So I am going to try. I am an overprotective pet owner and he is fabulous. A dire situation even if he gets a hangnail. More on that later on perhaps. So I will start this endeavor with some info and background.
Heart worm disease
Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal condition caused by parasitic worms living in the arteries of the lungs and occasionally in the right side of the heart of dogs, cats and other species of mammals, including wolves, foxes, ferrets, sea lions and (in rare instances) humans. Heartworms are classified as nematodes (roundworms) and are filarids, one of many species of roundworms. Dogs and cats of any age or breed are susceptible to heart worms.
http://www.heartwormsociety.org
If its bad enough to have its own society, it's bad.
Let me begin by stating that this is very treatable. Expensive but treatable. Often there are symptoms other than a cough. A blood test and xray are needed to help determine treatment. ($225)
At the moment he is tracking a squirrel or some other tree dweller. He played at the dog park last night and in true herder fashion undercut a Labradoodle and set him on his butt. (he went to check on him too. still...) He is eating fine.
We adopted Lewis knowing he had tested positive in the past. He was a stray and apparently his owner decided someone would take pity on him if he tied him to a pole. So his adoptive mom took him. She tested him and re tested ... He was positive. She treated him with doxycycline,an antibiotic and Heartgard. From all I can tell this is a way to treat the worms but not a way to get rid of them. So we can't fault her really. She told us he was negative when we got him. Not so sure I can't fault her for that.
At his routine visit this year, he had blood drawn and all the usuals. And he was positive. The vet told me its unlikely he'd be positive for as long as he was and then turn up negative. He was kinder than I am.
We did a chest X-ray. And I am happy to say Lewis has lovely innards. A slightly enlarged right side heart, good arteries, an his lungs are clear. One descending somethin somethin artery is enlarged which is the likely spot of infection. I also learns air "pictures" black so his lungs are indeed clear.
I bought the prescribed antibiotics, again doxycycline ($63.23) and he'll do those for about 15 days. The next step is to do three shots. The drug that you treat with is called Immiticide. It’s an injectable, arsenic-based product. The dog is given two or three injections that will kill the adult heartworms in the blood vessels of the heart.
And the we keep him calm for 6-8 weeks.
That's when the fun begins.
My hope is this will be more than a "poor pitiful us" blog. We will learn I am sure.
Sent from my iPhone
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