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Early one morning in April, some neighborhood kids woke me very early screaming about a really sick dog tied to the bumper of my truck. I went outside and found this skin and bones dog tied to my truck with the kind of chain you'd use to tow a car!!! The chain was so heavy she couldn't even lift her head up. We finally got the chain off from around her neck and she collapsed to the ground and couldn't stand back up. I carried her in the house and layed her down on the floor in my bedroom and she, again, collapsed.
"Momma" is a Border Collie and German Shepard mix, probably around 3 to 4 years old. She weighed 17 pounds!!!! I worked really hard trying to gain some weight on her and after a few days she started wobbling around the house. I took her to the vet to have her checked out and was told that she was very malnurished and very sick because of it. His suggestion was to try to get some weight on her and get her "better" because in her condition now it was hard to say whether any blood test results would be accurate (he couldn't even test fecal matter for worms or parasites because she didn't have any matter in her!!!!).
So I brought her home and made her comfortable and she did eat, but not a whole lot. Surprisingly though, within 2 weeks she had put on over 20 pounds!!! Then, a couple days later, she had puppies. Momma had 7 absolutely beautiful, sweet little puppies (5 girls and 2 boys).
When the pups were 2 weeks old, Momma started getting really sick again and was down to 28 pounds so I took her back to the vet for the tests. This time, he discovered that not only did she have hookworms, tape worms and a thyroid disorder--but she also had advanced heartworm. The x-rays and other tests he did showed that she probably had these heartworms for at least 2 years, if not longer. He suggested working hard to wheen the pups (who were only 17 days old at the time) and then have Momma put to sleep because she was obviously in so much pain. So we took the medications for her diarhea, hook and tape worms and put her on some vitamins and a weight builder and brought her home.
The pups were all wheened successfully, received their vaccinations and are now, at 8 weeks old, in new homes.
Not quite three weeks ago, Momma started vomitting worms. I took her back to the vet and indeed, it was time. She needed to be put to sleep and put out of her missery. So we went ahead and got her ready. We all said our goodbyes and the doc injected her. We waited for her to pass peacefully.
Twenty minutes later, she was wagging her tail and licking hands and pawing at the door to the office. She was ready to go home. Surprised and feeling horrible, the vet suggested we leave the room and he'd give her another injection. Ten minutes later, he called me back. There was Momma.....sitting on the floor, wagging her tail and happy to see me. The vet assured me it was a good injection, that he had been using it the entire week with "success" and he didn't understand what the problem was. We came to only one conclusion--Momma had a will to live.
She is still very sick, weighing only 28 pounds. She is still very quiet. She doesn't walk around very much. Does not play but absolutely loves to be petted. She's one of those dogs that will come to you and put her head under your hand so you pet her. She's an absolute sweetheart and we love her to death!!!
Unfortunetly, heartworm treatment was estimated to me to be a minimum of $350, provided there are no complications with the "usual" medications given for treatment. We have collected $50 already towards her treatment and I have applied for several grants to help pay the remaining costs.
Our best lead is a group out of California. The problem though, is that they don't dispurse funds for treatment for animals that have not been spayed or neutered. In Momma's condition, I cannot have her spayed at the time. She must have a successful treatment before she can be healthy enough to be spayed. If aprooved, this group will pay for her treatment after she receives it and after I have her spayed.
The vet, however, won't begin treatment until he receives atleast half the $350 up front and we still don't have these kinds of funds. We are a private rescue group, running off of money from our own pockets and the few donations we receive for each adopted pet. We have a website only because someone donated it to us and offers his time, free of charge, keeping it updated (and we are SOO greatful).
Please help us save Momma's life and all the lives of the future dogs that come to us!!! You're help would be greatly appreciated!!!
UPDATE July 31 2006: Adoption Palace Dogs has received a financial grant to help cover some of the cost of Momma Dog's heartworm treatment from www.uan.org (she has received a Lifeline grant). Heartworm treatment for Momma will run upwards of $350 and we have only $200. Momma received her first injection of Ivomectin on July 5th and is scheduled to receive her second and third injections August 7th and 8th. Unfortunetly, the vet has decided until he receives the remaining balance for treatment, he is unable to continue with the medication. She will need at least one more injection around August 23rd. Please help us continue her treatment and help her become the happy and healthy dog she should be! She is such a joyful and loving animal that it breaks our hearts to know we may not be able to save her. Your donations will help Momma continue this life saving treatment and be on the road to a happy and full life!
