Natural heartworm treatment experience?

[zmom]

I just found out that my puppers has heartworm. (She's not really a puppy, she's 7 or 8 years old.) We would really like to avoid the really toxic, locked in a kennel for 30 days treatment but we don't have a holistic vet any place near us. Has anyone had any luck using any of the herbal type treatments or any other more natural treatments?

Thanks in advance for any help!

[North_Of_60]

I have not heard of a holistic treatment for heartworm (some preventatives, but then again, I'm not 100% sure of their success rates either), and truthfully, I wouldn't experiment if it were my dog. And regardless of what treatment method you end up using, you're still going to need to monitor the dog's health before, during and after treatment.

What stage of infection is she in? Ivermectin used over long periods of time can kill adult worms, but the downside is that it takes longer so in severe late stage infections I think they're using Immiticide (sp?) now.

And your dog doesn't necessarily have to be kept in a kennel. You just have to limit physical activity and not allow the dog to exert himself. It really depends on the dog.

But in my opinion, I wouldn't mess around with heartworm. I think the potential risks and long term side effects and damage to the heart are far, far worse than any of the drugs used to treat the infection.

[Arduinna]

I agree with PP, I wouldn't mess around with alternative treatments for heartworm, it's fatal if not adequately treated.

[lonegirl]

Originally Posted by zmom

I just found out that my puppers has heartworm. (She's not really a puppy, she's 7 or 8 years old.) We would really like to avoid the really toxic, locked in a kennel for 30 days treatment but we don't have a holistic vet any place near us. Has anyone had any luck using any of the herbal type treatments or any other more natural treatments?

Thanks in advance for any help!

I totally agree with North of 60. Heartworm can be fatal so best to follow treatment by veterinarian.

[gealach]

Wanted to second a pp who pointed out that even the "regular" heartworm treatment does not mean 30 days of being locked in a kennel. How quiet a dog needs to be kept depends on the heartworm load, the prior health of the dog, and the dog's temperament. For the most part, they just can't be allowed to let their heart rate increase too much.

We adopted our pup (a year ago yesterday ) right as he was going through heartworm treatment. Our dog is not overly excitable (except during storms) so we did crate when we weren't home to keep him safe, but, otherwise, we just kept him near us and didn't let him get too hyped up. And, we reintroduced walks, playing, and activity very slowly over a series of months.

Our vet basically said that only the most excitable dogs or dogs with a heavy worm load would need sedation and/or constant kenneling.

I'm not saying the drugs aren't toxic. They are... they have to be to kill the worms. And, of course, I was worried about those drugs in our dog's system. But, the long term effects of heartworm on the body are worse, in my opinion.