LarryK
Junior Nomad
Posts: 99
Registered: 8-26-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Dog Heartworm Disease
We just had to put our dog down due to Heartworm disease. This is usually contacted in Mexico through mosquitoes. There is a prevention medication
available that I would highly recommend you dose your dog with before going south.
Go to: http://www.animalclinic.com/hrtworm.htm for info.
My Dogs name was DUNDEE for those folks San Lucas and La Rivera that knew him.
LarryK
|
|
|
Stephanie Jackter
Senior Nomad
Posts: 566
Registered: 11-3-2002
Location: Arizona
Member Is Offline
|
|
My condolences.
I adore my dog and can only imagine the pain of having to lose him one day.
If I may add another caution about heart worm, dogs need the vaccine in just about any place they live. And it is very important to get the dog
tested for heartworm before initially starting the treatment as the vaccine won't cure it. If he has it, he needs to be treated and then given the
vaccine. It can take a year or two from infection to death with this disease.
Hope you find another fantastic animal to help fill the huge hole you must be feeling soon. - Stephanie
When the goin' gets tough, the wierd turn pro
|
|
|
Julia
Newbie
Posts: 11
Registered: 1-6-2004
Location: The Gorge.....
Member Is Offline
|
|
Hello: As a dog breeder ,I am happy to provide additional info regarding heartworm...firstly ,the treatment is not a vaccine...it is an
anthelminic("wormer") product (commonly used in/on cattle/sheep/pigs/horses)known as ivermectin...in addition,ivermectin is used as an anthelminicide
in human beings.The common protocol for livestock is as follows:horses/oral;cattle/topically applied along the
spine;swine/sheep/goats,injected...though in all ruminants you should double dose as the multi-digestion of the stomach reduces the viablility of the
chemical....this is the most effective broad spectrum wormer on the market today...BUT*******dogs can die from it***specifically,collies and breeds
derived from collie infusions:border collies,borzoi,shelties etc...have developed immediate ,toxic reactions to ivermectin("heartguard" etc..and have
collapsed and died AFTER receiving a dose.The best info on this ,has been disclosed by Merck ,whom until recently held the patent on ivermectin(to the
best of my knowledge).
Because I have all of teh species listed above(and more!!)I handle this stuff weekly,and I have undoubtedly absorbed it into my system and wormed
the hell out of myself...I have never felt toxic...yet ,I never let my dogs near it,nor near the dung of any animal to whom I have given it...
The best method for heartworm is as the prior author wrote...: a heartworm test....
Dogs in the NW don't generally have heartworm problems...in fact,I know of no one who uses heartguard or any other heartworm product.
I employ specifically Nosodes as a "vaccine"...this is actually ,the diseased tissue of a canine and is used homeopathically...you can buy them
from the Hahnemanne lab in CA.The cumulative toxic effect of ivermectin in dogs is interesting and controversial and is all over the
web....but,nosodes have been proven as being 100% safe,effective etc...and they are THE protocol in the UK...against almost every disease...
Sorry to hear about the loss of your fur-person....
I love mine and cannot even ponder a potential loss...
I hope this has helped someone,somewhere...P.S..if you want to repel and offend the mosquito/s you can give your dog 1 TBS of MSM daily in his/her
feed...preferably raw meat...you can buy MSM(dietetic sulfur and a miracle nutraceutical that the FDA amazingly has not banned)from KV Vet
Supply...for approx. 15bux per lb...your dog will smell offensive only to bugs..and the fleas will flee as well...thats enuf of my novel...
[Edited on 2-27-2004 by Julia]
"My kingdom for a horse!"
|
|
|
Jack Swords
Super Nomad
Posts: 1094
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: Nipomo, CA/La Paz, BCS
Member Is Offline
|
|
Heartworm "vaccine"
Thank you Julia for pointing out the dangers of the heartworm medication. All drugs have side effects and we as a culture tend to assume we can treat
anything with chemicals. Our dog is an Australian Shepherd with epilepsy. The heartworm medication has a known correlation with inducing seizures.
As a result, during our six month stay in La Paz, we try to restrict mosquito (the vector) contact. Upon return to the US we have our dog tested for
heartworm, but our vet says it will only detect a cumulative year's infection. So far no problem. Our vet in La Paz says that 20 percent of the dogs
in La Paz are infected. My vet in the central coast of CA does not treat her dogs as she has not seen a local problem, yet. And Larry, so sorry
about the loss of your dog.
|
|
|
JESSE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3370
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
|
|
Sorry to hear about your dog, as you probably know by now, you need to be a bit extra careful if you own a dog in Baja, i hope all is well with you.
|
|
|
Selkie
Junior Nomad
Posts: 37
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Chula Vista, CA
Member Is Offline
|
|
Heartworm meds
Heartgard(ivermectin) isn't the only heartworm preventative available. Our veterinary clinic has Interceptor, which is safe for those in the collie
family. If your dog is over 4 mos. of age, you need to get a heartworm test first(I use the one that detects the presence of the parasite-called the
antigen). If the dog is negative, we put it on the preventative, which is given once a month and comes in a package of 6. Do this before you go to
Baja, and continue it year around.
The treatment for the removal of adult heartworms is an injected arsenic product. It is given in a series of 2 injections, and is about 95 percent
effective. It is safer than the old IV injections we used to give. Expect to pay big bucks for the treatment, and if the dog is heavily infected, it
could take a few months to recover.
Gail Todd, DVM (Selkie)
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
