Here is Randy's story regarding Chance and his journey to expelling those horrible heartworms.
He raises so many of the conflicts that arise with respect to this cruel parasite. The mainstream treatment is very effective. It works without a doubt. The cons are that it is extremely painful for the dog, there is a 10% mortality rate from the injections, and it is arsenic.
Many pet owners cannot afford the treatment. Others feel that it is inhumane to shot a dog up with a harsh substance that is described as follows.
This drug is an organic arsenical compound. Dogs receiving this drug therapy will typically have had a thorough pretreatment evaluation of its condition and will then be hospitalized during the administration of the drug.Melarsomine dihydrochloride (Immiticide®, Merial) (Heartworm Society webpage)
Mainstream believes that not treating a dog with arsenic is mistreatment and people such as Randy, and myself, believe that it is cruel to treat a dog with such a compound.
Furthermore, many dogs are too old and too sick t0 withstand the injections. Thus herbal remedies offer a mild alternative, and there is plenty of anecdotal evidence of its efficacy. Many people will ask if it works, then why hasn't the FDA approved herbal products for treatment? Well its millions of dollars to go through the process of approval, and the drug companies do not see profits in herbal remedies.
However, the FDA has overlook the problems associated with this approved drug and how people feel about the only approved drug for heartworm. People are thinking of their dogs as part of the family, and rank them among the family as that of a child. Would you shot into the lower back with of your child with arsenic? Probably not. Our culture considers dogs more than just an animal. They are our friend and our family. We treat them as we treat ourselves if not better...thus the conflict.
Hopefully you all have a vet who works with you and the two of you create a treatment principle that works for you, the dog, and the vet. It's a team effort, it should not be demigod if you chose a natural approach. I would hope the vet will be there with you monitoring the dogs progress and the two of you work together and not as advisories.
We found Chance, hanging around a not so good part of Houston, Texas, near some known crack houses.He had many fleas, very poor health, very skinny, and adult and baby heart worms, and in need of a friend. He instantly became attached to our 1 1/2 year old female Pit Bull "Puppy", her name is Chloe but we call her Puppy more often than Chloe. We researched 3 different vets to see what course of action they would use to treat/eliminate the heart worms. Well, not liking what we were hearing and the prices, we discovered Pawhealers. It seems like a few days, but within 2 weeks, Chance was more active, and started gaining weight. After 6 months we had him checked for the baby heart worms, as recommended, but there was still activity and we reported this to Pawhealers. Mark told us to keep on doing the same thing and within a few more months, I think, took him back and the baby heart worms were gone. Much to the doubting vet's dismay, she admitted that she was really amazed. As of now, 18 months since we started him on the herbs, he has grown to a healthy 70 lbs, loves to ride and walk, can't stand to be out of our sight and loves everyone. Plays well with other dogs, but since he was too weak when we first got him to have him neutered, the females really get his attention. In the next month or 2 we will have him tested for the adult heart worms and are hoping and praying they are gone, and the vet will want more information on this great product. Can't wait, because she was very negative while I was discussing the herbs, almost to the point of accusing me of not wanting to give him the "proven" care he should be getting. I've never been around such a loyal dog. We think he didn't have a chance, thus his name, and we are thankful for him and Pawhealers. I am a true believer in natural remedies for humans and animals, and really want to show this vet, and the only vet that practices at the clinic we go to that doubts all of this, that she needs to open her mind and heart and help more dogs and cats, etc to be cured, treated, helped naturally. But, as always, there are those that just can't seem to step out of the box and see the big picture. Thanks to all of you at Pawhealers. We are now going to start using some for mange on a new Pit Bull puppy, Pudgie, and I look forward to seeing the results and not worrying about side effects from the drugs the vets want us to use. Plus, it's cheaper.
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We offer our customers a $10 coupon for responding to our request for product experiences. It's our thanks to them for taking the time to do the work of writing the e mail and sending the picture. They use the coupon on their following order.
We sell traditional Chinese herbs, nutritional supplements, and pet products. We do not engage in the practice of veterinary medicine, veterinary surgery, or veterinary dentistry in any of its branches. We do not diagnose, prescribe, or administer any drug, medicine, appliance, application, or treatment for the prevention, cure, or relief of a wound, fracture, bodily injury, or disease of animals. We do not perform any surgical or dental operation upon any animal. We do not perform any manual procedure for the diagnosis of pregnancy, sterility, or infertility upon livestock Equidae.
This information is not intended to be a substitute for visits to your local veterinarian. Instead, these testimonials offer the reader information and opinions written by pet owners concerning animal health and products that they have used.