Natural remedies to prevent lungworm?

Hi there,

Just seeing if anyone has any natural remedies to prevent lungworm or heartworm etc. Currently using the advocate but I am looking to switch to everything with less chemicals. Thanks!

I am very much a natural remedies person, but in the case of parasites, I make an exception and use medication. The thing is, parasites have evolved to live with their victims, so nothing that works with the host's immune system is going to result in anything except healthy parasites.

Allegedly, a small amount of garlic would deter new infestations, but against that we have to consider our own dogs' wellbeing, as some sources say garlic is fine and others that it very much isn't. It's a tricky path, and of course if we use drugs, we need to be aware of the effect on the wider environment.

We can have worm counts done, which means we only worm if they are actually present, and fleas can often be kept to an acceptable level by using flea combs and the battery-powered flea zapper. I don't like using scent repellents as it must be so hard on the dogs, with their amazing sense of smell, to be exposed to those scents.

I have to agree with Hemlock on this one, there are herbal remedies but you have to be exact in the ingredients and quantities because of their properties. You could consult a canine herbalist but I wouldn't recommend making up a remedy yourself when it comes to dealing with these little critters!

I use Wormcount - rather than treating indiscriminately, you send off a poo sample at regular intervals to be checked for a whole assortment of parasites and only have to treat chemically if they see any eggs.

Having said that, Wormcount usually recommend testing every three months, whereas I think you're usually advised to give medication monthly... This may mean that your dog could be infected for some time before diagnosis. Or it may be that the companies who produce the medications have a vested interest in recommending regular treatment. So if you're interested in going down this route, do your research.

For what it's worth, I've been using Wormcount for about 6 week and never had a positive result for lungworm or the standard worms - though they did pick up on coccidosis once which I didn't realise they tested for, which meant I could start treatment straight away without needing the vet to diagnose it.

Agreed 100% with above , all I’d say is don’t mess with a killer parasite, you might just regret it.

That's great feedback. Thank you all! I do think it's not worth putting them at that much risk, sometimes medication is the only safe answer.