Natural Cures For Canine Heart Worms

Since Fido is unable to tell you when something isn’t right, it is your responsibility to make sure your companion stays free of heartworms. While the pet care market is saturated with a variety of commercial preventive and treatment options, some pet owners wish to treat their canine friends using natural solutions.

What is Heartworm?

Spreading from host to host with the help of a mosquito bite is the heartworm – a parasitic roundworm that possesses a small, thread-like body [1]. While dogs are often associated with a heartworm infestation, there are actually more than 30 species of animals affected, including foxes, wolves, sea lions, ferrets, and coyotes. Even humans can fall victim to heartworm.

Dogs become infected with heartworm when they receive a bite from a mosquito carrying infective heartworm larvae. Once the infection is transmitted, larvae continue to grow. Once it develops, the larvae will travel throughout the body until it becomes a sexually mature male or female worm. Mature heartworm then position themselves in the heart, lungs, and surrounding blood vessels.

Depending on the severity of the disease, infected dogs will show the following symptoms of heartworm[2]:

Cough
Abnormal-sounding lungs
Abnormal-sounding heart
Resistance to exercise
Difficulty breathing
Enlarged liver
Swollen stomach cavity
Poor blood flow to the brain

Canine Heartworm Natural Cures

Before deciding to choose a natural cure for your dog’s heartworm problem, keep in mind that his or her recovery will take place over a longer period of time. Natural cures will kill heartworms at a slow pace, but are known to encourage a pet’s immune system to eliminate the heartworm on its own. In order to make a final decision, review some of the common ingredients or treatment options that natural canine heartworm cures may include:

a) Garlic:

With the power to repel parasites, garlic is used in natural heartworm treatments to fight microbes, stimulate the immune system, lower blood pressure, and serve as an antioxidant.

b) Tea Tree Oil and Lavender Oil:

Spritzing a small amount of these oils on the coat of your dog will keep mosquitoes at bay. To make a suitable solution, blend four drops of each oil in one cup of water and then place in a spray bottle.

c) Yucca Root:

This ingredient treats the coughing and bloating that comes with heartworm.

d) Grapefruit Seed Extract:

Working towards ridding the body of parasites, grapefruit seed extract proves effective against bacterial, fungal, and viral infections.

e) Sorrel:

Rid the vessels of parasites by using sorrel – a perennial herb also known as ’spinach dock.’

f) Hawthorn:

Hawthorn is used to lower blood pressure and strengthen the heart.

g) Licorice:

Besides stimulating the immune system, licorice also cleanses the blood, fights inflammation, and supports lung tissue.

h) Black Walnut:

During ancient Greek days, the hulls of black walnuts were used to boost the intestinal system and treat the skin. Some natural cures for dogs will use black walnut to cleanse the body and make dogs less desirable to parasites. However, please keep in mind that some dogs possess an allergy to black walnut and may develop hives or another allergic reaction.

i) Black Seed:

This anti-parasitic is also known to effectively treat the liver, kidneys, intestinal tract, stomach, respiratory system, and immune system.

Resources

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heartworm

[2] http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article.asp?id=11