Post by Dobereich on Jul 19, 2013 23:48:55 GMT -5
We have been having some discussions about heartworm on the facebook group and I wanted to bring this over to the forum as I know its something I talk to a lot of new Dobie owners about.
This is the link that got us started on the discussion;
vitalanimal.com/heartworms/
Besides the fact that this article is an advertisement to sell this vet's book (so leaving the good advice as being available at a cost). It might actually be worthwhile for those who feel that they need to prevent heartworm in some form.
I have never been able to embrace the idea of dosing my dog for life with enough toxins to kill mosquito larvae and repel fleas. So personally, I stick to topical treatments. Rather spray my dogs with flea and tick spray when I take them out where the exposure is high. Then bath them when we get home.
Mosquitoes and biting flies are becoming resistant to most common repellents. Head up north and you have to spray yourself with a near toxic level of deet and you'll still get bit. So how can one believe that this isn't going to have an effect on your dog over time.
I think people need to really start asking more questions, and doing more research before they blink their eyes and agree with everything their vet tells them. Most people just want the best for their dogs, and so they automatically believe that their vet does too. If you really care about your pets, take the time to find out what they really need before you let anyone dose them with anything.
I have good vets, and I respect many of my vet friends and clients. But come on people, they can be just as guilty of being naive as any of us. They trust the sales reps for medical companies, go to upgrade seminars about vaccines and drug treatments, and when they're in school they've being taught that this is standard protocol by the professors that they trust. But these programs are funded, look behind the scenes. I know that the good vets do, and those are the vets that will be armed with more knowledge and be willing to think outside the box.
Personally I do not administer heartworm preventatives to my dogs. I realize that there is a risk, but when I weigh all facts, it seems to be a nominal risk at best. At least in Ontario.
A lot of people think that mosquito = heartworm. This is not the case, not just any mosquito can give your dog heartworm. Your dog can only get heartworm by being bitten by an infected mosquito. So the question is, how likely is this to happen?
(I've borrowed this image from www.dogheirs.com/dogheirs/posts/286-heartworm-how-one-mosquito-bite-can-kill-your-dog)
Here are some facts about the mosquito's life cycle, and how it can transmit heartworm to a dog;
- Mosquitoes live an average life span of 3 weeks.
- Mosquitoes usually occupy the same area that they were hatched in (within 100-500 feet). But within a female's life cycle, and high winds, it could be possible for them to travel as far as 30 km... although that is only with one or two species of mosquitoes and highly unlikely. Most reports indicate that an adult mosquito could migrate an average of 2-3 km from where they were hatched.
- Females are the only ones that bite, and they will lay eggs after filling their bellies. They can bite several times in order to fill up, but its impossible for them to transmit heartworm even if they bit an infected dog, then bit your dog right away afterwards. This is because it takes time for the heartworm to incubate within the mostquito's saliva gland before they become infective.
- From the time a mosquito bites an infected dog, it takes 2 weeks before they become infective and able to transmit the heartworm when they bite again.
- The only way your dog can become infected is to be bitten by an infected mosquito.
So now we have some facts to really consider. Assuming a mosquito bites an infected dog the day they hatched, they could have one week to bite and infect another dog, within an average of a 3 km radius of the first infecting bite.
The likelihood of a mosquito living long enough to effectively incubate and transmit heartworm to your dog is much lower then we are lead to believe.
Personally speaking, the idea of dosing my dog(s) with a pesticide on an ongoing basis is unthinkable for such a low risk of infection, and knowing that although not ideal, there is available treatment should a dog become infected.
So my heartworm prevention program starts with trying to protect my dogs from being bitten in the first place. That is "if" I am travelling to a high risk area. At home I use natural sprays that typically last long enough for us to complete our romp outside before coming in. Since these are natural ingredients (tea tree oil, eucalyptus, etc).. there's no need to bath or wipe the coat down afterwards.
I'd love to get a list started of natural repellents that folks have found to be completely effective, and list the duration of effectiveness, as well as what insects your natural repellent worked against.
Mt favourite repellent over the counter is Miracle Coats "No Fly Zone". Unfortunately its not being allowed over the boarder, so I haven't been able to get this product yet this year. I've tried some other horse grade sprays, trying to stay natural. However I have not found a superior product yet.
