A Natural Approach to Heartworm Prevention
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We live in Florida, the #2 most mosquito-prone state in the United States, and I stopped giving my dogs heartworm medication over 15 months ago. Sounds crazy, right?
After years of giving my dogs a preventative chew every 30 days, I decided to look for a more natural way to keep their hearts squeaky clean. In this blog post, I’ll be sharing why I stopped giving heartworm drugs and two ways to guard against heartworms naturally.
Before I go any further, please know that I am not a veterinarian and this post is not veterinary advice. (My guess is that most vets would actually disapprove of everything I’m about to tell you.)
Why I Stopped Giving My Dogs Heartworm Medication
I stopped traditional heartworm preventatives for more reasons than one. Here are the top reasons that ultimately led me to take a more natural approach.
Adverse Reaction Risks
All medications can cause unwanted side effects, and heartworm preventatives are no exception. I used the #1 vet-recommended heartworm prevention chew for my dogs. According to the product’s website, reported adverse reactions include:
depression/lethargy
vomiting
anorexia
diarrhea
mydriasis (pupil dilation)
ataxia (impaired balance or coordination)
staggering
convulsions
hypersalivation
At elevated doses, sensitive dogs (i.e. Collie breeds) have even experienced coma and death. Obviously, these adverse reactions don’t happen all the time to every dog, but I didn’t feel good about taking that risk every month for the rest of my dogs’ lives.
The Hassle of Prescriptions
Heartworm preventatives require a prescription from a licensed veterinarian. While I understand the importance of prescriptions, this seemed a little ridiculous (in my opinion) for something as routine as heartworm prevention.
Dog owners are required to administer heartworm preventatives as prescribed - the recommended dose, in the recommended way, at the recommended time. If you don’t follow the rules, you don’t get a prescription.
Shortly before I stopped giving heartworm meds all together, I actually had a vet refuse to refill a prescription because I wasn’t giving it to my dogs the “right” way. More than likely, you’re familiar with the heartworm prevention chew that comes in different colored boxes, each color for a different weight range:
Up to 25lbs (Blue Box)
25-50lbs (Green Box)
51-100lbs (Brown Box)
Apparently, I did the unspeakable - I cut a chew in half. With two Great Danes, each weighing 150 pounds, I gave 1.5 of the 51-100lbs chews to each dog. This was easier (and cheaper) than giving each dog a Brown Box chew and a Green Box chew each month, which was my vet’s recommendation.
Long story short, I ended up emailing the manufacturer of the chews about the situation and the response I received was: “The ingredients are mixed in large batches and used to create individual chews. The active ingredients are evenly distributed throughout each chew.” Only after I shared the email with my dog’s (now former) vet did she renew my prescription for the Brown Box. What a hassle! And all for something that I didn’t like giving to my dogs in the first place.
I Stopped Freaking Out About Heartworms
For years, all I knew about heartworms was scary - they can be deadly, treatment is very expensive, and it only takes one mosquito bite. So, even though I hated the thought of adverse reactions and the hassle of maintaining prescriptions, I continued giving monthly heartworm chews because I was so scared of my dogs actually getting heartworms.
My whole mindset changed after meeting with a holistic vet who told me, “There is a big difference between heartworms and heartworm disease.” I had never heard that before. She explained that dogs with healthy immune systems can actually fight off heartworm larvae on their own (what?!), but when dogs have a weakened immune system, they become more susceptible to having heartworms multiply into heartworm disease.
For all of these reasons, I decided to stop giving my dogs heartworm prevention medication and to take a natural approach instead.
2 Ways to Guard Against Heartworms Naturally
In this section, I’ll share exactly what I do to naturally guard my dogs, Halo and Aella, against heartworms. Since starting this regimen 15 months ago, Halo has remained heartworm negative. Aella is on the same regimen, but she hasn’t been tested for heartworms yet because she’s under 6 months old. I’ll continue to update this post as time passes.
Amber Naturalz HWF Clean Heart
This is the #1 product in my tool kit for natural heartworm prevention, and I’m not alone. There are HUNDREDS of 5-star reviews from pet parents who love it. This product gives me peace of mind, even while living in a very mosquito-prone area.
While HWF Clean Heart is not advertised as heartworm prevention (because it’s not FDA approved to prevent or treat heartworms), I use it for that purpose because it supports the blood, heart, and lungs (which happens to be where heartworms live). Per the Amber Naturalz website:
“HWF supports the body in a natural way to keep and maintain a clean heart from foreign substances around the heart and in the blood. HWF – Clean Heart assists the body in cleansing foreign contaminants from the cardiovascular system.”
It is made with all-natural ingredients like hawthorne berries, licorice root, black seed, and sheep sorrel. These powerhouse ingredients support my dogs’ natural immune systems while also gently helping their bodies to flush out toxins.
I use the maintenance protocol as both of my dogs are heartworm negative. If your dog is heartworm positive, I recommend the cleanse protocol. I also encourage you to read the online reviews. So many pet parents have had success in naturally eliminating heartworms from their dogs by using this product! Directions for each protocol are listed on the bottle.
Mosquito Control
The #2 way that I prevent heartworms naturally is through mosquito control. Heartworms are transmitted to dogs through the bite of an infected mosquito. If you can reduce the number of mosquitoes your dog is exposed to, you can reduce the chances of your dog getting heartworms in the first place.
I use two products to control mosquitoes - one for my dogs and one for my yard:
kin+kind Flea and Tick Spray. Yes, it’s made to prevent fleas and ticks, but mosquitoes don’t like the smell of lavender and peppermint either - both of which are in this spray! This product is made with plant-based, vet approved ingredients to ensure the concentrations are pet safe.
Mosquitoes are most active just before sunset. If I take my dogs outside during this time, I spray their coats just enough for the smell to detract mosquitoes.
Garlic Barrier AG+ Liquid Spray. The smell of garlic naturally repels a host of pests, including mosquitoes. I try to spray our yard at least once per week (more often if needed) to decrease the number of mosquitoes.
This product is over 99% garlic juice and the smell is STRONG! It must be diluted with water before treating the yard. Even after diluting, my yard smells like garlic bread for a good 30 minutes after treatment (which I actually don’t mind). I usually wait one hour before letting my dogs outside after treatment because their noses are more sensitive than mine.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, heartworms are parasites and there are natural ways to guard against parasites. I give my dogs Amber Naturalz HWF Clean Heart every other week to keep their blood, hearts, and lungs free from foreign invaders. I also guard against mosquitoes by using kin+kind Flea and Tick Spray on my dogs and Garlic Barrier AG+ Liquid Spray in my yard.
After 15 months of taking a natural approach to heartworm prevention, my dogs are healthy and I’m happy to have kicked the pharmaceuticals to the curb.