Heartworm positive rescue dog

MY HONEY HAD HEARTWORMS WHEN WE ADOPTED HER, SO I BEEN THIS ROUTE, MUCH LIKE YOURS.  WE HAD 3 FULL BLOOD GOLDENS WHEN WE ADOPTED THIS GOLDEN MIX (THO MOST TAKE HER FOR FULL GOLDEN) BACK ON dEC. 7, 2002.  SHE HAD BEEN ONE HOUR FROM BEING GASSED AT THE COUNTY POUND WHEN THE LITTLE LOCAL RESCUE GRABBED HERE.  LIVE IN A TOWN OF UNDER 5000 AND THIS RESCUE GOES TO THE COUNTY EACH "GAS DAY" AND TAKES 3-5 DOGS THEY THINK THEY CAN FIND HOMES FOR.

SHE WAS TAKEN FROM THE POUND IN OCT. AND AS I SAID WE GOT HER DEC. 7, 2002.  SHE HAD BEEN SPAYED AND GIVEN SHOTS AND DECLARED  PARASTIE FREE, INCLUDING HEARTWORMS.  SHE WAS SOMEWHRE BETWEEN 1 AND 1 1/2 YEARS OLD, MOST LIKELY 1 1/2.  sHE WAS ALSO GIVEN A HEARTWORM PILL THE DAY BEFORE WE PICKED HER UP--WE HAD PLANS TO BE OUT OF TOWN FOR A DAY SO HAD ACTUALLY LEFT HER WITH RESCUE 2 DAYS AFTER GETTING HER.

SINCE WE HAD PAPERS SYAING SHE HAD HAD ALL THE TESTS, SHOTS, SPAY, ETC, I DIDN'T TAKE HER TO OUR VET TIL A DAY OR SO AFTER THE FIRST OF JAN.  I WANTED TO START HER ON THE INTERCEPTOR.  AND I WAS IN TOTAL AGREEMENT TO HAVE HER TEST.  THE TEST CAME BACK POSITIVE.  HE REDID IT SINCE SHE WAS SUPPOSEDLY HEARTWORM FREE, AND IT WAS POSTITIVE AGAIN.

I CALLED THE RESCUE AND THEY SAID MY VET WAS TRYING TO "EARN MONEY OFF ME".  I KNEW BETTER.  HE DOESN'T NOTHING THAT ISN'T NEEDED AND IS ACTUALLY ONE OF THE FEW BETS DOWN IN THIS AREA THAT ONLY GIVES SHOTS EVERY 3 YEARS INSTEAD OF YEARLY, ETC.  HIS MAIN CONCERN IS THE ANIMALS NOT HIS  WALLET.  THEY TOLD ME TO TAKE HONEY TO THEIR VET WHICH IS IN THE NEXT TOWN WHRE THE THE HEAD OF THE REXCUE GROUP LIVES.  SO I TOOK HER AND SHE TESTED NEGATIVE.

BUT A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER THAT VET CALLED AND ASKED IF I WOULD BRING HONEY IN AGAIN SO HE COULD TAKE BLOOD AND SEND IT TO TEXAS A&M VET SCHOOL/RESEARCH/HOSPITAL.  I DID AND HE CALLED BACK SEVERAL DAYS LATER--THE RESULTS FROM A&M--SHE WAS POSITIVE.  BUT I HAD ALREADY STARTED HER TREATMENT BECAUE I TOTALLY BELIEVE IN MY VET.

OKAY, THE THING IS TWO DIFFERENT TESTS WERE USED.  MY VET USED THE HESKA WITNESS TEST, THE OTHER VET USED THE IDEXX SNAP TEST.  HER TREATMENT---I TOOK HER IN HEARLY IN THE MORING (THIS WAS JAN. 2003) AND THEY SHAVED TWO AREAS ON HER HIP AND GAVE HER INJECTION IN THE ONE SIDE.  KEPT HER THERE AND GAE INJECION IN OTHER SIDE EARLY THE NEXT MORNING AND KEPT HER TIL REAL LATE THAT AFTERNOON, ALMOST CLOSING.

