pansmom Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 The title pretty much says it all. Vala, the BC I rescued from the local animal control facility in August and have been treating for heartworms with DOXY/IVM, has been at 1+ microfilaria for two months now, and her remaining minor heartworm symptoms (coughing occasionally, etc.) have stayed the same, so my vet is no longer comfortable sticking with the IVM/DOXY treatment. So on Saturday, Vala gets her first shot of Immiticide. (I waited until after Christmas because I really wanted to bring her with us to Christmas at my in-laws. But then my in-laws outlawed dogs at Christmas!!! Apparently because my m-i-l has stuff on the floor that my brother-in-law's dogs would tear to shreds, but come on, Vala has impeccable manners! She listens!! Boohoo.) I guess at least I don't have to worry about her being sick and having to leave her home alone or not go to Christmas! Other than the heartworm issue she is doing super well. I'm head over heels in love with her. She is such a loving, affectionate dog. She loves to sit by us and cuddle. She is always at my feet. She knows sit, down, wait, shake. She has started fetching, though she still gets somewhat distracted by any other moving item when we do fetch as she gets kind of fritzy when her prey drive turns on. She reliably jumps on cue over low bars at the park, urban agility basically, as well as the actual agility equipment at the dog park (where we only go when no one else or almost no one else is there). We're still practicing her recall but it's pretty darn good, and she's also learning stay and "settle." She's so proud of herself when she "gets" something, like really understands, oh like when we taught her "collie express" which is when she carries items from one part of the house to another (she's learning the names of rooms)... And of course she continues to love to meet new people, all new people, indiscriminately, and she is thrilled to have a new sleeping location... on the bed... between me and DH. And she's doing well with the cats too; I mean our bed is getting kind of full! But right now, for example, as I type this on my laptop, I am laying on my stomach on my bed and Vala is laying on my left side, well one cat is on my right, and another is on my back. A peaceable kingdom indeed! Please send your mojo for Dec. 26... and the next month or so... Also please send any tips on how to keep them calm when they start feeling better. We're going to separate her from the cats for the entire duration of the treatment, since our younger cat always wants to play with her (and will taunt her, hiding, running by with her toys, etc.). Thankfully separating them is easily doable in our house. And she has been cycling on and off DOXY and IVM for almost 4 months now, which is supposed to decrease the rate of thromboembolism and makes them much more likely to do well for the Immiticide. And the vet is restarting DOXY the day of the shot. So statistically she should be fine, and she's up to 30 pounds now, a healthy weight, but still I'm worried. So I will take mojo, prayers, any kinds of positive thoughts and helpful advice. Vala has settled in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journey Posted December 22, 2009 Report Share Posted December 22, 2009 Good Mojo, prayers, and positive thoughts for you and Vala. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Hope this does the trick! I like staying home for the holidays...no one complains about having to many dogs! Give Vala a big pat from us and enjoy your holidays Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pansmom Posted December 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Thank you both for the good wishes and prayers and thoughts! Kristen, I just gave Vala a pat. She rolled over and put up her paws for me to rub her belly. I went ahead and did that too. Hope ya don't mind! (It was too cute to ignore. Regarding the other thread, although I never let people take advantage of me, I am a total sucker for animals!) Anybody here have experience nursing a BC through the whole Immiticide rigamarole? Love any tips or advice you've got about keeping them under threshold / quiet / calm during the process! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 I'm really grateful to hear that things are working out very well for you and Vala, and I hope that her new treatment will do the trick. Very best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PSmitty Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Best wishes for Vala! I'm sure she'll come through with flying colors. My Alex went through the traditional HW treatment (3 injections, 2 months of exercise restriction). Luckily, though, he's not a super high drive dog to begin with (well, until you get to flyball, but obviously we took a hiatus from that, herding and agility). Anyway, he was no problem to keep quiet. The hardest part was about a week or so after each injection, when he'd start to feel better and want to play ball. We picked up all balls around the