Heartworm Update

Excuse the mess but I've taken out all the carpet and am in the process of replacing it with tile. Here is my dog Tony hanging out on the leash, probably not feeling all that happy. Tony is near the end of his 5th week of heartworm treatment. If you've been reading about it then you know the vets have this ridiculous system of keeping the dog confined for 42 days.

Well my vet happened to be out of town without making any provisions for Tony's treatment during the 4th week. So we missed a week and in a nutshell, Tony has to stay confined for four more weeks! Tony and I can hardly take it!

The vet had told me to keep him locked up in a crate. I did this the first couple of weeks but Tony's paws were getting bloody as Tony, to everyone's surprise at the vets office, tried to get out of the crate. As I documented earlier he did succeed in destroying one dog crate, and what eventually happened was I ended up letting him have an entire bedroom to himself.

This has worked out pretty well overall. Yes he is not strictly confined, but he is not running around either and he is happier. There is a bed in there and Tony is enjoying luxuriant comfort (for a dog) by laying on the bed all day. This has worked wonders by keeping him quiet and happy at the same time.

That being said, Tony has been getting lonely. So to keep him from blowing a gasket I take him out on the leash for social breaks. Yes the vet said take him out on leash to go potty three times a day. But Tony wants to hang out with the other dogs and shoot, just get some attention. So every morning, against doctors orders, I've been letting him sit with me while I drink coffee and read the news on the internet in the morning. These little breaks have helped a lot. Basically he just lays there while I read but it has really helped him feel better, and he ends up being quieter the rest of the day.

Since the vet missed a week I still have 3 weeks of this nonsense to go starting Monday. I will honestly be amazed if we all make it out of this alive. Having a dog with heartworm is truly a nightmare. Don't play games with this disease. Get your dog on preventative treatment right now.