✏️ Podcast Summary

In this episode of Tails of Truth, Dr. Angie breaks down everything you thought you knew about heartworm prevention and invites you to rethink the one-size-fits-all approach many clinics follow. She and JoJo explore common veterinary practices around annual testing, year-round prevention, and how geography, travel, and climate play a bigger role than most pet parents realize.

They also tackle the realities of holistic care: what it means to balance low-toxicity living with real disease prevention, why heartworm treatment is more dangerous than prevention, and how to empower pet parents with information — not pressure.

Plus, Dr. Angie shares a free resource to help you navigate parasite prevention with more confidence. Visit boulderholisticvet.com and use code TRUTHTAILS to access her Parasite Prevention course for free.

✅ Key Takeaways

• Testing isn’t always necessary to dispense prevention. In low-risk areas, annual testing may not make sense.
• Access to prevention should be simple. Withholding medication due to skipped testing can be counterproductive.
• Prevention is safer than treatment. The heartworm treatment protocol is highly toxic; prevention is a micro-dose of ivermectin.
• Seasonal prevention can be appropriate. In places like Boulder, Colorado, heartworm risk is seasonal due to mosquito activity.
• Pet travel matters. If your pet leaves your local area, even briefly, prevention should be timed to cover that exposure window.
• Heartworm affects cats, too. Though less common, cats can still get heartworm.
• “Natural” doesn’t mean skipping prevention. A holistic approach still includes smart, low-risk prevention strategies.
• Understanding transmission helps. Mosquitoes are the only vector — if they’re not present, the risk drops significantly.

🔊 Sound Bites

“Just give it to them. Like if you want to prevent this disease.” — Dr. Angie
“Just do it. Just do it. I don’t want it to be your dog.” — Dr. Angie
“Prevention is a holistic approach to heartworm.” — JoJo
“It’s one of the least toxic things we do — it’s just ivermectin.” — Dr. Angie
“We’re not saying don’t test. We’re saying don’t withhold care.” — Dr. Angie

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