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Bandit's Buddies Stories
What do
you have to say about the program? Send me an email and let me know
how well your dog is doing and let me know about your happy ending!
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Because of YOU, We Can
Help More Animals
In memory of Anais: I
want to share this story with you.
Anais was born on January 1994. She was a Pomeranian. She was a loved
dog who was well taken care of. During her first ten years of life I had
her heartworm prevention, however, I missed a few times and I started to
hear a light cough, so I decided to do the test. On June 17, 2004 she
tested positive for heartworms. This was devastating. The vet told me
that the typical chemical treatment was very risky for a 10 year old
dog. I did not want to take any risks with Anais. I started looking for
natural alternatives on the internet. I found the information about
Bandit's heartworm program. I contacted Robin immediately and I decided
to give it a try. As soon as I received the Nature's Sunshine Products I
started the program.
Artemisia Combination
1 capsule with empty stomach (In the Morning)
1 capsule with pm meal
1 capsule with am & pm meals
CQ10 1 capsule with am & pm meals
HSII 1 capsule with am & pm meals
Black Walnut 1/4 alternate days with the pm meal
 The
Yucca was not used because her cough was very light. I gave Anais the
herbs for six months and decided to give her the prevention again. Three
years later, on a visit to the vet, I told the doctor about the natural
treatment for heartworms I had given her. I asked him to test her again,
since I wanted to know if the treatment had had good results. For the
vet's surprise, she tested negative for heartworms.
During her life, Anais and I went through many hard times. After she had
her first and only litter of five beautiful puppies, she was ran over by
a car, breaking her pelvis. Then she was diagnosed with the heartworms.
The she lost her left eye due to an infection caused by a cat's scratch.
Then in 2007, she was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. She passed on
January 14, 2008. I will never forget her. Anais gave me many years of
loyalty.
Anais died heartworm free. Thanks in part to you, Robin, Anais lived
over three years longer that we would have expected...three
unforgettable years that we had to share together the good things in
life. I'm not a Vet and my dog and my circumstances maybe be different
than others but I recommend it. Thanks!
Wanda Montalvo
Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico
August, 2007 Abby's
story:
 Abby
is my lovely, mixed-breed rescue. I am not exactly sure of her breed
ancestry, but she has some Rottweiler and judging from her coat and
body, some Shepard, Lab and Greyhound.
I adopted her at 4 months old in the summer of 1998 while I was living
on the east coast of Florida. In 2000, she tested positive for
heartworms. Her vet at the time said that if she didn't get treatment,
she would eventually get sicker and sicker and then die. I had heard
that the treatment for heartworms is very hard on the dog's body; I did
not want to put Abby through such a regime. I also at the time was
participating in a canine raw-food feeding email list, and one of the
other members who was quite knowledgeable about natural treatments told
me "animals in good health can live with a few parasites." That quote
was very helpful to my resolve on this. I did not want to give Abby a
drug treatment that would possibly damage her organs, and I preferred to
try all the natural routes first.
In early 1999, when Abby was one year old, she was unfortunately exposed
to pesticides that my family member had sprayed on our lawn. At the
time, Abby was on Heartgard. Since the lawn pesticides from that one
exposure had a negative impact on her, I decided to do all I could to
help her detoxify.
One year later, she tested positive for heartworms. Her vet at the time
was incredulous that I did not want the conventional treatment for her.
I had heard of a holistic vet in Ocala, FL, Dr. Gerald Wessner, and with
his help, got Abby started on a regime of herbs and homeopathy. I also
at the time was participating in a canine raw-food feeding email list,
and one of the other members who was quite knowledgeable about natural
treatments told me "animals in good health can live with a few
parasites." That quote was very helpful to my resolve on this. I did not
want to give the dog a drug treatment that was damaging to her body, and
I preferred to try all the natural routes first.
During that time, from 2000 to the fall of 2005, Abby continued to test
positive for heartworms, even though she was a very active dog and in
seemingly good health. But in the fall of 2005, I became very worried.
Her breathing at night seemed to be labored, and I was afraid that the
heartworms were taking their toll on her lungs. I went to a conventional
vet who recommended immiticide treatment. I still was not willing to
subject her to that.