house and yard, and took him out on leash, or towards the end, off leash, but always alone so he wouldn't run with the other dogs. He was crated if we weren't home, and we squashed any sign of him getting ready to romp indoors with the other dogs. I think you may find it easier than you think, but good luck anyway. I'm glad to hear she's doing so well, otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 I'll be sending my best wishes as well. Get some kongs, if you don't already have them, make some different kinds of mush that she'll love. You can use plain kibble soaked in broth or water, and add grated cheese or mix in a scrambled egg or leftover bits of meat, carrot, anything she likes to eat. Stuff the kongs, freeze, and give them to her to give her something quiet to do. Some dogs take a long time with bully sticks, or you can freeze marrow bones with stuff in them, too. I've never had to get a dog through heartworm treatment, but have had to do the quiet routine a couple times, and frozen kongs help a lot. Someone else with more direct experience will chime in, I'm sure. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WildFlower Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Best wishes to you and Vala! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Thank you both for the good wishes and prayers and thoughts! Kristen, I just gave Vala a pat. She rolled over and put up her paws for me to rub her belly. I went ahead and did that too. Hope ya don't mind! (It was too cute to ignore. Regarding the other thread, although I never let people take advantage of me, I am a total sucker for animals!) Anybody here have experience nursing a BC through the whole Immiticide rigamarole? Love any tips or advice you've got about keeping them under threshold / quiet / calm during the process! I had a rescue that went thru heartworm treatment. The vet had her take one aspirin a day for 30 days before he did the treatment. She did just fine. I don't remember her even being very sick but I think she stayed at the vets for 3 days. And she went to a really good home. The only thing I really remember him saying was that it probably would not be a good idea for her to work because he wasn't sure just how much heart damage she had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caerus Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Our last foster went through regular heartworm treatment with extended crate rest, and in his case it was easy to keep him calm. He had 'em bad, and was very sick (and pretty underweight), so he wasn't very excited about running around a lot anyway. That said, we kept him entertained with lots of chewing stuff (stuffed kongs/leos, knuckle bones, rmbs, etc.) and tricks that didn't require a lot of movement, like "shake". We kept him either in his crate or on a leash in the room with us 24/7, and he was also leashed to go outside. The hardest thing for us was keeping the dogs from wrestling and playing as they got to know each other. Good luck to Vala! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pansmom Posted December 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 I had a rescue that went thru heartworm treatment. The vet had her take one aspirin a day for 30 days before he did the treatment. She did just fine. I don't remember her even being very sick but I think she stayed at the vets for 3 days. And she went to a really good home. The only thing I really remember him saying was that it probably would not be a good idea for her to work because he wasn't sure just how much heart damage she had. How long ago was that? I never heard of the aspirin thing. Should I ask my vet about it? We're going to be restarting doxycycline and a cortizone shot concurrent with the Immiticide shot to stop the thromboembolism. It's supposed to work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pansmom Posted December 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Our last foster went through regular heartworm treatment with extended crate rest, and in his case it was easy to keep him calm. He had 'em bad, and was very sick (and pretty underweight), so he wasn't very excited about running around a lot anyway. That said, we kept him entertained with lots of chewing stuff (stuffed kongs/leos, knuckle bones, rmbs, etc.) and tricks that didn't require a lot of movement, like "shake". We kept him either in his crate or on a leash in the room with us 24/7, and he was also leashed to go outside. The hardest thing for us was keeping the dogs from wrestling and playing as they got to know each other. Good luck to Vala! She has - or at least did have - a bad case, when she came to us, but is no longer acting sick or underweight after the last four months of doxycycline and ivermectin treatment. The vet and I think she had a heavy load of microfilaria in her blood and it was really taxing her system. Huge improvement in her behavior when she started doxycycline the first time, and then again the month she went down from 4+ to 1+ microfilaria. Suddenly she wanted to run