You’ve got a HW+ dog? Don’t despair.

The following information was compiled by my friend Pat Shannon, dedicated animal rescuer

We’ve begun treating HW+ dogs with the “slow kill” method instead of the “fast kill” method. The fast kill method is the painful, and expensive, injections of Immiticide. The slow kill method is done with Heartgard and the antibiotic Doxycycline.



In deciding which method to use you’ll take into account the age of the dog, his activity level and the extent of the HW infestation. So long as the dog isn’t showing symptoms of the HW or the symptoms are very minimal the slow method of treatment is great way to go.

The info below is taken from this site:
http://www.dogaware.com/wdjheartwormtreatment.html
It is important to understand that heartworm infections are not detectable until about six months after a dog has been bitten by a heartworm-infected mosquito. (This is why it's not possible to have a heartworm test performed monthly and give the preventative only if an infection is found.) Blood tests generally will not detect heartworms in a dog until the larvae have matured into adult worms, which takes about six months following initial infection. Symptoms, such as coughing, lethargy and difficulty breathing, will not show up until the infection is advanced.

The info below is taken from this site:
http://www.dogaware.com:80/heartworm.html
Recent research has led to the discovery of a parasite called Wolbachia that lives symbiotically inside heartworms. Studies indicate that this parasite contributes to the adverse effects of both heartworm infection and heartworm treatment, including inflammation, embolism and allergic reaction. Treatment with Doxycycline to kill the Wolbachia parasite weakens the heartworms and makes them unable to reproduce, lessens their adverse effects on the body and greatly reduces the chance of adverse reaction during heartworm treatment.

Now, new studies published in late 2008 clearly indicate that treatment with a combination of weekly Ivermectin and daily Doxycycline given intermittently will sterilize the heartworms, prevent the dog from being infective to other dogs, speed up the death of the worms prior to (or in place of) Immiticide treatment, limit inflammation and damage caused by the worms presence, and reduce the chance of serious adverse reaction from Immiticide treatment. All of these effects are greater when the two drugs are used together than when either is given alone.



Three studies used a protocol of Ivermectin (Heartgard) given weekly at the normal monthly heartworm preventative dose (6 mcg/kg), combined with Doxycycline at the rate of 10 mg/kg/day for weeks 1-6, 10-11, 16-17, 22-25, and 28-33 (the end of the studies).

Here’s what we’ve been doing: Start the dog on Doxycycline at 10mg/kg/day for 30 days. Then give the same dose for one week at the beginning of every month until the dog tests negative.

We’ve been giving the Heartgard twice a month, say on the 1st and 15th.

We get the Doxycycline at Walmart. Ask your vet to either write a prescription or call one in for you. It’s costs about $8 for a month’s supply.

The beauty of the slow method, aside from how inexpensive it is, is that you don’t have to keep the dog kenneled. Their activity doesn’t have to be cut back unless you start seeing symptoms. For example, if the dog starts coughing after running, cut back on his running. Regardless of which method of treatment you’re using, if you start seeing a lot of coughing or labored breathing get to the vet.

The slow kill method of treatment is much easier on the dog than the injections. The injections are extremely painful at the injection site and require a pain shot. If you’re going to use the injection method, hopefully your vet will give a pain shot a half hour before injecting the Immiticide.

On the slow kill method have the dog retested in about 6 months. After that, retest about every 3 months. You can adopt out a dog that’s on the slow kill method. Once it’s explained to the potential owner it’s very easy for them to follow this method. We’ve done it.

Gracie and Alice find new homes

Fuzzy little Gracie was adopted Friday by a really nice couple in Huntersville. She arrived in time to help her new dad celebrate his birthday. I heard from her new mom Saturday morning, she's doing great, slept through the night, and has stolen their hearts!

Congrats to proud mom and dad, Patrick and Courtney. (Thanks for the pics, Courtney!)

Saturday was our usual adoption event at PetSmart in Blakeney. We always have a great turnout and lots of successful adoptions there. PetSmart is a great partner!

