartgard or Heartgard+, the average age at passing was 13 so I think this can be done safely. I absolutely get the fear of the unknown but sometimes you have to look at which is the lesser of the 2 evils. For me hw preventative is definitely the better deal.

[Kain's Mommy]

I see where your coming from! I'd be a little paranoid but heartworms are terrible. I agree with arentspowell everything now a days gives us cancer, its a personal decision. I give it to Kain every month regardless if we're in Sacramento or San Diego. I'm a control freak and if I know I can keep Kain from getting a terrible parasite then I'll do it.

[Nancy0]

See I guess if I lived in a place like Florida I know I would have to give the preventative because the risk is high. In years past there wasn't really a risk here (so why I gave it to Cooper is beyond me), but both vets at my clinic have told me it's on the rise. Still this is a difficult decision for me.

[Nancy0]

Prior to Ozzy, who I lost at a young age, all of my dogs have been on Heartgard or Heartgard+, the average age at passing was 13 so I think this can be done safely. I absolutely get the fear of the unknown but sometimes you have to look at which is the lesser of the 2 evils. For me hw preventative is definitely the better deal.

Did you give it month after month, year after year?

[Maxx&Emma]

Did you give it month after month, year after year?

Not with each one, in the beginning, when I was younger yes but the older I got and the more research I did I began giving it on a 45 day schedule and stopping during January and February. With Emma, who is now 8, and Maxx, almost 3, I have been giving it every 30 days and stopping during January and February, as long as it is good and cold. One year our winter was fairly mild, (maybe 2012-2013?), and I did give it monthly that year. It is not recommended that you stop it in this area but I do feel comfortable when it is extremely cold. I do test my guys every 6 months as well.

[Berna]

I may have said it before, but for me it's risk vs. benefit. I don't live in a high risk area, but there are cases of heartworm, and they are increasing each year.

I use a spot on May - November and test once a year.

[SunDance]

None of mine ever died of anything that could be even remotely attributed to medications of any type, I don't think.....and they all got heartworm month after month, year after year.

The oldest dogs were:

Kiku.....13
Brutus....13 (and Bru came to us after having had heartworms/treatment)
Hershey....10 1/2
Honey....11

I don't know of anyone who's lost a dog to something they attributed to heartworm meds....not in real life, anyway. We have heartworms around here....my guess is that everyone I know is giving the stuff.

Barb