I HAD TO KEEP HER CREATED FOR 4 OR 6 WEEKS, CAN'T REMEMBER FOR SURE (HAVE HAD TO HAVE DOGS KEPT INACTIVE FOR KNEE SURGERIES FOR DIFFERENT LENGTHS OF TIME, ETC AND i DO TEND TO FORGET HOW LONG EACH WAS).  AND IT WAS HARD ON HERE.  HERE SHE WAS ONLY ABOUT 1 1/2 AND WAS CRATED AND WATCHING THE OTHER 3 GET TO RUN AND PLAY, ETC.  AND I CAN TELL YOU SHE WAS A BUNDLE OF ENERGY BEFORE THE TREATMENT SO BEING COOPED UP WAS SO HARD ON HER.

THEN THE DAY CAME WE TOOK HER IN FOR CHECK AND THE TEST WAS NEGATIVE.  BROUGHT HER HOME AND TURNE DHER FREE IN THE YARD WITH THE OTHER DOGS AND SHE RAN AND JUMPED AND RAN AND JUMPED.   MADE ME THINK OF A ANTELOPE OR SOMETHING.

wELL, THAT WAS 9 YEARS AGO LAT MONTH.  I DO HAVE A HW  TEST EVERY SPRING WHEN SHE GETS HER PHYSICAL AND I ALSO HAE X-RAYS OF HEART  AND LUNGS EVERY YEAR....THO MY VET SAYS HER HEART AND LUNGS AS SO PERFECT, THE X-RAYS COULD BE USED TO SHOW WHAT THE PERFECT CHEST SHOULD LOOK LIKE. EVERY TEST SINCE TREATMENT HAS BEEN NEGATIVE.

OKAY, SHE ATE D-CON THAT ACCIDENTLY GOT KNOCKED OUT OF ATTIC AND THAT WAS AN EMERGENCY TRIP IN FOR VIT. K INJECTIONS AND ABOUT 45 DAYS OF PILLS, BUT HER CO-AG TEST WAS GTREAT AFTER SHE FINSIHED HER PILLS.  HE ATE MY HUSBANDS' LEATHER WALLET EXCEPT FO THE PICTURE SECTION AND A TINY PIECE OF NET LIKE LINING, AND CHECKED THE CORNERS OFF CREADIT CARDS AND DRIVER'S LICENSE.   SHE ATE ONE OF HIS LEATHER WORK GLOVES.  SHE ATE ABOUT 6" OFF THE END OF HIS LEATHER BELT.

SHE HAS EATEN MORE NAPKINS, TISSUE, PAPER TOWELS THAN I COULD COUNT.  SHE HAD A MAST CELL TUMOR REMOVED FROM HER REAR LEG 3 YEARS AGO COME MAY, PLUS A COUPLE OF OTHER SUSPICIOUS LUMPS THAT TURNED OUT TO BE NOTHING.  SHE BROKE A TOOTH CHEWING ON A ROCK. 

SHE IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 10 1/2 AND 11 YEARS OLD BUT HAS MORE ENERGY THAN MOST 2 YEAR OLD DOGS.  SHE RUNS, SPINS, TOSSES HER TOYS AND POUNCES ON THEM.  SHE CHASES SQUIRRELS, RUNS UP AND DOWN THE FENCE PLAYING THE  DOGS BEHIND US.  (ALL OUR FULL GOLDENS HAVE GONE TO THE BRIDGE).  AS MY VET SAYS, SHE LOOKS AND ACTS MORE LIKE A 3-4 YEAR OLD DOG THAN AN VERY SENIOR ( EXCEPT FOR WHITE ON FACE).  AT THE MOMENT SHE IS ON CIPRO AND SCIENCE DIET KD DUE TO HAVING TO MUCH PROTIEN IN HER URINE (HAD TO THE VET YESTERDAY.  SHE SHOWS NO SIGNS OF ANY AILMENT AT ALL.