and play and chase squirrels... and, sadly, cats (thankfully we nipped that in the bud, mostly, though our small cat does like to try to get Vala to play with her). Also she started gaining weight much faster too. Now the only symptoms she has are an occasional cough, esp when there is collar pressure on her neck, and - this is the part I don't like - she wheezes a little when she lays a certain way (with her head up) we are pretty sure they're in her lungs. I think that's why the vet doesn't want to wait and keep trying the alt-treatment. She's got a lot of adult worms we think. However, the medication we've had her on seems to have decreased all her other problems so I'm worried she might feel better than she really is? I don't know. Thanks for this practical advice. This helps. We already do frozen reduced fat peanut-butter stuffed kongs, which she loves - I'll buy another so I can keep them on rotation - thanks everybody for that suggestion. And I'll look for some other quiet toys to keep on rotation too. I'll keep her crated or dragging a leash, away from cats, in the front of the house. And when we go outside to potty she will of course be on leash too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pansmom Posted December 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 I'll be sending my best wishes as well. Get some kongs, if you don't already have them, make some different kinds of mush that she'll love. You can use plain kibble soaked in broth or water, and add grated cheese or mix in a scrambled egg or leftover bits of meat, carrot, anything she likes to eat. Stuff the kongs, freeze, and give them to her to give her something quiet to do. She would love kongs with dairy-based mush (although she is a picky eater, she is pretty much a cheese FIEND), but unfortunately she can't have dairy as it can counteract the doxycycline (something about binding with the dairy). That's why I use reduced fat peanut butter, but I will try the scrambled egg with veggies and wet dog food too, thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooky Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Fingers crossed for Vala! I'm so happy you both found each other. She'll beat those darn worms yet. You could also try frozen canned food - and Odin LOVES canned green tripe (ick). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Fingers crossed for Vala! I'm so happy you both found each other. She'll beat those darn worms yet. You could also try frozen canned food - and Odin LOVES canned green tripe (ick). I'm with Ooky on the tripe stuff. I opened one can. Once. There's still a can sitting in my cupboard, I can't even bear to touch the stuff unopened. Very, very, extremely, really uber ick. The dogs, now, the dogs think it's the best thing ever. I'm glad none of them have figured out how the can opener works. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moabams Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Good wishes for Vala. Hope she gets better soon! but unfortunately she can't have dairy as it can counteract the doxycycline She can't have dairy at all? When I took doxycycline (not for heartworms!) they advised me to not take it with milk and to avoid dairy products/calcium supplements for 1-2 hours before and after taking (and I had to take it 2x a day), but I'm sure I could have dairy in between. Poor Vala. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcnewe2 Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Never heard of canned tripe. With my jouney into raw I was at the grocery and found fresh trepa. Well I thouht that was tripe so I bought it. Nope it's not tripe and personally I think it's grosser than tripe. Even the dogs wouldn't eat it. So someone told me to sear it so it would smell better but they thought I had tripe too. So like an idiot I took this nasty stuff cut it up (gagging while doing it) they tried to "sear" it. Got about 30 seconds in and had to quit. NO ONE would even touch it. I had to bury it cause I couldn't handle putting in the trash. Don't know what it was but we're not trying it again. Never did try tripe. But with Ruth's description don't think I will be either! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegy Posted December 23, 2009 Report Share Posted December 23, 2009 Good thoughts to Vala and I hope treatment goes well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pansmom Posted December 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2009 (not for heartworms!) She can't have dairy at all? When I took doxycycline (not for heartworms!) they advised me to not take it with milk and to avoid dairy products/calcium supplements for 1-2 hours before and after taking (and I had to take it 2x a day), but I'm sure I could have dairy in between. Poor Vala. Actually, you're right she can have it in between, thanks. I just always give her the 2xday meds with her 2xday food, so I haven't thought about it that way that I might be treating much more often during the treatment. But you're right I probably will be. I think I will