I had received a good application for Alice and invited the gentleman to come meet her at the PetSmart event. He was there before we even finished setting up and he fell in love with Alice. He's a super nice person, and I know is going to be a great dad for her. She'll move to her new home on Friday. This morning she's at the vet's being microchipped.

Alice (above) and Gracie's brother and sister, Bonnie and Clyde, were at PetSmart as well. Both look exactly like Gracie! And both received good applications in fact Clyde is already adopted and is in his new home.

I can't describe the feeling of accomplishment when we successfully fullfil our mission to find permanent loving homes for our foster pets. And as a bonus, we've met some great people too!

Avoiding Heat Related Injuries in Dogs

By Nate Baxter DVM

The first thing that needs to be understood is that dogs and people aredifferent enough that most of the info cannot cross lines. Dogs do not loseenough electrolytes thru exercise to make a difference, but if the dog getstruly into heat stroke, the physiology changes will make them necessary. BUToral replacement at that point is futile, they need intravenous fluids andelectrolytes and lots of it.

Cooling: Evaporative cooling is the most efficient mean of cooling. However,in a muggy environment, the moisture will not evaporate so cooling does nothappen well. I cool with the coldest water I can find and will use icedepending on the situation. The best way is to run water over the dog, sothere is always fresh water in contact with the skin. When you immerse a dogin a tub, the water trapped in the hair coat will get warm next to the dog,and act as an insulator against the cool water and cooling stops. If you canrun water over the dog and place it in front of a fan that is the best.Misting the dog with water will only help if you are in a dry environment orin front of a fan. Just getting the dog wet is not the point, you want thewater to be cool itself, or to evaporate.

For MOST situations all you will need to do is get the dog in a coolerenvironment, in shade, or in the cab of the truck with the air conditioningon (driving around so the truck does not overheat and the AC is moreefficient). Up to a couple of years ago, I was very concerned about my dogsgetting too hot in the back of my black pickup with a black cap. New whitetruck fixed a lot of that problem. When I had one dog I just pulled the wirecrate out of the car and put it in some shade and hopefully a breeze. Buthaving 2 dogs and running from one stake to another, that was not feasible.So I built a platform to put the wire crates on, this raises the dog up inthe truck box where the air flow is better. Then I placed a 3 speed box fanin front blowing on the dogs with a foot of space to allow better airflow. Ipurchased a power inverter that connects to the battery and allows the 3speed fan to run from the truck power. It has an automatic feature thatprevents it from draining the battery. When I turned that fan on medium Iwould find that the dogs where asleep, breathing slowly and appeared veryrelaxed and comfortable in a matter of 20 minutes or less, even on very hotmuggy days.

Alcohol: I do carry it for emergencies. It is very effective at cooling dueto the rapid evaporation. It should be used when other methods are notworking. You should be on your way to the veterinarian before you get tothis point. We recommend using rubbing alcohol, which is propylene alcohol,not ethyl, for those of you not aware. So do not try to drink it. Alcoholshould be used on the pads and lower feet area where there is little morethan skin and blood vessels over the bones. Use a little bit and let itevaporate, you can use too much as some is absorbed through the skin. Thereare concerns about toxicity, but you have to get the temperature down.

I purchased those cooling pads that you soak in cold water, but found thatthe dogs would not lay on them. I would hold them on the back of a dog thatjust worked to get a quick cool, but have not use them for years. I alsobought a pair of battery operated fans but found them pretty useless. Spendyour money on the power inverter and get a real fan.

Watching temperature: If you feel your dog is in danger of heat injury,check its temp and write it down. Keep checking the temp every 3 minutes. Irecommend to get a "rectal glass thermometer. The digital ones for the drugstore I have found to be very unreliable, Don't forget to shake it downcompletely each time, sounds silly, but whenare worried about your companion, things tend to get mixed up. This is VERYIMPORTANT**once the temp STARTS to drop, STOP ALL COOLING EFFORTS. Thecooling process will continue even though you have stopped. If the tempstarts at 106.5, and then next time it drops to 105.5, stop cooling the dog,dry it off, and continue monitoring. You will be amazed how it continues togo down. If you do not stop until the temp is 102, the temp will drop waytoo low. I cannot emphasis this point enough.

