NOW PLAYING: I HAVE BUT ONE HEART
CAIRN RESCUE USA
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CRUSA NEEDS YOUR HELP
Two of CRUSA's newest additions, Alice (of the TRES DE MAYO Rescue Run) & Nate have tested positive for heartworm disease and have a lengthy road to recovery ahead of them.
Treating heartworm is a complex & expensive proposition; it is estimated that the cost of both dogs' care over the next few weeks will exceed $1000.
Won't you please consider making a special donation towards Alice & Nate's heartworm treatment?
Alice at Dr. Tolliver's Clinic
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JoAnn Elliott writes:
We picked up Nate on Saturday, 12 May.
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Nate was a stray picked up by the Prince George's Animal Control in Maryland. Although he was microchipped, no one claimed him. When he tested positive for heartworm disease, the PGC Animal Control contacted CRUSA. Nate is a friendly little guy who loves giving kisses.
He is doing a great job of staying quiet and does not soil in his crate. (We take him outside fairly regularly, but you know what I mean!) Our pooches have met him & he hasn't gone ballistic. He is inquisitive, but right now, he seems to be on low speed. We hope to fatten him up, and we're even giving in to his demand for cheese.
JoAnn, Deanna, Margaret, Evelyn, Suzy, Winston, Sally & Nate
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Heartworm disease is a potentially deadly infection, caused by worms living in the right side of the dog's heart & arteries of the lungs. These worms can grow to a length of 14 inches!
Heartworm infection can cause potentially serious damage to the arteries and eventually lead to heart failure and, in severe cases, damage liver & kidneys. In extreme cases, a dog can be infected with several hundred heartworms.
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Heart of a dog who died
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Heart showing
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Treatment of heartworm consists of a series of injections of a drug called Immiticide (containing arsenic) which immediately begins to kill off the worms. As the worms die and begin to decompose, pieces are "shed" into the dog's bloodstream and filtered out through the lungs. |
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To insure that these small pieces do not clog the blood vessels and cause fatal embolisms, it is critical that for the four to six weeks after the injections, the dog is kept quiet and physical activity is held to an absolute minimum. That means that Nate & Alice will be confined to a crate or similarily small area. No running . . . no playing . . . no jumping . . . and going outside only for bathroom breaks.
Once the initial treatment period is over, another round of Immiticide might be administered, followed by another four weeks of restricted activity.
This treatment is expensive. The basic treatment for both dogs could cost as much as $1,500 and if there are complications, that amount could grow.
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Dirofilaria immitis - These adult nematodes are found primarily in the pulmonary arteries and sometimes in the right ventricle. Large numbers of adult heart worms (as seen here) can so damage the lining of the pulmonary vasculature that pulmonary hypertension and right-sided heart failure can result. |
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For more information, please visit these two websites:
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ALICE BEGINS HER
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Shell writes:
She is receiving the first injection today. They did the bloodwork last night and aside from the fact that she is "low positive" for heartworm (and that's better than being "high positive") she's a healthy dog. But this is a risky procedure and she has a long road ahead.
Later that day . . .
Alice is doing fine so far. She was released from the vet this evening and is back with her foster mom. For the next 30 days she'll need to have a laid-back lifestyle. No going up & down steps (foster mom lives in a ranch), and when outside for potty, she'll need to be on a leash to eliminate the chance of her running or jumping. Otherwise, her life will be fairly normal.
The vet feels that her chances for recovery are good . . . but this is a risky time nonetheless. Good thoughts for Alice (and Nate too!).
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ALICE IS ADOPTED!
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Shell writes:
Alice is officially adopted by Shelley Rankin in Ohio!
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WE ALMOST LOSE ALICE!
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Shell writes:
I just got back from emergency clinic in St. Charles. Alice's foster mom, Janice, called me around 7 p.m. tonight in tears saying Alice was vomiting and her gums were white. She had her last HW injection on the 21st so naturally there was reason for concern. She & I both jumped in our cars and I met her halfway and took Alice to an emergency clinic near our house.
She's ok. They did a blood work-up and everything is ok with liver, kidneys except that she's very dehydrated. They're keeping her on IV fluids for 24 hours and then I think I'm going to bring her to my house so I can monitor her a bit more closely.
The emergency clinic is giving us a 50% discount so tonight cost a little over $200. Not too bad. And I'm just glad she's ok. She's a wonderful little dog.
On 27 June, Shell writes:
Just a quick update on Alice . . . she's been at my vet's office since yesterday morning as she had vomited again and they wanted to keep her on IV fluids a bit longer. She is much improved today and is now eating and keeping everything down. My vet confirmed that what she is experiencing are common side effects of the HW treatment. We'll recheck her blood in two weeks but all in all, he feels she's doing great. She'll be going on to her forever home on 19 July, and staying with us until then.
Here's a pic of Alice I took a few minutes ago . . .
On 29 June, Shell writes:
My Skippy is not known for his gracious attitude towards canine visitors, but today he extended an olive branch to Alice. We've been leaving her crate door open to encourage interaction with the family, but she prefers to stay in her cage. But this morning I found Skippy paying her a visit! He may have been captivated by her charms (she's quite the babe), but I think a more plausible theory is that he wanted to clean out her food dish.
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