Today we celebrated an event we doubted might ever come. Today we celebrated a healthy Ruby!
Ruby has officially completed her heartworm treatment. She’s sailed through both sets of treatments, specifically all that crate rest (yuck!). For the first time in three months we took her out in public to do what Ruby loves to do most: RUN! (and wrestle). What a wonderful sight to be able to let her loose in the big fenced in field where she could run flat out, as fast as she can go. And boy is Ruby fast! When she’s standing still or sleeping, her front leg still twitches thanks to the distemper, but when she runs you’d never know she has a bit of the shakes. You’d never believe this was the same dog that only a little over three months ago could barely stand on her own, too. She can easily keep pace with Olivia, her Border Collie foster sister who is twice as tall, and she can tackle, jump and turn on a dime with the best of them. (All this after sitting in a crate for three months.) We knew Ruby is one tough cookie, but we had no idea just how tough she is. Even when she simply trots across the field she resembles a linebacker! She’s no longer skinny and lanky; she’s a solid rock now, the kind of dog that can get knocked down by an 80 pound goofy Lab and get right back up without so much as blinking an eye.
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
