Free to Go

 When Frasier adopted us I immediately noticed that he had a cough. Dry, hacking gag really.  I googled it and it happens to be a sign of advanced heartworm disease.  Ugh. 

 I had him fully vetted and the test came back positive for heartworm. Then the xray showed some damage already taking place in the heart itself… a sign of advanced disease.  There is no specific protocol on treating heartworm… several ways to go about it.  My vet and I opted to put him on Doxycyline (sp?) for 30 days to kill off some of the young worms in his system and softens the blow, then give him two intramuscular shots in the lower back of immiticide, which kills off the adult worms that have invaded the heart.  Heartworm treatment is costly, and there is some danger.  During treatment the dog must rest all the time besides just walking around the house and being walked outside to do his business. The dead worms can lodge somewhere they aren’t supposed to be and cause disaster if you’re not careful.  He has a permanent hard knot at the sight of the injection and his back was sore for a while, but the hardest part was the waiting.   This means two months of “rest”.    HA!  Tell that to an active two year old dog…. it ain’t easy!   But we did it… and the ban on walking some distance is cleared.   An important note:  Give your dogs those heartworm chews every month…. the treatment is nasty.


  Frasier was “free to go”  for walks again last week… and so I took him to the beach.  If he hadn’t come with a name that suits him, he would have made a nice “Sandy” too, don’t ya think?

 

Frasier is  the type of dog that bonds very tightly to his human.   Nowadays that would be me.  If  I’m in the shower he’s on the rug outside the glass door.  If I’m out at the barn he’s laying on my flipflops in the hall until I come back inside.   He sleeps in a bed right next to my side of the bed and if I get up at night to go to the bathroom…. he goes too.   My husband says he’s neurotic… I say no, he’s just devoted.  …..Or something.

  Anyway!…  So at the end of our walk I stopped at the waters edge and walked in just to get my feet wet.  I didn’t ask him to join me because he looked apprehensive and the leash was long.  Then he looked like he couldn’t stand not being RIGHT NEXT TO ME… and was trying to figure out how to do that without getting wet.   He looked at the rocks as if he might try to jump, but he saw that it wouldn’t get him to where I was.  So he sighed a big sigh, stared at me and waded in ever soooooo slooooowly. Stood next to me shivering the whole time, but damn it, HE WAS NEXT TO ME. 

I love my rescue dog.

25 thoughts on “Free to Go”

  2. Bless his sweet heart, he's a special little guy attached to a special lady. You have given him the best life a dog could ask for.. and in return he's given you his devotion.
    Pats and hugs…

  4. Oh, my gosh. What a beautiful little story. Except for the part about the heartworms, but so glad that he's doing well and is able to run again!

  7. Such a sweet little guy! He looks so happy to be getting out! My Ella does the same thing…follows me EVERYWHERE! I wonder if all shelter dogs behave this way? Great pics too!

  8. Goodness sakes! Had no idea, but so glad he's okay now. And, so cute!

    I've noticed more and more that Hopper is following every single step I take; more so lately. So afraid sometimes I won't see him, and hurt him and/or myself.

    The photo's are SO beautiful!!

  9. Oh, my, I hope he's going to be OK……and he is one lucky boy to have you……..he will repay you with a love like no other.

  10. Karen, he just looks like such a lovey and I totally agree that pups need their monthly meds without fail. All annual vaccinations as well. They get subjected to some pretty bad things and when left untreated lead to an early death. Owning and loving a dog is not cheap! I hope people that are adopting a dog know this.

    Love your pup!

  16. It is so hard to see your pets suffer through stuff like that. We adopted a German shepherd that had heart worms and the treatment almost killed her…poor thing. But, she got through it and enjoyed a healthy life.

    Blessings to you- you are a good soul, Karen- xo Diana

  18. We had two dogs many years ago who had to undergo heartworm treatment–both lived to be 16 years old! Our neighbor's dog wasn't so lucky, so there is indeed danger of a clot breaking loose. I really try to be diligent about the prevention. We have so many mosquitoes here they are sure to get them! My vet says that there is a shortage of the treatment meds currently. My daughter's dogs have all had the six month shot for prevention.
    Frasier is a sweetie–my rescue Jack Russell also has insecurity issues. When she sees me getting ready to leave the house, she starts pacing–but it's getting much better!

  22. What an adoraple pup. He is so lucky to have found you. As timing would have it in his short life to have heart worm..wow!! Great news that he is doing so well.He sure has a great personality that will develope even more the longer you have him.
    Your both so lucky..enjoy.

  23. Aaaaawww….what a sweet boy and how lucky he is to have you!!!! We took in a stray years back that tested positive for heartworms and yes, treatment is hard on them…..so much easier and cheaper to just give them that little treat every month!
    Kudos to you!!!!

  25. He is so lucky to have you. And you are so lucky to have him. A nice heart warming story that makes me smile 🙂

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