Garlic for Heartworm Prevention

I'm both an animal lover and an advocate for green living, so, when it was time to pick out a heartworm preventative for my dogs, I felt like I was caught between a rock and a hard place. I didn't like the idea of feeding my dogs a pesticide every month, but I live in an area where the risk of heartworms is extremely high, and I didn't want to chance my precious pets catching such a serious condition. When I asked other pet owners for suggestions, many of them advised me to give my dogs garlic to prevent heartworms, but there are several reasons that pet-parents should avoid this popular natural remedy.

Garlic as a heartworm prevention would, in theory, prevent the parasites from infecting dogs by deterring mosquitoes. Advocates for "natural" heartworm prevention claim that garlic makes dogs' blood taste or smell unappealing to mosquitoes, which spread heartworms to dogs through their bites. In theory, a garlicky-smelling dog would have fewer mosquito bites and would therefore be at a lower risk of catching the parasites.

Unfortunately, there's no evidence that this method actually works. Garlic isn't an effective mosquito repellent. If it were, mosquito-borne illnesses like malaria wouldn't infect humans in areas where garlic is used heavily in food, such as India. We'd be able to hike without fear of mosquito bites by simply indulging in garlic bread before heading out. While there's a chance that massive amounts of garlic might affect the scent of a person or dog enough to repel mosquitoes, it certainly isn't a reliable technique.

There's another catch, too. To be effective, even theoretically, a dog would have to consume massive amounts of garlic on a daily basis, which would have very severe consequences for the dog. The ASPCA warns that garlic (as well as its relatives, like onion and leek) is potently toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Dogs who have eaten garlic might have symptoms like vomiting, weakness, panting, and a rapid heart rates. Over time, even doses of garlic too low to acutely poison the dog would break down the pooch's red blood cells, leading to a potentially fatal case of anemia. This is just one example of how often a natural remedy can be far less safe than its conventional counterpart.

The bottom line is that, while we green pet owners would love to be able to protect our precious pups without resorting to conventional heartworm prevention, this is one case where I'm willing to compromise "natural" for "safe" and opt for vet-approved treatments over natural remedies. All heartworm prevention medicines available through your vet have been thoroughly studied and found to be both safe and effective for preventing heartworms. If you have concerns about heartworm prevention, don't hesitate to talk to your vet for advice and reassurance.