Is black walnut hull a successful natural heartworm preventative for dogs?

1. 75

   CraftytotheCoreposted 11 years ago

   Is black walnut hull a successful natural heartworm preventative for dogs?
   
   I just learned that garlic is a natural flea preventative for dogs.  I'm interested in knowing what natural alternatives there are for heartworm preventatives.  I read somewhere that black walnut hull has amazing health benefits for humans such as healing inflammation and nourishment for thyroid.  Some say it's a natural de-wormer.  Does this include heartworms or should I stick with the prescribed heartworm preventative I buy at the vet's office?

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2. 100

   DrMark1961posted 11 years ago

   I think black walnut hull is an acceptable natural alternative for slow HW treatment but I would never risk my dogs health by using it as a preventative. I have a hub about using it as a slow treatment but not as a preventative.
   You do not need to buy prevention from your vet. In Connecticut, you can use Heartgard or generic Ivermectin. It is the same thing. I have a hub about how to dose properly using the sheep drench product you can buy in  a local feed store. It is about $20, and will last you for a couple of years. Leave me a comment there if you have any questions.

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3. 82

   agilitymachposted 11 years ago

   Garlic is a relative of the onion.  Both are NOT to be fed to dogs and are toxic to dogs.
   
   Dr. Mark is right about heartworm meds.  Stick with your vet's advice.  For herding dogs, do not use Ivermectin (Heartgard) without first doing a MDR1 genetic test.  Otherwise, go with Sentinel.  They offer a different product that doesn't containe Ivermectin.

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