We knew Rocky was heart worm positive from the people who
owned him previously. When they took him for his initial checkup he was positive, he also had hookworm. They had him long enough to treat him for the hook
worm. What we didn’t know is the poor guy had gotten into rat poisoning at some point
before we got him back. We learned from the vet that rat poisoning can take 2
to 4 weeks to show any symptoms in a dog. We had only had Rocky back in our
lives for about 16 hours, when he started coughing up blood. We took him to the
emergency vet immediately and they kept him overnight. This started the first
round of treatment for the rat poison and heart worm.
Rocky the afternoon of his emergency vet visit.
It was 28 days of antibiotics, vitamins and a steroid to get
him healthy enough to even think about the start of heart worm treatment. After
the 28 days, Rocky would receive the first shot of heart worm treatment and
another 2 weeks of antibiotics and steroids. During the heart worm treatment,
Rocky was on a strict leash walking regimen. He couldn’t run or raise his
heartrate because that would make the heart worms more active and could cause
more issues. After the first treatment there is a 30 day waiting period before
the second treatment.
The first shot was on May 10th, exactly 30 days
later we drop Rocky off for his second treatment. This time it was on my
birthday. He was required to stay overnight for this treatment because 24 hours
later they give a booster shot. We were going out of town for my birthday and
had already planned to board him but this was good timing for a little extra
TLC at the vet.
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| Little Reese and Rocky, she's about the size of his meat head. |
When my friend, Ashley, and I picked up all the dogs from
the vet on Monday morning, Rocky seemed to be doing pretty well. He seemed a
little tired but otherwise nothing out of the ordinary. After this shot there
was no extra antibiotics or steroids. It wasn’t until the next few days that we
noticed Rocky seemed very sore. He was whimpering quite a bit when he was lying
down and if you patted a certain spot on his hips he would yelp. This was very
unusual for him because he is an 80lb dog that thinks he is a 12lb lapdog.
Rocky and I like our time in
the recliner together. Cody gets jealous of my 82lb baby dog.
It wasn’t until Thursday after that treatment that we knew
something was definitely wrong. Rocky and Missy get 2 treats in the morning
before we leave for work. Cody gives them one right after they go out in the
morning and then I give them one right before we leave for work. Rocky is a
food driven animal, if you are letting him eat it he will eat it. Rocky didn’t
even get up off the floor for the second treat. When the vet opened that
morning, my husband called to see what we should do. They had us bring him in
right away and kept him overnight. The vet said this second round of the
treatment shot is pretty brutal on a dog’s body because they are really trying
to absorb the adult heart worms now.
When I picked Rocky up from the vet the next day he seemed
like his old self again, chipper and happy to get home. This came with another
2 weeks of antibiotics and steroids. After this second shot, there is a 4 month
waiting period before testing the dog for heart worm again. The goal, on October
10th, is that Rocky is heart worm negative and all we will have to
continue is prevention. (With moving, I have not found a vet yet to get Rocky
checked but we are still hoping for a clean bill of health.)
My husband and I learned that it is important to continue to
give Rocky heart worm prevention during the treatment of the adult heart worms.
The prevention helps kill adolescent heart worms and prevents new ones. The
shots are for treatment of the adult heart worms, so the heart is able to absorb
them.
I think the biggest thing we have learned so far, is that
heart worm prevention maybe pricey every year to keep your dog healthy, but the
prevention is a lot less expensive than the treatment.
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| These two have been cuddling quite a bit lately, I think Missy really likes of him (most of the time.) |
Here are some extra pictures of the adorable meat head,
although he knows exactly how to press my buttons to get what he wants, I could
not imagine our lives without him. Even Missy likes him, most of the time.
At the beginning of his journey, you can tell the
difference in the size of his body compared to that meat head.
Cody came back from a week away at work during the move,
Rocky was determined that his dad was not going to leave him again.
One thing is for sure about this loveable meat head, he has
a way of understanding emotions from people. It’s like he can sense what you
are feeling and he won’t leave your side if he thinks you need him.
The adventure continues…to a healthy pup….
