NOW PLAYING: I HAVE BUT ONE HEART

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.	Heart of a dog who died from heartworm infestation
Heart showing heartworm infestation	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.
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.
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.
For more information, please visit these two websites: Living with Bugs: Heartworm, Mosquitoes & Pets and American Heartworm Society

On 19 June, Jody writes: The cardiologist just called me and said that Lizzy is doing "really well"! She is more perky today and is eating more and tolerating food. No stool yet, but the poor girl hasn't had a meal in three days. And let me tell ya - this girl can eat! Her arrhythmia is better - and it's more at a normal heart rate speed, and is occurring less frequently than it was yesterday. They have stopped the procainamide and hope that she will continue to do well on her own. They will recheck her bloodwork tomorrow and if her liver enzyme is better, she may get to come home tomorrow, and, they expect, without the need for medication. If the liver enzyme is up any more than it was, they will do the liver biopsy. They want to recheck her liver enzyme in a few weeks, as well as her heart. I asked the doctor about the plan for the continued treatment for heartworms, as they are still not sure what has caused all of this. I am VERY reluctant to have her receive any more of these shots, and the dr said we will see how she does and it may be that the best we can do is to give her Heartgard from here on out. Thank you all so much for your prayers & good wishes! MARLENE PORTALITIN: I wish her a full and speedy recovery! Marlene Portalatin, Lola (Cocker), Tucker & Gizmo (Cairns) CRUSA Fosters Scrappy, Herbie & Oliver CONTINUE WITH THE SAGA OF LIZZY IN THE HEART OF TEXAS HERE