Protect your pets from heartworms. It's so easy to prevent and so horrible to have or try to cure!
This sweet guy is Baloo - he's got a bad case of heartworms and the attempt to cure him might actually kill him. It has been painful, exhausting and debilitating for him (not to mention emotionally painful and exhausting for me). He's on week two of eight starting today and I thought I might lose him again this morning when he was coughing, gagging and having spasms. He's well worth fighting for (and he is fighting for his life with every breath), but it's hard to see so much suffering that could quite easily have been prevented by giving him a single, tasty treat of a pill every month (liver flavor, I think!). So, please protect your animals from this deadly disease. If you harbor any doubt about the horror, look it up and read about it - it's seriously ugly.
Speaking of animals that have been fighting for their lives - the chicken made it through her dog attack and is growing new feathers on her back. Go, Lucky Chicken!! Er.... Rooken... Chooster? Long may she crow! :)
5 comments:
I don't have any dogs, but do have cats. Is this something they can get?
Also, wonderful news about the chicken. What a "plucky" gal to have survived so much.
Yes, cats are more resistant, but can get heartworms, too. Dogs are a more common host and the disease process tends to be different in felines, but they can get infected with the nasty little beasties. The preventative regimen for cats is just as easy as it is for dogs!
Hang in there, Baloo! It's wonderful that you can help care for these dogs in need, Webby.
And, viva chicken!!
So glad that you are working with him and hanging in there! There's also a topical tube thing that you can use that works on heartworm and fleas. :-)
So sorry about Balloo's struggles... This is a good reminder for me. It's easy to remember to give the heart worm "treat" in conjunction with Frontline treatments, but since I don't apply Frontline during winter months, I'm pretty sure my doggie has missed her heart worm meds every winter. Time for a vet visit!
Outdoor Adventurer
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