Natural Heartworm Prevention for Your Dog

By Brigitte Smith

If you think mosquitoes are somewhat annoying but nonetheless harmless, think again. For a human, a mosquito bite can be an inconvenience. But for your dog, it can ultimately be fatal. Life-threatening heartworm can be the outcome for your dog of these fairly innocuous little insects. Heartworm preventatives come in basically two forms – chemical heartworm prevention and natural heartworm prevention. The chemical types are said to be non-toxic, but they're really not at all. Natural heartworm prevention is the only sure way of looking after your dog's health without exposing your dog to a concoction of chemicals that are poisonous to humans. (So what does that tell you about their toxicity on your dog?)

Natural heartworm prevention is often fairly similar to the remedy that you would give your dog as a natural heartworm treatment if your dog is unfortunate enough to have already contracted heartworm. The object of herbal heartworm treatment and other natural heartworm remedies is to kill the heartworm larvae off before they have an opportunity to enter your dog's heart from the bloodstream where the larvae enters, and develop into adult heartworms. Once the heartworms have matured, a process which takes several months, they grow and fill the heart, blocking off the flow of blood to the lungs.

Because heartworms are parasites, the object of a natural heartworm prevention regime is anti-parasitic. Herbal anti-parasitic herbs will not only fight off the mosquito bites in the first place, by making your dog unattractive to the mosquitoes, but they also fight a broad range of parasites, including other types of worms, and sometimes also fleas and ticks.

Herbs which have anti-parasitic properties include Geranium (usually administered externally in the form of Geranium Oil), Garlic, Black Walnut, Artemisia, Wormwood, Clove Flower Buds, Ginger Root, Turmeric, Spearmint, Hawthorn Berry, Capsicum, Lavender and Tea Tree (the latter two also administered externally in the form of Lavender Oil and Tea Tree Oil.

Many people believe garlic to be an excellent natural heartworm prevention source. It is a blood cleanser which is thought to strengthen the immune system and repel both mosquitoes and fleas. Garlic should never be relied upon alone, however, as an effective natural heartworm prevention. Coupled with other herbs such as Black Walnut, Artemisia and others, it can be quite effective however. Pet owners also need to be aware that garlic can be bad for dogs in anything other than very small quantities.

As well as herbal heartworm treatment regimes, homeopathic remedies also exist which can very effectively prevent heartworm naturally. Generally these remedies are given for several consecutive days each month. The herbal heartworm treatment products are sometimes given daily and sometimes for a number of days each month. If you find a suitable natural heartworm prevention for your dog, it should come with instructions on appropriate doses, either on the product itself, or on an insert or the website where they are available. But if you are in any doubt, then you may wish to consult with a homeopathic or holistic vet.

Healthy Happy Dogs is a website devoted to the holistic health of your dog. To find out more on natural heartworm prevention, and other dog health issues, go to: http://www.HealthyHappyDogs.com/Heartworm