When the dog is so heated that it is panting severely, only let it have afew laps of water. Water in the stomach does not cool the dog, you just needto keep the mouth wet so the panting is more effective. Do not worry about hydration until the temp has started down. A dog panting heavily taking inlarge amounts of water is a risk of bloat. Due to the heavy panting they will swallow air, mixed with a large amount of water they can bloat. Once the temp is going down and panting has slowed to more normal panting then allow water. The dog will rehydrate it self after temp is normal. If the doghas a serious problem and even though you have gotten the temp normal, getthe dog to a vet, as it can still need IV fluids and some medication. Also,a case of heat stroke can induce a case of hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (notparvo), with a ton of very bloody diarrhea and a lot of fluid andelectrolyte loss. These cases need aggressive treatment.

The best method of treatment is prevention. Learn to watch your dog, and seethe changes in the size of the tongue, and how quickly it goes down. Learn your dogs response to the different environments, and be careful when youhead south for an early season hunt test or trial. I have been to Nashvilleat the end of May, only 5 hours away, but the difference in temp andhumidity did effect the dogs as they were used to more spring weather inOhio. Try different things in training to help the dog cool and learn whatworks better. Another very important point=> Do not swim your hot dog tocool it then put in put in a box/tight crate. Remember, evaporation can nottake place in a tight space, and the box will turn into a sauna and you willcook your dog. Carry a stake out chain, and let the dog cool and dry beforeputting it up. I demonstrated this lesson this spring with my 10 month oldpup. After doing a 15 minute session in yard drill on a warm 70+ degree day,she was panting pretty hard and was pretty hot. She was OK but it was timeto stop. Just for the heck of it I took her temp. She was 103.6, abovenormal but too bad for a dog that had just finished working. In my back yardI have a 300 gallon Rubbermaid tub filled with water. I took her to it andshe jumped in and out 3-4 times. She appeared totally improved, tongue wasmuch smaller, and eyes brighter and her full spring was back into her step.So I re-took her temp and it was 104.2, so even though she looked better shewas hotter. This is < /SPAN>a perfect lesson to show not get a hot dog wetand then put them in a box. The water on her skin caused the blood vesselsto constrict, decreasing blood flow to the skin. Therefore the hot blood wasshunted back to the dog's core and retained the heat. You may have felt thesame thing, after exercising but still being very warm, take a shower andget cooled off but as soon as you turn the shower off you start sweating again.

I know this is a bit long, but hopefully this is easy to understand andhelps provide some useful information.

Remember: Prevention, learn your dog. It is worth the time and effort

Nate Baxter, DVM

Bye-bye Arlo! Helloooooo Alice!

Arlo is adopted! He has 3 doggie buddies, a big backyard and a wonderful mom and dad who will love him and take care of him. I love a happy ending!!

Tomorrow morning I'll meet him and his new mom at our vet's where he will be getting a puppy shot, and we'll take care of the contract paperwork.

Arlo is such a furry little guy that they named him Bear. :-) Cuuuute!

As soon as we knew Arlo was adopted, we took in another of the Fast Food puppies, and named her Alice. Alice has short brindle fur, and is a real cutie! She's feisty and loves to play with her sister Gracie.

ALICE:

Arlo and Gracie move in

Our new fosters moved in Monday, June 22. They were born under the floor of an abandoned house in Waxhaw. There were 8 in their litter. Mom is a black lab mix who our group is still trying to catch. The other siblings are in other foster homes and doing well, except for one who seems to have some health issues.

Since mom frequented the dumpsters at fast food restaurants, we named this litter the "Fast Food Puppies" and at first they had names like Bojangles and Big Mac. We named the two we took in Arlo and Gracie. Arlo looks like he's paid a few too many visits to the buffet line at Alice's Restaurant! (Note: you have to be over 50 to get that one!)

