Death from Distemper or heartworms is not quick, the suffering is immense. There is no cure for Distemper, and any treatment available is only meant to ease suffering or help the dog stay strong enough to attempt to fight the virus on it’s own. Distemper slowly destroys, the lymphoid organs, respiratory organs, gastrointestinal organs, and urogenital organs, one-by-one. Most dogs that die from distemper, die from neurological complications, many of which are horrific to witness: swelling of the brain, seizures, deterioration of mental and muscle function, paralysis, disabling muscle spasms, depression and an increased sensitivity to stimuli like pain or touch. Heartworms is as equally devastating. Read Livy’s story to understand why waiting to see if a dog gets heartworms to take action is not only expensive but very, very dangerous for the dog.
Ruby was very, very lucky to have survived and found a wonderful home to live out a healthy and happy life. Her illnesses were easily avoidable with simple and relatively inexpensive preventive measures. Sadly, heartworm prevention costs only about $7-$10 a month, and the DHLP-P vaccination, which protects against more than just Distemper, costs only about $8-$12 a year. The cost in your time to carry out this prevention is even less. We hope that Ruby’s story (below) and the suffering she had to endure will educate so that other dogs don't have to suffer or die from these preventable diseases.
Ruby was very, very lucky to have survived and found a wonderful home to live out a healthy and happy life. Her illnesses were easily avoidable with simple and relatively inexpensive preventive measures. Sadly, heartworm prevention costs only about $7-$10 a month, and the DHLP-P vaccination, which protects against more than just Distemper, costs only about $8-$12 a year. The cost in your time to carry out this prevention is even less. We hope that Ruby’s story (below) and the suffering she had to endure will educate so that other dogs don't have to suffer or die from these preventable diseases.
May 25: My German Shepherd
May 17: Olivia, Henrietta, Sunshine and Ruby
April 10: First Trip to the Beach
August 21: Ruby’s Best Day Ever (So Far).
I think if Ruby could talk, she'd say that last night was the BEST night of her life (well, so far, anyway) Why? Dr. Bob believes she's not likely a danger to dogs anymore, especially healthy, vaccinated ones. So, Ruby got to do what she has been longing to do all this time: play! Ruby and my girl Livvy hit it off right away. They played from 7pm until I finally had to drag them each to bed at 10pm. They ran, ran, ran and ran some more. I was worried Livvy might be too strong and knock her over, but Ruby had no problem at all keeping her balance and giving as much as she was getting! I also put out the ENTIRE bucket of squeaky toys (a big event at my house). By the time it was dark, Ruby had taken EVERY single toy out to the backyard (see attached picture, the blur is Ruby, and that's about halfway through her "work"...) We ended the evening with a Frosty Paws for everyone just to celebrate. She'll need to go through heartworm treatment soon, so I'm letting her have some well deserved fun right now.