This is the link that got us started on the discussion;
vitalanimal.com/heartworms/
Besides the fact that this article is an advertisement to sell this vet's book (so leaving the good advice as being available at a cost). It might actually be worthwhile for those who feel that they need to prevent heartworm in some form.
I have never been able to embrace the idea of dosing my dog for life with enough toxins to kill mosquito larvae and repel fleas. So personally, I stick to topical treatments. Rather spray my dogs with flea and tick spray when I take them out where the exposure is high. Then bath them when we get home.
Mosquitoes and biting flies are becoming resistant to most common repellents. Head up north and you have to spray yourself with a near toxic level of deet and you'll still get bit. So how can one believe that this isn't going to have an effect on your dog over time.
I think people need to really start asking more questions, and doing more research before they blink their eyes and agree with everything their vet tells them. Most people just want the best for their dogs, and so they automatically believe that their vet does too. If you really care about your pets, take the time to find out what they really need before you let anyone dose them with anything.
I have good vets, and I respect many of my vet friends and clients. But come on people, they can be just as guilty of being naive as any of us. They trust the sales reps for medical companies, go to upgrade seminars about vaccines and drug treatments, and when they're in school they've being taught that this is standard protocol by the professors that they trust. But these programs are funded, look behind the scenes. I know that the good vets do, and those are the vets that will be armed with more knowledge and be willing to think outside the box.
Personally I do not administer heartworm preventatives to my dogs. I realize that there is a risk, but when I weigh all facts, it seems to be a nominal risk at best. At least in Ontario.
A lot of people think that mosquito = heartworm. This is not the case, not just any mosquito can give your dog heartworm. Your dog can only get heartworm by being bitten by an infected mosquito. So the question is, how likely is this to happen?
(I've borrowed this image from www.dogheirs.com/dogheirs/posts/286-heartworm-how-one-mosquito-bite-can-kill-your-dog)
Here are some facts about the mosquito's life cycle, and how it can transmit heartworm to a dog;
- Mosquitoes live an average life span of 3 weeks.
- Mosquitoes usually occupy the same area that they were hatched in (within 100-500 feet). But within a female's life cycle, and high winds, it could be possible for them to travel as far as 30 km... although that is only with one or two species of mosquitoes and highly unlikely. Most reports indicate that an adult mosquito could migrate an average of 2-3 km from where they were hatched.
- Females are the only ones that bite, and they will lay eggs after filling their bellies. They can bite several times in order to fill up, but its impossible for them to transmit heartworm even if they bit an infected dog, then bit your dog right away afterwards. This is because it takes time for the heartworm to incubate within the mostquito's saliva gland before they become infective.
- From the time a mosquito bites an infected dog, it takes 2 weeks before they become infective and able to transmit the heartworm when they bite again.
- The only way your dog can become infected is to be bitten by an infected mosquito.
So now we have some facts to really consider. Assuming a mosquito bites an infected dog the day they hatched, they could have one week to bite and infect another dog, within an average of a 3 km radius of the first infecting bite.
The likelihood of a mosquito living long enough to effectively incubate and transmit heartworm to your dog is much lower then we are lead to believe.
Personally speaking, the idea of dosing my dog(s) with a pesticide on an ongoing basis is unthinkable for such a low risk of infection, and knowing that although not ideal, there is available treatment should a dog become infected.
So my heartworm prevention program starts with trying to protect my dogs from being bitten in the first place. That is "if" I am travelling to a high risk area. At home I use natural sprays that typically last long enough for us to complete our romp outside before coming in. Since these are natural ingredients (tea tree oil, eucalyptus, etc).. there's no need to bath or wipe the coat down afterwards.
I'd love to get a list started of natural repellents that folks have found to be completely effective, and list the duration of effectiveness, as well as what insects your natural repellent worked against.
Mt favourite repellent over the counter is Miracle Coats "No Fly Zone". Unfortunately its not being allowed over the boarder, so I haven't been able to get this product yet this year. I've tried some other horse grade sprays, trying to stay natural. However I have not found a superior product yet.