SO I HOPE THIS ALLEVES SOME OF YOUR FEARS.  MY HONEY IS DOING GREAT. THE TREATMENT IS A LITTLE HARSH, BUT OF COURSE THEW WORMS ARE KILLERS--KILLED MY NEIGHBORS TWO DOGS BECUAE THEY WERE "INDOOR DOGS AND DIDN'T NEED PREVENTION AND THAT IS A BIG MISTAKE HER EON THE TEXAS COAST.

THIS IS HONEY AND ME TAKEN JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS..

AND THIS IS HER PLAYING WITH HER TOY A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO.  SHE LOVES TO HOLD IT BETWEEN HER FRONT PAWA AND GRAB THE OTHER END WITH HER MOUTH AND PLAY TUG OF WAR WITH HERSELF.

calliecritturs

In honesty -- it's not sounding *to me* like he COULD be very positive.  He's not old enough, first of all.

That's very reassuring :) I'm really hoping that it's not too bad and that we're able to get through this with minimum pain and stress for Henry. And thank you so much for the info on what, exactly, is happening with the heartworm. I for sure understand why he's going to need to be kept inactive while he heals.

calliecritturs

You will become a pro at things like stuffing a Kong and freezing it so he has to work IN HIS CRATE to get his food out -- it will keep him occupied and give him some isometric exercise.  Think toys, etc. so he gets mental stimulation and something to "do" without him running around the house.  He will NOT be able to do that without risking a stroke.

One of the good things about Henry is that he's good in his crate, so hopefully we'll be able to make the transition to a crate-heavy resistance without it being too terrible. Letting him out of the crate is a different story, because as soon as he's out he's running around and jumping, etc. But I'll definitely look into the relaxants and be sure to ask the vet for other ideas about keeping him calm. And we've got a ton of kongs around here because my beagle was OBSESSED with food; Henry hasn't shown much interest in them (stuffing them with peanut butter was my go-to before, but Henry doesn't seem to be a huge fan of that), so I'm going to have to figure out what kind of food he likes enough that will keep him occupied.

sandra_slayton

SO I HOPE THIS ALLEVES SOME OF YOUR FEARS.  MY HONEY IS DOING GREAT. THE TREATMENT IS A LITTLE HARSH, BUT OF COURSE THEW WORMS ARE KILLERS

It definitely does help alleviate some of my fears! It's really great to hear about dogs that have made it through treatment--especially young ones who made it through the post-treatment inactive phase, since that's what I'm the most worried about right now. But it's so wonderful to know that the dog will be back to normal and will run and play and be happy once the treatments finally over. And Honey is a gorgeous dog--super-cute in the Santa hat :)

Thank you.  We think she is reather beautiful, but you know how "paarents" are .  There is something about adopted dogs.  They seem to know that you "saved them".  Even with her having to spend all that time in the crate so soon after we got her, shenever acted like she thought we did her wrong.  She is just the sweetest, mot loving thing.  In fact, our nick name for her is Miss Sweetness.

kinda a side note, first time i ever heard of heartworms, my dad's elderly English Setter was diagnosed with them back in early 70's.  He had never heard of them either.  Anway, the vet gave Commander arsenic and he was blind in a couple of days and died.  He was bout 12 at the time.  My dad instantly started his other birddgos on the HW pills, the oild daily ones. and so did I.  Even after the monthly ones came ut, I stuck with the daily ones for a couple fo years.

The one time i ventured from them it was a fatal mistake for my just turned 4 year old golden boy, Hunter.  I went to the 6 month prevention, ProHeart6 and it killed him.  IIt was pulled from the market by the FDA 10 months after his death becaue it had killed so many dogs.  Was reformulated and put bak on the market 4 years later, but after having"met" thru the net, on dog formums, etc so many how lost or almost lost a dog, in some caes 2 and one I know lost 2 and almost lost her 3rd, well,  I can tell you I would inject my Honey with arsenic, cyanide, etc before ever letting her get a PH6 injction.