I considered trying Heartgard to get rid of the worms, and the vet
concurred to that as a possible solution. I gave Abby one Heartgard pill
in Jan, 2006. She seemed to have a hard time with it, and I discontinued
use.
In spring of 2006, I found Robin's website. Robin sent me a very
insightful article about the hazards of treating heartworms with
Ivermectin. That confirmed my decision to avoid it.
I decided to try Bandit's heartworm program. I used the herbs that Robin
recommends from Nature's Sunshine. I gave Abby the Artemisia and CoQ10
daily. I gave black walnut a couple of days a week. I alternated those
herbs with another some homeopathic remedies for lung and heart function
from Dr. Don Heinert here in northwest PA suggested. I also gave Abby
raw garlic chopped fine in her ground beef on the advice of another
herbalist. I feed Abby a raw diet of bones, with some ground meat mixed
in.
Recently, on August 2, I took Abby in for some blood chemistries and a
heartworm test. Her blood and urine came back normal and to my utter
joy, her heartworm check came back NEGATIVE!
I am so thankful to those who believed in the healing power of nature,
like Robin and Dr. Heinert. Dr. Heinert had told me that if I had gotten
Abby treated for heartworms back when she was first positive, she would
most likely have died young from liver and kidney problems. Robin's
website provided the affirmation that I needed, actually finding out
about other dogs who encountered heartworms and survived. These
testimonies gave me courage!
Abby is now 9 years old and in very good condition. She had tested
positive for heartworms for six years, but now is healthy and heartworm
free! Leslie from my raw list was right, a healthy animal can live with
parasites.
I feed Abby healthy, delicious food and tell her that I love her often.
To me these are important components to her well being and survival. I
also had a lot of people praying for her, which surely played a role in
her recovery from the heartworm infestation. -Sue and Abby
 July,
2007 Fafhert the Cat's Progress After Heartworm Diagnosis
I wrote you seven months ago about my cat, Fafhert, who had
heartworm. We had discussed herbal possibilities for treatment.
Here is the update! I did a lot of research after the diagnosis and
found that in the herbal area, there was a lot of contradictory advice
about herbs. Some the recommendations were very complicated and
included herbs that were not recommended for use with cats at all. My
feeling was that there is some fundamental difference between dogs and
cats that is indefinable and subtle. I was reluctant to explore the
area by trial and error.
I also found a scientific article that basically said, in very
unscientific language, something to the effect that some cats make it
and some don't and they don't know why. The upshot was that I have
become much more philosophical about the whole thing, difficult though
the waiting game is.
I found a simple approach by giving my cat good nutrition and
boosting the immune system. This seemed to be the most effective. I
switched his cat food to human grade high quality food and gave him 10
mg CoQ10 daily along with 5 mg prednisone daily for about two months.
Later, he refused any pilling at all, so shortly thereafter I stopped
giving him the CoQ10 and had stopped the prednisone before that.
He has done fine for several months.
Last week he developed sneezing and coughing. We've had a rain for 5
days straight, so I suspected mold spores. I also switched his food to
low quality commercial dry cat food for 2 - 3 weeks. I took him to the
vet and he said he was quite impressed with the way he was doing, so I
am encouraged. He gave Fafhert a prednisone/allergy shot. He suggested
continuing the prednisone and CoQ10. I suspect the sneezing business
was due to the poor nutrition dropping his immune system.
Fafhert is an unusually motivated and strong cat. He was feral, so
he is strong and has his own routines that he maintains. He fights the
local neighborhood bully, gets his morning sunbath without fail and
patrols the perimeter of the property every morning between 4:30 and
5:30 am.
