So…our dog has heartworms.

Heartworms are a parasite - a worm no less - that are usually transmitted by mosquitoes.  There are many, many, easy-to-use monthly prevention treatments that you can give your dog so it does not get heartworms.

Left untreated, heartworms will kill an animal.

Let me back up a bit…

I have not had a regular vet for a few years now.  I had a dislike for the vet that treated Sheba, and Tom had a horrible experience with him when Frisco got sick while I was in Costa Rica.  And we moved out of the area anyway.  So we saw a vet in the new area that we liked, but with six animals and one income we only went for the most necessary of reasons - he was the one who put Sheba to sleep when the cancer took over her lungs, and diagnosed Frisco with urine crystals.  We had Busch then, and he was on heart worm treatment that Tom had from his previous vet.  We also used flea prevention treatments bought over the counter.

We moved back to the condo, and we were pretty against going back Sheba’s vet.  I have almost daily access to a vet for informal questions, and two of our animals (Zulu and Spike) are still cared for by the sanctuary.  Most of our basic care was met. 

Busch passed away, and Lady came to live with us.  Fairly soon after she did, she went into heat.

Ever since then, it’s been on our to-do list to get her spayed.  We even got as far as seeing another vet, but this one I hated even more - the clinic smelled of urine and disinfectant, the staff was incompetent (”What’s Lady here for?”  “An aspiration of her lump.”  “Oh?  What kind of lump?” “Um…that’s what an aspiration will tell us.”), and the vet was borderline abusive with me.  Ironically, he was abusive about the fact that Lady was not on heart worm prevention.  After he berated and chastised me, I was ready to let him do the test - but he never brought up again when he came back into the room.  I decided I didn’t want to push it because I wasn’t giving him one more dollar than I absolutely had to.

(And despite the fact that this has all played out as it has, I am thankful that we did not get this diagnosis with him and have to endure his treatment.)

The lump was negative.  We were in the middle of Zulu’s second cancer scare, so we pretty much concentrated on her for a while. 

So…now it was September and we’ve had Lady almost a year and this has gone on way too long.  I made an appointment for Lady to have pre-surgical exam with a 4th vet, but less than a week later we moved the exam up because she’d lost her appetite.

This new vet is very impressive so far.  I am happy with her demeanor, her treatment plans, and her costs.  Of course, we had explained that Lady’s heart worm treatment had slipped (his parents had been vigilant while they’d had cared for her) and we were looking for a new family vet and to get her back on regular care.

Lady’s physical exam went OK, so the vet prescribed some yummier food and we did a full blood work up just to be sure - blood work was required for her spay anyway.

We did notice one other small ailment - a small cough - that came up a few times during the day prior to her exam.  As soon as we mentioned it to the vet, our eyes locked. 

Now let me back up again.  I am in the animal husbandry field.  Specifically, I am attuned to and aware of diseases/signs/issues with cats.  I also would like to think I have learned a thing or two about behavior and modification.  But I have not myself owned a dog since I lived with my parents.  I have never owned a dog in the mosquito-ridden south, owned a dog that was not spayed, etc., etc.  This does not absolve me from the situation - a responsible pet owner will educate themselves as necessary when they bring an animal into their lives.  So I do not mention my ignorance in defense; I simply mention it to point that I was indeed ignorant.

But my eyes locked with the vet.  Cough.  Loss of appetite.  Lapse in heart worm prevention.

Shit.

And so it was.  The vet’s office was very reluctant to tell us the news over the phone - a sign that they care and they were scared to scare us.  Especially over the cost.

I am very lucky that I DO have almost daily access to a vet.  So when we brought Lady in for her consult yesterday, I understood exactly what was going on.  I even jumped in with a few questions on some extra medicines to help make the heart worms easier to kill.  (The vet responded favorably to my questions and we left with a second prescription.)

We are in for two months of treatment.  A complete change in our daily lives.  And over a thousand dollars in vet bills.

Perhaps the saddest thing in all of this story was that when we decided we would leave the facility while she got x-rays - to buy her more yummy food no less - we were asked for a deposit.

People say they are coming back, and then don’t.

Tom and I have not behaved as the most responsible people in this story.  But before we knew anything, we agreed we would see Lady through this regardless of the cost.  We are very lucky that we can make such statements.  I understand not everyone can. 

For those who can’t, please know there is help out there.  Breed-specific rescue organizations are a great resource in your local community.  If you have to forfeit your animal, please contact one.

And for those who are even luckier, please consider donating time or money to such organizations.

And for those who know us, please consider donating a kind thought to Lady.  She is in for a rough two months.