Few Questions

[byrds8]

Well I took my baby to the vet today to start the heart worm treatment. Needless to say that did not happen. She also has whip-worms. So another $120 spent and not even started the heart worm part yet. I think the previous owners knew how sick she was and decided to dump her on someone else. People like that make me sick. They could have spent next to nothing all this time to keep her healthy then this would have been a non issue. She goes back next week and if all is well she starts Heart guard then a couple of weeks later she will go back for the heart-worm treatment. She is ours now so we will make sure she is healthy again and gets all the love she needs. I personally just hope all the vet appointments fall in a way where we dont have an issue paying for them. We werent really expecting to get her and have to spend all this off the bat. Wish us luck.

[Mary Beth]

Thanks for the update. Your new dog is lucky to have you. It could have been ignorance on the previous owners - considering they fed her Gravy Train. These treatments won't be covered but they will be cleared up so are not a chronic disease, but you may want to consider pet insurance - there are some threads on that to help deflect future costs. Also if these bills are coming at a wrong time in January with all the other bills, if I were you I would ask about a payment plan with the vet. For pet health insurance some policies cover the annual check up and heartguard so that helps on the regular costs. Whip worms can make a dog miserable, my Husky had them once. Fortunately heartguard plus now has that preventative in - so you won't have to worry about them in the future.

[byrds8]

Another update. Sadie is doing much better today. She ate about 2 cans I believe of the food they gave to us to feed her today and tomorrow. So that is better than it has been in days. We will feed it to her tonight and mix Taste of the Wild in with it for tomorrow to get her started on good food. Of course this morning I woke up to having to scrub the down stairs carpet where she pooped but I guess since everyone was asleep I cant blame her for it. It wasnt exactly fun at 6am but oh well I guess. Its the only accident she has had since she was with us. Ive tried to get as much poop up out of the yard as I can as she goes but some of it is just straight liquid from her getting the meds and not eating. There is no getting that up lol.

Mary Beth, I thought Heartguard plus didnt include prevention of whip worm? It doesnt say it does that one when I read up on it anyway. If it does then that is awesome if not then after all is said and done Ill be switching her from heartguard to interceptop because I know that one does whip worm.

[msvette2u]

If heartguard plus has ivermectin it would keep her clear of all worms except tapes.

[Mary Beth]

Sorry, a worm is a worm to me. So I checked the box - Heartgard plus has ivermectin. But the package insert and outside the box says "effective treatment and control of ascarids and hookworms". Ascarids are small roundworms. You may want to check with your vet. My Husky had whipworms just once and that was before the heartgard or the other preventatives. She never did get a relapse. That's great Sadie is doing better. I'm sure she felt bad about the accident but as you said -she couldn't help it. I hate to say it - but maybe her old gravey train will settle her tummy for a while - and then gradually add the good food.

[msvette2u]

OH definitely start her on a lower grade food. We took in this emaciated Springer and he couldn't eat more than 1/2 cup. at a time at first. He's up to 2 cups per meal finally, after a week and a half and we're mixing Kirkland with Solid Gold now.

[byrds8]

She ate great today. About 3.5 cans of the stuff the vet gave us and tonight we even mixed in a bit of Taste of the Wild. No solid poop yet but I figured that was because she ate nothing at all yesterday. Hopefully solid poop in the morning. She has 1.5 cans left of the vet food to start giving her the dry kibble. Hopefully when those cans are gone shes eating well and only on that.

[byrds8]

Well so much for eating great. She didnt want the can of food mixed with a little kibble today. So we tried to give her just the can. Only half at first and she ate it right up but when we gave her the second half she only ate a bite or two more then walked off. The vet said she should be eating two cans of this stuff. Waiting on a call from her vet now.

[byrds8]

Sadie is eating every meal now. She is eating Diamond Naturals Chicken and Rice with some chicken broth on it. Her poop is no loner watery. They aren't very hard either though. For the most part still looks like it should other than its soft. I guess that's OK though though. Tomorrow she goes back to the vet for a check up and start the preventive before she gets the treatment to get rid of the heart-worms.

[Mary Beth]

Thanks for the update. I wondered how Sadie was doing. She is making great progress. It will take a while for her tummy to fully settle down and stools to firm up. If that is Sadie in your avator, she sure is lovely and looks solid black.