I’ve always been somewhat familiar with heartworm. I had a dog for nearly 14 years and I gave him is monthly heartworm prevention medication monthly. I knew it came from an infected mosquito, but that was all.It wasn’t until I adopted a young blue heeler named Crash that I fully iunderstand the complexites of a hearworm infection.
I adopted Crash directly from an animal control shelter. He was initially adopted from that shelter to a home that didn’t understand the needs of a young herding dog and returned him after a short three months. Since he was an owner return, he didn’t have much time to find another home. THe shelter’s adoption coordinator reached out to me because she knew my love for the heeler breed. I adopted him without a even …show more content…
He’s a healthy, active young dog that spends all day herding his human and fur brothers. Was it treatment worth it? Absolutely. Crash is part of our family and we couldn’t imagine our life without him. What I learned from taking a dog through heartworm treatment is that how many people do not understand the disease. I’ve met dog owners who thought that only outdoor dogs get heartworms or only dogs that drink out of ponds and other stagnant bodies of water get the disease. Nope. All it takes is a bite of one tiny infected mosquito to get the disease. If your dog isn’t protected from monthly medicine that targets the larval stage of the worms, then he or she will contract the disease. What can you do to learn more about heartworm? The American Heartworm Society is a treasure trove of information about the disease, areas where the disease it most prevalent and treatment options. As a pet owner, the best defense you have against heartworm is prevention. If you see a dog up for adoption from a rescue that has been through heartworm treatment, don’t worry—that dog is perfectly healthy. Many dogs who go through heartworm treatment successfully have no lasting side effect and go on to live long, healthy lives. Crash is proof that it’s worth the cost to treat a heartworm positive dog. He’s a happy dog that brings me joy and occasionally steals a sandwich from my kids. I wouldn’t trade him for
I adopted Crash directly from an animal control shelter. He was initially adopted from that shelter to a home that didn’t understand the needs of a young herding dog and returned him after a short three months. Since he was an owner return, he didn’t have much time to find another home. THe shelter’s adoption coordinator reached out to me because she knew my love for the heeler breed. I adopted him without a even …show more content…
He’s a healthy, active young dog that spends all day herding his human and fur brothers. Was it treatment worth it? Absolutely. Crash is part of our family and we couldn’t imagine our life without him. What I learned from taking a dog through heartworm treatment is that how many people do not understand the disease. I’ve met dog owners who thought that only outdoor dogs get heartworms or only dogs that drink out of ponds and other stagnant bodies of water get the disease. Nope. All it takes is a bite of one tiny infected mosquito to get the disease. If your dog isn’t protected from monthly medicine that targets the larval stage of the worms, then he or she will contract the disease. What can you do to learn more about heartworm? The American Heartworm Society is a treasure trove of information about the disease, areas where the disease it most prevalent and treatment options. As a pet owner, the best defense you have against heartworm is prevention. If you see a dog up for adoption from a rescue that has been through heartworm treatment, don’t worry—that dog is perfectly healthy. Many dogs who go through heartworm treatment successfully have no lasting side effect and go on to live long, healthy lives. Crash is proof that it’s worth the cost to treat a heartworm positive dog. He’s a happy dog that brings me joy and occasionally steals a sandwich from my kids. I wouldn’t trade him for