We are travelling this summer ....heartworm concern?

totallyhip · #1 06-15-2007, 01:56 PM

Were travelling to Calgary & Banff Alberta this summer for my brother's wedding. I don't give Luke any heartworm/flea/tick preventative. He's eau d' natural and I would prefer not bombarding him with chemicals if I don't have to. As far as I know we don't have a huge risk of heartwork here in Vancouver. We always check for fleas and ticks too esp. if he's been outside.

My question is.....should I be concerned when we travel? There is always so many more mosquitos out there. I know that the heartworm cases in Canada are very low. I've heard of people giving their dog 1 preventative tablet just before they travel. Any thoughts?

tianthai · #2 06-15-2007, 04:35 PM

We live in Singapore and it is very tropical. I give my dog a pill once a month to prevent heartworm. Mosquitos in Singapore love to bite dogs. Perhaps you want to consult your vet.

JulieM · #3 06-15-2007, 05:23 PM

Visit www.heartwormsociety.org for the Epidemiology information on when it is possible for mosquitoes to transmit heartworm larvae (it's in the Veterinary Information/Canine Guidelines section), then go to weather.com or such to see what the temperatures will be/have been for the time you'll be in the area (and as many days prior as necessary) to ascertain the risk of heartworm transmission.

JulieM · #4 06-16-2007, 07:53 AM

Quote:

I've heard of people giving their dog 1 preventative tablet just before they travel.

I missed this part before. It makes no sense at all to give a heartworm pill *before* going to heartworm-risk areas; the pill does not prevent the dog from getting infect, it kills any larvae the dog may have picked up in the last 30-60 days. If you find that the area(s) you'll be visiting do pose a risk and want to give a pill, give it 30 days *after* the last possible exposure day. (If you're travelling for more than a month, you may choose to give two pills, a month apart, starting 30 days from the first possible exposure day.)

totallyhip · #5 06-17-2007, 04:53 PM

Hey that link you gave was really helpful. It said "development and maturation requires the equivalent of a steady 24-hour daily temperature in excess of 64°F (18°C) for approximately one month." which may very well be the case b/c we are going in August. I checked the temp. and it doesn't go that far ahead.

I think what I will probably do is give Luke a Sentinel tablet 30 days after. Just to be on the safe side

Thanks for your help!

Mom of Jäger · #6 06-19-2007, 04:29 PM

I did a lot of research on this and found an all natural way to prevent heartworm (also to treat it but my dogs were just tested negative so I only need to preventative part). I am not big on giving them chemicals when they aren't needed. Check out this website and see if you are comfortable with it. I just started it about a month ago so I haven't seen any results. There is also a "bug spray" with water, lavender oil, and tea tree oil. I used this when we went camping and did notice a difference. Here is the link...

http://www.theherbsplace.com/Heartwo...on_sp_104.html

Good luck!

totallyhip · #7 06-19-2007, 06:05 PM

Very interesting. Thank you for the link. I think that the Geranium Oil sounds good. It will help prevent mosquito bites. Last year we had such a bad bout of them. However, I am concerned about what may happen if Luke decides to lick his fur after we have sprayed him with it.

The other stuff sounds like it may have some side effects too.

totallyhip · #8 06-23-2007, 10:25 PM

I am worried more about Heartworm. Seems Luke gets alot of mosquito bites. I think I may give him the Program pills for the summer months. I hate to do it .... pumping him full of crap he doesn't need but is it better than him getting heartworm?

JulieM · #9 06-25-2007, 06:14 AM

Mosquito bites do not necessarily mean heartworm risk, though. You could take steps to minimize exposure/attractiveness to mosquitoes - add garlic to the food during the summer months, use a garlic-based spray for the yard and for him before he goes out, especially in the peak mosquito times of dawn and dusk; there are also herbal combinations that repel mosquitoes. Here's an article about heartworms and some suggestions for mosquito repellents:
http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache...org/gpage.html
(This is a cached page from google, so I'm not sure how stable the link is.)

Program is for fleas, though, so I wouldn't bother giving that.

If you must give heartworm meds, I would avoid as much as possible the "combination" ones like Sentinel or Revolution that treat for every possible parasite a dog can get - these rank highest among wormers for adverse reactions, probably because there are so many toxins given at one time. Personally I'd even prefer to avoid the heartworm/intestinal worm combos, but that can be difficult to do. Interceptor has received FDA approval for effectiveness at 1/5 the current listed dosage, so you could give the smallest size pills; studies also showed that heartworm meds (I believe both Interceptor and Heartgard) are effective for up to 60 days post-exposure, and equally so at 45 days as at 30, so an extended interval will help to minimize the toxin exposure.

totallyhip · #10 06-25-2007, 11:31 AM

Thanks Julie. That was an awesome link. I feel much better now. Luke is very healthy and his immune system is great. I am not going to use the pills! I don't want to inject toxins into his body

I am however going to get some garlic spray for our yard and give Luke garlic in his food.