Both went to PetSmart for an adoption event with a rescue group on Saturday and everyone loved them! We got a great application for Arlo and did a home visit that afternoon. The next day he went for a week's trial and today I received the message that they want to make him a permanent part of their family! YAY! He has a puppy pool, a big back yard, 3 doggie friends to play with and learn from, and a wonderful mom and dad. He new name is Bear!

Gracie is a sweet little girl, full of fun and all dressed in black. We're having fun with her, and she's doing very well, sleeping through the night, and behaving in her play pen. She probably won't be with us for long!

Here are their photos:

ARLO


GRACIE

My Story - by Magnolia

I was picked up as a stray on Cloverleaf Circle in Rock Hill, SC on May 4th, 2009, and taken to doggie jail. The jail was really full so I couldn't even go to the adoption floor. On May 9th I was listed as a "rescue only pull" and my picture was sent out to rescue groups in case someone could help me. There were 8 other puppies in the same dire circumstances as me. We only had until May 15th at 5:00PM to be pulled or we would be sent early to the Rainbow Bridge, and never have the chance to fulfill our promise as loving family members.

Fortunately at 3:00PM that day, my foster mom came and got me, and another puppy. She took us home, but I barked and cried all the way home cause I was so scared. I didn't feel well, and I really smelled bad which I didn't like. I had fleas driving me crazy, and a few ticks in my ears. They only gave me one shot at the jail because they weren't going to keep me for long.

When we got home, foster mom gave us baths. That felt good and I sat down in the warm water. She rubbed us dry and talked softly to us and told us she promised to find wonderful homes for us where we'd be safe for the rest of our lives, and that we had to promise to be good girls and love our new families forever because they are the true rescuers.

The first night I was really confused. There was a soft music, but I barked all night long. I was scared, and had never been in a crate before. It seemed big and scarey. The next night I had a smaller crate, and foster mom and put one of her t-shirts in there with me so I knew I wasn't really alone. I also had toys and she hid some little treats in my blanket so I would have to hunt for them. I did better, only cried a few times, and every time mom came out and talked softly to me and I was able to calm down and go back to sleep.

Over the next few days I got good food, medicine, and lots of belly rubs and got to play a lot with my foster sister. Her name was Meadow, and she's a border collie mix like me but we didn't look alike at all. She was younger than me too, which gave me a real advantage when we played! She was adopted about 10 days later and I missed her.

I have two foster aunts, too, named Casey and Noir. They play sometimes, but other times they just wanted to relax and chew their bones.

Every afternoon we go outside on the deck and I get to swim in the puppy pool. I love it! I snorkel for toys on the bottom of the pool, and sometimes just lay down in the water and cool off.
Last week another puppy came to live with us named Mulligan. He had been abused as a puppy and foster mom decided he deserved a "do-over". He was adopted and went to his new home yesterday. He was fun to play with too, and this morning I miss him. But foster mom says today is my "big day" and this afternoon I start living with my "furever" family.

My new sisters have already sent me emails and pictures and I can't wait to meet them. I know we're going to be best friends. It will be so nice to have someone to play with all the time!

I will miss foster mom and dad and aunts Casey and Noir, but I told them I will never forget them for helping me when I needed them most. I will try be a good girl, and fulfill my promise as a loving pet and best friend to my new family. Life is going to be a wonderful adventure and I am so happy to be here and part of it all.

Well..... DAMN!

I met Amy and Brian, a couple that applied for Magnolia, at Petsmart this afternoon and I loved them... Both very nice, genuine people and they fell in love with Magnolia. She said they had made a list of 10 dogs to meet, and said to each other "what if we fall in love with the first one? Oh, we won't." Yeah, right!

I told them she was a very special little dog, and is the one I would keep if I could, and that they would have to almost be God for me to let them adopt her.

Well, then they met Magnolia. And that was all she wrote. The home visit is set for Sunday at 2PM, but I've seen their neighborhood before, and they live on a golf course and at dusk run with their lab/border collie mix down the 5th fairway. I can already picture Magnolia running along with them and loving every minute of it. They also have a keeshond. They go boating and all their dogs have life jackets. The dogs go with them everywhere and sleep with them in the king-sized bed.

