CH> You know how many dogs there are and have been that get on perfectly
CH> without all this drug stuff. :( ?

 RW> Yep, i never treated dogs all the time I grew up for it.  First dog i
 RW> treated with preventative was Buddy back in the '80's.  I'd heard of

 Same here. The only 'treatment' my parents gave the dogs we had when
growing up were flea collars and flea baths. This was in Upstate NYS.
Nobody had even heard of heartworm.

Please understand I'm not against prevention, I'm just leery of the
fact every time 'something comes up' everybody jumps... I just wonder
if we're going too far with medicating our animals. .. and yeah
ourselves too. How much is too much?
.......................

 RW> heartworm before but didn't know there was preventative until then.
 RW> NOt sure if they just didn't have it or what.  My grandfather lost a

I thought heartworm occurred mostly in south but I guess cases have
turned up , up north. I was surprised a friend in Upstate NY is using
it. (The heartworm meds). Her shih tzu is mostly an indoor dog, just
goes out for walks around the block.

Oh! When growing up. Our Hungarian Vizula (this breeds looks like a
smaller shorter version of a Wiemeriner (sp). The tail is usually
docked. Gus LOVED to go hunting out up the hill out back of my parents
house. He'd run like a deer. Never once did he pick up a ick or get
heartworm. Too fast for 'em! :)
...................

 RW> dog on the farm to it when I was a small boy, I recall that one.
 RW> Grandpa's farm dogs seemed to live to be 6-8 years old or so.  Buddy
 RW> lived to be 13. COnversely our former rOtt who had heartworm already
 RW> was about 14.

 I've a sense that some dogs as well as people can live with a
parasite without much trouble. The vets hook us to use the heartworm
via those ugly pictures...
...............

 RW> I treat our rott we have now with the preventative once a month, and
 RW> use the frontline.  I tried going to the vinegar stuff, but when Kathy
 RW> was hospitalized and I spent time with her the vinegar regime went out
 RW> the window, so it was back to frontline.

 yeah they got us hooked alright. The drug industry. I don't get the
Dr. Fox column anymore since our move. I'm wanting for it though. He's
a vet who while not against Drugs , advocates holistic methods to
treat various aliments. Time to do a Google...

IE: For conditions of heart valve dysfunction the treatment is about
the same as that for humans. The drug regime that is. And guess what.
Unless you can afford to have that valve replaced the dog will die
anyway.... And the dog food they proscribe for this condition is a
hole in your wallet. They make you think it helps but it dosen't
because it's full of corn which dogs do not digest... I'd rather go
holistic. Finding a vet who will do that is tough.
....

 RW> Btw I say the same thing about people.  Amazing we were able to live
 RW> at all without this "drug stuff" .

 Exactly. And again many drugs ARE good and helpful! Yes. But many
more have so many side effects for which people take even more
drugs... uh the drugs become worse an effect than the ill they're
treating. And a lot of people abuse the drugs.. but other echo for
that :)

Cind

... Pets are the Soul of the Household

--- PPoint 3.01