NEVER GIVE UP on a heart work positive dog... In Helena, mosquitoes are a big problem. We are located in the Delta right on the Mississippi River. Heart worms are passed to dogs through mosquitos. Heart worms are not contagious to other dogs. Heart worms can be PREVENTED by the dog either getting a Proheart 6 shot every six months or by taking a monthly medication. Heart worms can be TREATED through a series of medications or through a series of shots. Both are effective. This is Buddy. He was coughing up blood the day I rescued him. Lots of blood. When I took him to the vet, we found out he was STRONG heart worm positive. He was given a shot and some meds and the coughing up blood stopped that day. The suggestion was to euthanize him. I told the vet I wanted a month to show him what a loving home was like. I took him home. Let me sleep on my couch, come in the air conditioning, and I loved on him. One month later he was slightly better. We started him on Doxicycline. He received one round of that. He had other medical issues going on as well. He had a tumor that needed chemo. So he got one round of chemo. It almost killed him. But he was tough. He slowly got better. Started acting healthier. And within a year, I noticed he had a pep in his step. I asked the vet to retest his heart worms. He was NEGATIVE. He only received ONE round of Doxicycline. And stayed on heart worm preventatives the rest of the year. Some people have never heard of this type of treatment. But in the Delta, where mosquitos are in the billions, the majority of rescue dogs are heart worm positive. Rescues groups have a hard time affording the expensive $500-600 shot treatments. This medication is the second alternative to the shot treatment. It is very effective and not expensive. I have seen it make a difference in many dogs. Including my sweet Buddy. Dont be scared of a heart worm positive dog. Just because they are positive, does not mean they are sick and dying right this minute. It is a gradual process. With love and the right treatment, they do get better. Not a day goes by that I dont think about my sweet Buddy. He lived one and half years longer than he would have. He didnt die of heart worms. He was healthy and happy his last day of life. He slipped out of my house early one morning and found the highway. He was hit by a car and killed. Even though my phone number was on his collar, no one called. I found him hours later. He is missed every single day. I wanted to share his story because I loved him and believed in him. I looked past the heart worms and into his sweet face and promised him all the love I could give him. The BUDDY system vet bill is named after him. His memory will live on through all the other homeless dogs who receive medical treatment and vet care. When you visit our local shelter and they tell you a dog you are interested in is heart worm positive, dont turn away. Adopt! All dogs deserve a chance at a healthy and happy life. I thank God every day for the short time I had with Buddy. He will always be with me. In my heart. To learn more about heart worms, how to prevent and how to treat them, please click on this link... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirofilaria_immitis
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 00:30:57 +0000
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