Re: Heartworm Positive Shelter Dog -- Questions


-L. wrote:

Chris said: He is believed to be a purebred. If there was
some outside financial help in covering some of the HW treatment costs,
I'd be more likely to be able to adopt him.>>>>

You can call local breed rescue groups to see what they have to say.
What breed is he?


He's a Golden! The most beautiful I've ever seen, too! ;-)


Chris said: The year before last, my sister-in-law adopted a puppy from this same shelter and found out less than a week later it had parvo. It had been
represented as vet checked/screened/completely vaccinated.<<<


Parvo is a virus and if the pup was already infected, the vax wouldn't
prevent it.


True.

Please understand, though, that shelters do the best
they can with the resources they have. Illness isn't always apparent,
and is sometimes hard to control from spreading in a shelter setting.


That's true too... I forgot to mention that right after this puppy
situation with my SIL, she said she "heard" that there'd been a big
parvo outbreak prior to her adoption of this dog (within the shelter I
mean) and she was upset that they hadn't mentioned it at all...
apparently they'd had this problem with several pups adopted out around
the same time. I think if she'd been prepared for the possibility it
would have been different.

The Animal Control facility, on the other hand, was recently in the
news with a big story about their negligence in doing what they can to
minimize disease spread. I know that nothing is foolproof, but they
were reported to be doing NOTHING at all to even try, things like
disinfecting the trucks, placing the new animals in a holding area,
etc., and when they asked workers there about proper procedures none of
them had been trained at all. That's the City pound, where you'd think
they'd have a little more in the way of resources to try and stop the
spread of disease.



You will never be sorry for adopting a shelter dog. They remain loyal
for life - and never quit thanking you. My advice would be, if you can
afford the treatment and like this dog, take the chance on him. Sure,
your son will get attached, but it could be a great lesson for him in
being strong, optimistic, and helping those in need. If you lose the
dog, it will be tough - but the lesson there is that you tried your
best and did what you could do, to help another's suffering. I have a
tender-hearted boy as well, so I understand your caution. But
sometimes, taking the chance - especially if it saves a life - is worth
the chance of heartbreak.

I can't get him out of my head! After reading all the responses I'm
mostly concerned about the rest period after treatment. It seems
really risky to be bringing him home to a house with kids and stairs
and another dog. I will need to talk to the shelter again, assuming I
go forward with the adoption and come up with the money, to see if he
can stay there for his rest period instead.

About my "tender hearted boy" I have a long and sad story..... last
year we took in this stray:

http://home.satx.rr.com/sheriberry/may22misc/girl2.jpg

after she'd been living under our house for a couple of weeks! We
first found her after hearing what sounded like puppy noises for days
but not being able to locate the source. We were living in a rented
duplex with a "no dogs" rule. We were leaving one day when we saw
movement under the house... she was under there, she'd been tied, and
it was tight around her neck and all tangled up under the house so she
couldn't come out! It was so tight around her neck it had to be cut
off.

We had our lab mix at the time and had recently taken in a tiny puppy
that was dumped in our yard and re-homed it, all during a period where
we were flat broke and living in a rental with a "no dogs" rule! We'd
spent money on the pup that we didn't have, in getting it vet checked
and wormed and such to go to its new home. Things were tight with only
one of us working at the time, and three kids and another dog and 2
cats to feed on top of it all.

So, we just freed her, thinking surely she'd go. We didn't know what
else to do with her, having no money at all and knowing that the pound
would gas her and the other shelters either had wait lists or required
a large monetary donation even for a stray. Thing is, she wouldn't "go"
anywhere!

She'd appear to leave but each evening she'd be back there, under our
house, tail wagging when we came home, but she wouldn't approach us or
come to us at first. Soon she'd allowed us to pet her very cautiously,
and soon after that she'd greet us with her belly exposed for a belly
rub. Still, we resisted, until one night we could stand it no longer.
It was raining and miserable and other neighborhood strays were coming
around fighting with her and we couldn't take it and brought her
inside.

Unfortunately, we were still in no shape to take her to a vet or
anything else and since she looked healthy, we were going on hope and
keeping her fed/clean/loved with the plan of just finding her another
home soon. We reasoned that at least she'd be safe and have food and
shelter and clean water and she'd be better off than living under our
house. We'd contacted rescue organizations but we were unable to
narrow down her breed and we didn't get any assistance from any groups
we contacted, mostly we were told she wasn't the breed we thought she
was and that was the end of it. No one would take her.

We had her a total of about 3 months I believe... long enough for her
to have 3 severely underformed and stillborn puppies (we assume she was
pregnant when she came to us because after we took her in she was never
outside except on a leash with us).. she never even looked pregnant!
Right about the time we got back on our feet financially and we'd
decided we wanted to keep her and had her scheduled to go in for a vet
check, she started acting strangely.

We thought she had chewed on something and had something stuck in her
throat because she was gagging intermittently .... then she started
foaming from the mouth and wasn't able to walk straight and was barking
and vocalizing all the time (she was a very "talky" dog), wanting out,
then right back in, then out again... she'd circle my desk chair and
"talk" to me the whole time. We had no idea what was up.. we took her
to an emergency vet clinic totally expecting it to be some foreign
object issue or something and we were horrified to learn she had
distemper.

The vet said it could have been "dormant" in her and she'd probably had
it since puppyhood. I know we didn't have her that long but she and
my son (then 7) had *totally* bonded. She was sleeping with him and
being a real "mama" with him and he adored her. It was late in the
day and he'd gone with us to the vet, and we were all stunned when we
were told she would have to be put down. We stayed with her and by the
time we left (the vet had "worked us in" so we were there a while), she
wasn't recognizing us or our voices and was totally disoriented and
behaving in a fearful and aggressive manner. It was heartbreaking.
My son sobbed for *days* and still has her pictures up by his bed and
still comes to me crying about her from time to time.

We never would have acquired her on purpose when we weren't in the
position to take care of her, but it really was a case of her "finding"
us. I realize if she had distemper all along a vet trip wouldn't have
mattered.. but I'm still only able to comfort myself by remembering
that at least her last few months were in loving and safe place.

So, that's the long story of why I'm so cautious... he's just got this
"thing" about animals, moreso than the other kids we have and most kids
I know, and they always trust him immediately. He's the youngest yet
he is the one who remembers to check the water and food of our lab mix
and of the cats, he is the one to play with her daily... we don't put
the responsibility on the kids but he takes the initiative anyway, and
the others will pet the dog but are largely oblivious otherwise. He's
just got a connection with animals. He tells me he thinks the spirit
of our dear old orange tabby cat, Sebastian, is still with us and that
he "feels" him (Sebastian died at the age of 18 two summers ago and I'd
had him since he was dumped on a country road at 6 weeks of age)... and
when we go to Grandma's (where Sebastian is buried) he always goes to
the grave and puts flowers on it. He's just a special kid.

If we adopt this Golden we are doing so at a different time in our
lives and we will be able to properly care for him but I just worry
about getting through the danger period with the HW treatment for the
reasons illustrated with my son.

Best of luck to you, and please post an update! I would like to follow
your story.
-L.

I am certainly going to keep everyone posted. I apologize for the
length of my posts.. but that's just me, can't help it. I know it's a
bit of a derail but I guess I just needed to talk about Ginger the
stray too. I've been reading more online lately and think maybe she
was part Corgi, with all of her "talking". Anyway, the posts are long
due to the frustrated writer inside I guess. I appreciate the replies
and I will go back to the shelter soon with the questions suggested and
to discuss it more with them.

Thanks again,

Chris

.

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