I was hammered emotionally Monday- am better today but still dealing with sadness and not a little anger. Our sweet new dog, Zoe, has been diagnosed with heartworm disease, a parasitism of the heart. She will begin treatment on Friday and I'm trusting the Lord we will continue to have sufficient additional income as we go along with her series of hospitalizations and medications.
Pictures of 
Zoe all matted and dirty to recent "shaved down" look. Third picture is Zoe and her constant companion - our dear little Conan - teaming up to terrorize the goat kids. If you live in an area where heartworm is a possibility,please keep your dogs on heartworm preventative and don't adopt a pet who is not tested. I'm upset with the Weatherford/Parker County Animal Shelter - they place dogs and microchip as well as neuter/spay but do NOT test for heartworm. Through their practices they actually increase the heartworm problem - a heartLESS practice. Our options were to take her back (to be euthanized or placed with another unsuspecting family), go through a costly and painful treatment series, or do nothing and allow her to be sick and probably infect other animals (through mosquito bites -
the only way the disease is spread). So our joy with sweet little (chewer of everything she finds) Zoe has been tempered a bit with the diagnosis. Anyhow - that's how it is on Buhlaland today and we'll be OK. We're believing Zoe will survive treatments (we have an excellent if sometimes grouchy veterinarian) and hoping I'll finally learn not to fall in love with something/someone without full disclosure on their side huh? It is springtime, overcast and a turkey in the roaster here on Buhlaland and it is good. I hate to be gloomy on my blog - we all have challenges and most readers have bigger issues than sick dogs, but once again I have to say - it's my blog and I'll cry if I want to (remember Leslie Gore?) Not crying today, working and best get back at it - there are strange things accumulating in my closet and they are about to be exposed to the light of day!
Zoe all matted and dirty to recent "shaved down" look. Third picture is Zoe and her constant companion - our dear little Conan - teaming up to terrorize the goat kids. If you live in an area where heartworm is a possibility,please keep your dogs on heartworm preventative and don't adopt a pet who is not tested. I'm upset with the Weatherford/Parker County Animal Shelter - they place dogs and microchip as well as neuter/spay but do NOT test for heartworm. Through their practices they actually increase the heartworm problem - a heartLESS practice. Our options were to take her back (to be euthanized or placed with another unsuspecting family), go through a costly and painful treatment series, or do nothing and allow her to be sick and probably infect other animals (through mosquito bites - the only way the disease is spread). So our joy with sweet little (chewer of everything she finds) Zoe has been tempered a bit with the diagnosis. Anyhow - that's how it is on Buhlaland today and we'll be OK. We're believing Zoe will survive treatments (we have an excellent if sometimes grouchy veterinarian) and hoping I'll finally learn not to fall in love with something/someone without full disclosure on their side huh? It is springtime, overcast and a turkey in the roaster here on Buhlaland and it is good. I hate to be gloomy on my blog - we all have challenges and most readers have bigger issues than sick dogs, but once again I have to say - it's my blog and I'll cry if I want to (remember Leslie Gore?) Not crying today, working and best get back at it - there are strange things accumulating in my closet and they are about to be exposed to the light of day!
9 comments:
I am so sorry to hear about Zoe. It has always amazed me how we can get so attached to our pets. We just had to have our dog put down (she was 20!). It was one of the hardest things we have ever done. Even though Katie is grown, we all went together. Even Frank (my stern usually unemotional hubby) was brought to tears.
I will pray for you and Zoe. She is so cute in the pictures.
I am so sad for you. I have a little Zoe, too.
And their reason for not testing? I am so sorry for you in all of this. I don't believe your post was unreasonable in the least.
Just hung up from talking with the pound people - they were not very pleasant - said I could bring her back and that dogs live for years with heartworm. Well yeah - that's why it is spread all over because mosquitoes bite dogs with heartworm and then bite other dogs and continue the lifecycle. She said "if you are so upset about the money we'll give you the adopt fee back" - I was getting more upset and told her I was attached to the dog and felt she deserved better than what they do for dogs. So next step is to contact the local newspaper and at least expose the issue. Of all the things I'd jump on a bandwagon about - surprises me that this one apparently requires action.
I'm so sorry Linda Sue... but I am glad that Zoe found such a loving home where she will be taken care of.... the pound not even testing for this sort of thing is an outrage to say the least!
Just off the phone with the police officer in charge of the pound - "we will re evaluate our procedures and it is primarily a cost issue so we can provide as many dogs as possible at as low a price as possible to get people to adopt". I was reasonable enough and may or may not write to the local paper. Don't want to shoot the issue in the foot - if they really DO evaluate the situation it might improve. In the meantime - Zoe goes through treatments and we pray that Conan isn't also infected. (he was off preventative for a month or two during the dead of winter)
Hi there from a fellow Texas Blogger...I popped in from another blog and wanted to say hi and I hope that Zoe does well with the heartworm treatment. I've known several dogs that had it, and although it's not a walk in the park, they made it through. With you TLC, I'm sure she'll do fine. Take care!
I am so sorry to hear about Zoe, you just got her and fell in love with her, and now this! What all is involved in treating heart worm once a dog has it?
And you're right, it IS your blog and if you want to cry, we'll pray for you and be sad with you! And maybe rejoice with you too!I think it perfectly appropriate to love your animals , they give such joy...so why should we not be sad when things are bad for them?
KathyB - the treatment will last at least 5 months starting today. Today's session being the easiest - just medications and observed at the clinic for a day. Then we'll have sessions of two day admissions, injections with highly toxic (arsenic compounds)and home to complete cage confinement for 2 weeks at a time. IF she survives everything - at about 6 months from now and I'm embarrassed to say how much money - we'll have a slightly weaker 6 or 7 year old dog who has a chance of a long life. Boy writing it out sounds less cheerful than thinking about it! I think it is the right thing to do and we are praying the Lord will direct us firmly if it is NOT. Thank you for the support and interest.
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