My stories of her laying down in her little pool pretty much did them in, then two little girls walked into the store. Magnolia sat down, bowed her head and looked up, smiled at them and lifted her paw, inviting them to pet her. Done. Case closed. Amy and Brian were so smitten they were almost weeping.

Later on I sent the pics of her in her pool, etc, and they loved them, said they're sending them to all their friends. They showed me pics of their dogs on their iphones. So digital pics will be no problem at all, and they said I can visit anytime.

So my days with my wonderful little darling are winding down and I'm already sobbing at the thought of parting with her. But visions of other little faces swim in my head, and I know if I can just get past my selfish desire to keep her and hug her forever, I can help so many more little ones get the start in life that they deserve.

The fact that I liked them instantly from the moment we shook hands helps me a great deal and will see me through this parting. Somehow I must get through this...

I don't know why you say goodby, I say hello

I guess it shows my age to have that old Beatles song running through my mind!

Three weeks ago we said goodbye to little Meadow. We didn't have her for very long before the little cutie was adopted by a great couple in Gastonia. I've received updates and pictures from them and she is doing very well. She landed in a very soft place, and I've had the good fortune to meet two more very nice inhabitants of the planet.

That left little Magnolia here as the only puppy. She has flourished in the past few weeks. SHe's doing well with house training. She's crate trained and behaves in her crate, never messes in it. She knows "sit" and "stay". Her favorite activity is getting toys from the bottom of the puppy pool, or just laying down in it to cool off.

She's sweet, affectionate, and is just as happy to sit on your lap and cuddle as she is to play with our older dogs, her foster "Aunts" Casey and Noir.

Magnolia is one of those special dogs... when you look into her eyes, you can see there is "someone home". She is bright and intelligent.

Her new family will have to provide not only love, but also challenge for her.

It will be difficult to give her up, but I want her to have the best possible life, a safe backyard to play in and other doggie friends to keep her company.

Yesterday a new little puppy came to stay with us. He is 10 weeks old and was removed from an abusive situation. I don't even want to think about what kind of monster could abuse a puppy. Anyway, we felt he deserved a "do-over" so we named him Mulligan.

We're not sure what he is, but so far our guesses are Bernese Mountain Dog, Saint Bernard, rottweiler, and spaniel. :-)

Mulligan is a beauty - black with a tan face and legs, some white on the chest and some of his toes. He's cute and sweet and is loving having a little friend to play with. The first time on the deck he marched right over to the puppy pool and walked right in to get the tennis ball that was floating in it.

He's starting to understand that being in the crate means be quiet and sleep. He hasn't messed in his crate, and only cries for a few minutes when he goes in it. He sleeps all night too. He has not yet messed in the house. He already knows to sit to have his leash taken off when coming in from outside.

All this and puppy breath too!!

It was just tooooo quiet here!

You had to know it wouldn't last. It's been a whole week since Jim and I delivered little Hershey to his furever home. A looooong, quiet week! Two days ago I got the usual weekly emails about the dogs that were scheduled for euthanasia at York Shelter, and there were loads of puppies. :-(

I picked two that would have been killed today. I watched for two days to see if anyone would rescue them. I checked at noon today and they were still there.

So I went and pulled them. I know I left others behind and they are probably gone to the Rainbow Bridge by now. That rips my heart apart, but I can only do what I can do. It was like pulling teeth to get Jim to agree to taking two.

I got them home, gave them each a bath and a capstar (to kill the fleas on them), pulled the ticks out of their ears, fed them, played with them, and now they are snoozing in the dining room in their crates.

They are adorable! One looks like an Australian shepherd mix and she's very mouthy. The other looks like a border collie mix and is quiet and calm. Both are females.

Here they are:

Magnolia...



Meadow...

I have done something...

I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter...the cast-offs of human society. I saw in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness, and betrayal. I was angry. "God," I said, "this is terrible! Why don't you do something?" God was silent for a moment, and then spoke softly, "I have done something," was the reply. "I created you."

~Jim Willis