I need your opinion on my dogs health issues

Question
I am asking several dog experts this because I value their opinions.Unfortunatly, I couldn't find an online vet.I have a 12 year old sheltie male that I love like there's no tomarrow.He is on a holistic pet food diet and is often feed organic raw beef and vegetables.He has been diognosed with heartworms and my vet wants to do treatment.I am scared of the harsh treatment options though.I fear that since my dog is older it could possibly kill him.I have been giving him organic flax seed oil to support heart health.And today I have started giving him organic black walnut hull because it is supposed to be a natural preventive against heartworms.I have read some bad stuff on heart guard and other meds.I have also givin him his first dose of organic dandelion to support his immune system.What I want to know is what you think about him going under treatment?Have you or anyone you know had an older dog under go heartworm treatments?Your opinion is greatly valued.I will appreciate any advice you can offer me.By the way, do you know exactly how much black walnut hull drops to give my 30 pound sheltie and my 8 pound rat terrier?Is it ok to give it to cats?Thanks so much.

Answer
Haley,

First of all, I'm very sorry to hear about your dog. This is why I believe that every dog should be on heartworm preventative. The concerns you noted with Heartgard revolve around its main ingredient, Ivermectin. However, the levels of Ivermectin necessary to induce toxicity is very high compared to the levels used in Heartgard. If you are uncomfortable using Heartgard, I reccomend Interceptor, which has a different main ingredient. Interceptor is what the veterinarian I work for sells to her clients, and I suggest starting your rat terrier on it.  A prescription grade flea/tick/mosquito repellant will also be beneficial as mosquitos carry heartworm (fleas and ticks carry other diseases as well).

As far as treating the disease in your sheltie -- I too am a fan of holistic approaches, but with something as serious as heartworm disease you need to carefully examine all of your options. The new medication that is used by traditional veterinarians, Immiticide, is safer and kills more heartworms with fewer side effects than its old counterpart, Caparsolate. There are always risks associated with heartworm treatment because you are killing organisms inside your dog. A main concern is embolism caused by dead worms blocking blood flow to the lungs - this risk is still present with Immiticide, but to a lesser degree, thanks to differences in the timing of heartworm deaths. Dogs that are successfully treated by Immiticide live just as long as dogs who never had the disease. There is always a small risk of death associated with this type of treatment, and sometimes there are adverse side effects, but in many cases its a much better choice than not pursuing the treatment at all. I think you should call or visit your veterinarian to discuss Immiticide. I am going to link you to the website that I consulted to answer your question - I think you'll be very interested in it and it may answer a lot of questions for you.

http://www.vetinfo4dogs.com/dhwtreat.html


I am also going to give you a couple of links that will help you explore holistic options. The first is a link to a holistic veterinary clinic outlining their treatment for heartworm, and the second is for a product that is supposed to treat heartworms naturally - but I would DEFINATELY discuss this product with a holistic veterinarian before ordering it, as I personally cannot vouche for it.

http://www.nbwi.org/holisticheartworm.html
http://wolfcreekranch1.tripod.com/heartworm_free.html

You are obviously a concerned pet owner and I know that whatever decision you make will be an educated and well thought through one. There is no absolute truth as to how to treat heartworm - both holistic and traditional approaches have their pros and cons. If you have a holistic veterinarian in your area, you should consult with them as well as your traditional veterinarian.

I personally have not had to go through heartworm disease treatment with my dogs, as they are all on Interceptor. However, working in veterinary clinics, I have seen a few dogs undergo treatment with Immiticide. It was a rough journey for all of them but luckily I have yet to encounter one who didn't survive (this is due largely to the fact that I have worked for amazing veterinarians who have taken great precautions).

And I'm sorry but I don't know the dosage on black walnut hull drops or if it is safe for cats. I've  never used them. I have read some about black walnut causing allergic reactions - the second holistic link I provided talks about this. If you can find a holistic veterinarian in your area they could certainly help you out a lot with all of these questions.

I hope that your sheltie recovers from this disease. Let me know how its going! Good luck.

Ashley