Whether this will be of help to others, I do not know, but wanted to
let you know of Fafhert's progress. Thanks so much for your support and
your website, Robin. You inspired me to investigate much further and
gave me hope when all seemed hopeless. F. Riley, Lecompton, Kansas
February 6, 2007, Cassie's Story
 Cassie was diagnosed with a moderate
case of heartworms during the Summer of 2006. She was 3-years old at the time and although she
acted like a playful puppy she would appear to get short of breath
after her walks. The vet wanted to get her on the conventional
treatment right away, but agreed she wasn't the perfect candidate
for this treatment as it would obviously be hard to keep her calm
and confined so she suggested possibly keeping her on Benadryl
during the program. This horrified me and I came home and started
searching for an alternative solution. Thankfully I came across
Bandit's website and immediately ordered Bandit's program, which she
started July 23, 2006.
Cassie was 17-lbs at the time and I kept her to the program that
Bandit had been on and changed her to a healthy diet. I also took
her off the monthly Heartguard, however, when my husband heard of
this he wanted to get her back on the Heartgard and insisted we take
her to the vet to see if the heartworms had increased during the
time she had been off the Heartguard.
We went to the vet in November for the heartworm
bloodtest and while waiting for the results I told the vet about the
herbal formula I was using, she appeared to have heard about it, but
quickly said it doesn't work. However, a moment later when she
walked back in with the results, she announced that the test showed
only a very slight positive! She told me to continue what I was
doing, but to also put her back on the monthly Heartgard, which my
husband insisted on doing.
We took Cassie back to the vet yesterday (January, 2007) for her
yearly physical. The vet checked her out and then went on to
another patient. Her assistant finally came in and said the vet was
done and that I could leave, but I said I was still waiting on the
result of the heartworm test, to which she said "Oh, it's negative,
we would have come in and told you right away if it had been
positive." I reiterated that Cassie had been diagnosed with
heartworms and was she sure about the results. She confirmed she
was. I couldn't believe that they were so nonchalant about the
whole thing .. I wanted to throw a party and call everyone!
I'm thinking about taking in another rescue dog that needs
heartworm treatment and putting him/her on the program right away.
THANKS for your wonderful website! - Lorraine
October 23, 2006 Dakota's Story
 I
contacted you about a year ago regarding my dog, Dakota, who was
diagnosed with heartworms. We put her on the Nature's Sunshine Products
you recommended. My wife and I took her to the vet tonight and were
hoping for the best but expecting the worse. We told the vet that we
were using natural herbs to treat the HW's. She was polite but we both
caught the look of "you have to be kidding me". When the vet came back
into the room you could see a stunned look on her face before she told
us. You know the "How is that possible?" look! She said Dakota's blood
test came back NEGATIVE and that she was heartworm free. I wished we
had a camera with us. She was just as excited as we were. The vet asked
what we gave Dakota and we told her. She wanted me to call her with the
more detailed information.
Dakota is half pit and half rottie or shepard
(we have been told both). When we first found out she had HW she was
about about 45 pounds. Last night at the vet she was about 55 lbs. I
figured that I should give her a good dog food as the crap that I was
feeding her wouldn't help her at all. So I have been ordering Healthy
Pet Net's "Life's Abundance".
I stuck with what your web site said with few
moderations: 3 Artemisia Combination in the morning and 3 before bed.
Half of a Black Walnut each night. (I didn't worry about only 5 nights
as I forgot it at least once a week), 2 CoQ10 Plus at dinner time , 2
HSll at dinner time.
- Tom Nelson
8/12/06 Pumpkin's Story
- I started my little rescue Pomeranian named "Pumpkin" on Bandit's
heartworm program on July 17, 2006. He is at least 10 years old and had
a strong positive heartworm test. He is a dog I rescued back in April
that was totally neglected and starving and I just thought I was
bringing him home to provide him with a soft and gentle place to die. He
has totally snapped back and now carries on like a pup. The difference
in him in just under a month is so noticeable. First of all, almost all
coughing has stopped. Second, he has so much more energy, he positively
bounds with it. Third, his appetite has really increased. Finally, when
I first got him, he had breath that smelled literally like cow manure.
Even after he started to recover from neglect, his breath was still very
bad. Now, he can pant in my face and there is no bad odor. None. I think
that tells me that his insides are healing. His recipe is: morning and
evening: one capsule each of CoQ10Plus, Yucca, HS II, and Artemisia
Combination. Monday through Friday he gets 1/4 capsule of Black Walnut
sprinkled on his food once a day. Isn't this fantastic? Thank you so
much for all you have done to help us use alternative healing methods
with our dogs. I will continue to keep you posted, especially in about
January when I will take him in for his next test.
