heartworm is the one easiest to do at home imho you just need to find out how to do it properly as it's not an injection you squirt it in the mouth

I thought it was like a little treat thing

I believe that both Pitt Man and I were both referring the heartworm test itself, where the vet has to draw blood and see if the dog is positive or negative for heartworms. Obviously, not many people are capable of doing that at home.

Heartworm preventative is the treat things, or paste you put in their mouth.

However, giving a dog heartworm preventative without having it heartworm tested can have dire consequences. Treating a dog that is positive for heartworm with heartworm preventative can cause death.

yea I got a little confused for a second

I guess my older dog has heartworms plus thyroid on top of that and then my other dog might have heartworms too, but we don;t have the money to get the medicine cuz of hard times which unfortunately is like my whole life.

I dont know if I'm gona get a pup cuz I dont even know if I'm gona make it through the year, but I can hope I do

That sad to hear about your dogs. It's tough when things are tight, and your priorities change.

Do you work pitt-man?

Yeah tell me about it; things are pretty tough nation wide right now man. With the holidays just coming by, and what not. I work two jobs, plus school to take care of my pup.

It's sad, you know, I wish I could spend so much more time with him, but I need to buy him the things he needs first - too.

no I dont work right now, believe me I've looked EVERYWHERE. I even tried doing yard work and all that but living in a latino neighborhood its on lock. But money is just part of the problem, I got problems and noone's support or understanding.

Sounds like you're a victim of your circumstances. Hope the best for you.

yea I just need to get my family on my side which is gona be hard cuz I really think they never liked me.

You need to rise above your family if they won't support you.If you let them they will hold you down forever.Good luck.

Actually Angeeleta Heartgaurd can be given to dogs with or without heartworms and monthly heartgaurd chewable are often used as a low-cost treatment for heartworms for those who can not afford to pay for the other treatment.

The base for of Heartgaurd (ivermectin)can be purchased in the appropriate 1% form and administered to the dog and is a liquid not a chewable, paste or pill.

This is a 30 something dollar purchase that will last you more than the year. I have only had one vet not recommend going that route but the same vet also doesn't want me to feed raw (rolls eyes)

I feel a lot of vets still say what they think will sell the most products (i.e. kibble and medication) This way you can also buy ONE product and use it for ALL your dogs as you dose yourself by weight rather than making different heartgaurd purchases because they are pre-done.

You also get far more accurate dosing via weight instead of the large gradient most pre-done medications offer. I found out about this method from a rottweiler forum i frequent where you can find breeders and owners who self treat their dogs to avoid that lovely $30+ office visit charge.

I'm sure most of us wouldn't mind going to the vet as much if we only got charged for what we needed instead of vet visit + this that and the next thing.

I dont know if my post is going up but I need to get my GED and I'm gona get kicked out my house no matter how I am so its kind of hard to rise above anything right now. I dont even have money for college plus I need some surgery but my mom doesnt wana spend the money, so I'm just done with them all.

One of the best brands of dog food I know is called Wellness. It is a very expensive dog food. Around $40. And not all pet stores carry it. But my dogs are in great health and are eating better then I do! When my aunt's dog got leg cancer the vets were shocked b/c they had never seen such an advanced case of his cancer where a dog was actually able to stand. Not mention he was also walking, running, and hiking! He ending up living several months past the date vet's said he would die. My aunt attribute's that to the food he was getting and the daily walks he was getting. But I've also heard that Pro Plan is a good dog food too.

wellness is decent but too expensive for the quality imho i pay less to feed raw so what's the point?

Pro Plan is cheaper but not as good, the main ingredient is meat BUT the following ingredients aren't that great.

Wellness is ridiculously expensive!

For the quality brand food it is, it's not expensive. I've heard great things about it and my dogs are doing better then ever eating it. Is there as good quality dog food you use that is cheaper?

I've heard it's more to feed your dog raw. And then you have to be careful of how much you feed, what you feed them, etc. I'd have to put a lot of money and research into it and my dogs would do just as well if on Wellness.

talltail : what makes you think that Wellness is so superior? I suggest you look at past posts that had to do with dog food. Angeeleeta is an excellent source when it comes to dog food, she is very well informed and has done her research. I would try listening to what she has to say.

Also, badkittyamy, forgive me for this because it is a silly question - but what exactly does it mean to feed your dog Raw? I know at a local pet store here, they have a freezer section that has some bags that say Raw on them (I believe that's what it says) and I don't know exactly what it is .. or what. Thank you in advance!

It's pretty much what it sounds like you feed you're dog raw meat. Dogs switched or raised on raw have a better coat clean teeth smaller poo that smell less and their doggy breath goes way down.

If you search for raw feeding you will find many people do it. Personally I don't buy preprepared raw because it lacks in bones and that's what keeps the dog's teeth clean. Raw bones do not splinter like cooked bones and so are safe for your dog.

My dogs get:
Chicken leg Quarters $4 for 10 lbs
Ground Beef $1 a lb
Beef Liver $1 lb

Now compare a raw diet which is the absolute best you can feed your dog to a food like Wellness that still has unnecessary plant fillers. It's far cheaper and there are much better food than Wellness more easily available that doesn't cost almost $2+ a lb Dogs are carnivores and simply do NOT need vegetation unless supplementing fresh ingredients to suit certain purposes. Such as pumpkin to stop dogs from eating their poo.

The former posts don't tell me a thing about other food brands. That's why I said, if you know a food brand that is just as good as Wellness but costs less then I would be glad to know of it. I KNOW Wellness is good for my dogs. And I know other people who use it and have just as good results. I want my dogs to be fed the best, I do my research too.

I don't know a ton about a raw diet. In the area where I live I have to pay more then that for a quality kind of raw diet. I've looked everywhere for marrow bones and can't find them anywhere. I've never seen beef liver either. I would be happy to know more about a raw diet. However, there has been no serious testing yet on if dogs do better on raw diets. Until I get more information, I will continue to feed my dogs Wellness which is an excellent food brand no matter what I pay for it.

Dogs are carnivores I think it's pretty much common sense to see the benefits as well as the fact that the results are simply obvious once a dog is switched to a raw diet.

My dogs teeth are beginning to become clean without taking it to a vet to get cleaned. Their breath doesn't stink and their poo has stopped killing the grass. They both have more energy and their coats are far more shiny.

I get all my supplies at Wal-mart. Any food store will sell beef liver just ask I am sure they have some form of liver. You don't need marrow bones so I'm not sure where that comes in.

I mean the results of raw feeding are as obvious as switching to a dog food with meat as the top ingredients. I mentioned most of them above. The last dog food I used was Chicken Soup for the Dog Lovers Soul Here it's basically a dollar a lb. Keep in mind I have no problem with people feeding kibble. I simply use raw as that is what many working rottweiler kennels use. Their dogs are under a lot o stress from the working life and they see far better performance with raw.

I live in Savannah and we have probably the worst selection for a raw diet out of the entirety of America.

Here are some links on raw feeding, myths associated with it etc.

http://rawfed.com/myths/toybreeds.html
http://www.geocities.com/havens_home/feedraw.htm
http://leerburg.com/feedingarawdiet.htm
http://www.fotodanes.com/diet.htm
http://www.jakeanddaiseys.com/faq.htm
http://www.rawlearning.com/
http://www.wildatheartpets.com/FAQ/faq.html