Can someone please help me decide whether or not I should give this to my cats? The vet recommends it, and it seems as though the lab always comes back saying it shows signs that one or the other were "exposed to heart worms" and we have to have a test to see if they're okay. I was giving them the Hartgard at one time, despite having a really difficult time getting them to eat it, until I read this:
I just don't know what to do. Hopefully somebody knows more about this stuff than I do and can advise me. By the way, I know the vet recommends it, but I don't automatically agree with everything she recommends any more than I agree with everything my doctor recommends for me.
It seems like there is just as much chance I will cause them harm as help them by giving them this stuff.According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, 65% of adverse drug reactions and 48% of all reported deaths resulting from drug reactions are caused by heartworm preventatives. The potential side effects of Ivermectin (the active ingredient in Heartgard) include liver problems, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of appetite, depression, lethargy, skin eruptions, seizures, tremors, paralysis, autoimmune disorders, thyroid problems, fever, weakness, dizziness, coughing, nose bleeds, difficulty breathing, pneumonia, irritability, sudden aggressive behavior, nerve damage, fertility problems, and sudden death. Other chemical heartworm preventatives have many of the same side effects.
In his new book "The Nature of Animal Healing," Dr. Martin Goldstein states that he believes that much of the cancer and liver disease we see today is the result of years of treatment with heartworm preventatives.
I just don't know what to do. Hopefully somebody knows more about this stuff than I do and can advise me. By the way, I know the vet recommends it, but I don't automatically agree with everything she recommends any more than I agree with everything my doctor recommends for me.