-Jo Ella James and Pumpkin
Courage:
August 1, 2006 - Two years ago we adopted
Courage from the Animal Haven (no-kill shelter) and were
devastated at finding out that he had heartworms. We used
Bandit's Heartworm Program for his weight group, (he was 30
pounds) for about 4 months and he seemed better, had more
energy and seemed all around happier. We continued with the
all-natural food over the last two years and he has seemed
more energetic with each passing day. I just got back from
the vet today and the test results came back HEARTWORM
FREE!!!! I cried right there in the office because we
certainly couldn't afford the vet's heartworm treatment if
the test came back positive. I was shocked and astounded
that this program actually worked. I recommend it to
EVERYONE!!! My husband is in Iraq on his second tour and he
was so scared that they were going to give us bad news. He
was almost in tears when I gave him the good news. He
didn't believe me!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Thank you so much for helping me save Courage, the love of
my life!!!!
- Pamela Cote
Jake's Story - Before
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The first picture was
taken the day I brought Jake Home from the pound…he was sooo Mangy (and
this was after his bath), and his skin was red and irritated! He had a
rash all over his tummy. The following day, we visited the vet. I found
out that he had a host of problems; heartworm and other parasites and
raging ear infections (UGH!) to name a few.
The second picture was taken several days later. Antibiotic ointment is
dripping from his ears. You can tell he felt miserable! I was told by
the vet that I would need to treat him with Ivermectin for his
heartworms. He also believed the irritated skin was due to allergies,
and gave him a steroid shot. Turns out, Jake did not have allergies,
but a yeast infection of his skin (as I found out later from another
vet). The steroid shot made a bad situation even worse, by compromising
his already unhealthy immune system even more, allowing the yeast
infection to spread like wildfire! I brought him back several days
later, after his fur began to fall out, at which time the vet then said
he believed Jake had mange. He told me to bring him in for the first of
four medicinal baths, which I stupidly did. This must have been
torturous for Jake! I began doing research online about Ivermectin, and
started searching for alternative heartworm treatments...I came across
your website. Three days later, Jake was on the Bandit Program.
| Jake's Story - After:
3 Months Later - 8-11-06
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TA-DA! Here is Jake today! He is doing
fantastic on the Bandit Program! He has sooo much more energy. He is
only about 1 3/4 years old, and now he acts like it. His fur, which
thinned out severely after those misdiagnoses (all the fur on his tail
completely fell out), is coming back! I have been treating Jake
herbally for his yeast infection, and though progress is slow there, I
believe the herbs are working.
For the heartworms, I am following your recommendations for a dog that
is 30+ pounds (he ways about 35 pounds). At first I gave the Artemisia
to him dry, and poured the CoQ10, HSII and Black Walnut in his food.
But sometimes he wouldn't eat the food. I now use peanut butter with
all his capsules.
For his yeast infection, I have used a spray bottle which I fill with
colloidal silver, and I've added a few drops of Tea Tree Oil, and
probiotic powder. I spray the irritated sites 2 or three times a day.
In addition, I give him a probiotic capsule, along with a “yeast
cleanse” herbal supplement. The “yeast cleanse” is given morning and
night along with his meals. It contains garlic, caprylic acid, pau d
arco and tea tree oil. To his meals, I add a large scoop of plain
organic Stonyfield Farm yogurt (which he loves!). Finally, I give him a
chewable healthy coat supplement each day, and I bathe him once every 5
days with an herbal shampoo (I've added 1 teaspoon of Tea Tree Oil to
the bottle of shampoo). Most of Jake's fur has begun to grow back and
the bad yeast smell and redness have diminished considerably. I have
had him on the yeast cleanse program for about two weeks, because I
didn't want to overload his system. I felt it was much more important
to get the heartworms under control first.
I will keep you updated on Jakes progress. Thanks you for all your
support. I’m hoping that we’ll be heartworm free soon!
Warmly, Sheri Bulgatz
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