stock up on Vala cheese etc. for the in between times since she probably won't be feeling well and it'd be nice to give her something exciting (and yes, for her, cheese is exciting -- every time I pull it out she pants excitedly and rushes to the spot in the corner of the kitchen where I treat her for not swarming while I'm cooking or eating, where she downs and stares at me politely, hoping to be noticed). Ewww, tripe. She generally shies away from red meat, preferring cheese and chicken, but I may try tripe since she does enjoy liver. But goodness, Ooky, GREEN TRIPE? I just read that means it has "some of the stomach's last content, giving it an unpleasant odor and causing it to be considered unfit for human consumption." Yes it is "desirable in dogs and other carnivores" but EWWWWW!!!!! Although I guess to be honest we had to buy a pet gate for the cat litter room, so my dog is into stink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooky Posted December 24, 2009 Report Share Posted December 24, 2009 Oh, I KNOW, I know. It is horrible, disgusting stuff. But it is apparently really good for them (I originally started feeding it after Becca Shouse recommended it). He gets one can a week, spread over 2 days' dinner if fed with kibble. When I had morning sickness the stuff would almost cause me to lose it every time. I would be like, "you had better BELIEVE I love you, dog," while he looked up at me going, "Tripe night?!? YAY!!!" Here's the stuff I buy: Tripett Green Tripe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted December 24, 2009 Report Share Posted December 24, 2009 Oh, I KNOW, I know. It is horrible, disgusting stuff. But it is apparently really good for them (I originally started feeding it after Becca Shouse recommended it). He gets one can a week, spread over 2 days' dinner if fed with kibble. When I had morning sickness the stuff would almost cause me to lose it every time. I would be like, "you had better BELIEVE I love you, dog," while he looked up at me going, "Tripe night?!? YAY!!!" Here's the stuff I buy: Tripett Green Tripe I obviously don't love my dogs as much as you love Odin. Poor things. Ruth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pansmom Posted December 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 24, 2009 Thanks for the link. I'm sure I'll try the tripe, next week sometime... I moved Vala's appointment to Monday 12-28 - chickened out about doing the first shot on a Saturday even though I have my vet's home phone number and he would be totally fine if I called him with a question on Sunday, would rather avoid the emergency vet if at all possible - and this way I will be able to see a friend who's only in town on Saturday without worrying about Vala. So please think of us on Monday, rather than Saturday if y'all d on't mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alchemist Posted December 25, 2009 Report Share Posted December 25, 2009 Mary: Sorry to be late to this thread (it's been one of those weeks, or two or three). Best wishes to Vala during her heartworm treatment! In terms of keeping a Border collie quiet - we had a lot of luck with frozen Kongs. In our case we used moistened kibble (no peanut butter or cheese) because we wanted to minimize calories. With joint problems, our pup couldn't afford to gain excess weight. But if weight isn't as much of an issue, then anything goes. Bully sticks were also a big hit, though I limited them to one a day: http://www.redbarninc.com/default.aspx . My vet isn't a big fan of bones, but my pup has had problems with diarrhea, so I was leery of rawhide chews. I've also been a bit leery of things that aren't manufactured in the United States ever since the recent melamine etc. scares; although Red Barn's chicken jerky is made in China, I don't see evidence that their other products come from anywhere other than the U. S. We also periodically gave Duncan ice cubes. He LOVES to chew on them, and hey, no calories! I'd give them in moderation, though; my dentist keeps telling me I'll lose my teeth if I continue to insist on chewing on ice cubes. We had to give them to him in his crate while he was supposed to be super-quiet, though, because otherwise he'd race through the house with one in his teeth until he found the perfect place to settle and chomp on them. We also worked on quiet games, like "catch" (as distinct from "fetch"): put the dog in a down stay and toss the ball. If he misses, he has to stay there; if he catches it, then he can roll it back to you and the game starts again. (The latter is easy to teach: just say "yes!" if he even nudges it with his foot, and immediately toss it back). If he misses, you can work on "wait" and "slowly!" as Vala gets up to walk in search of the toy. There are lots of other games you can teach that don't require a lot of aerobic exertion: "hug", "touch", "sing", "where's your _____" (name the toy in question). There are also treat-releasing toys you can purchase that can help keep dogs occupied. An example is the Buster cube: http://www.bustercube.com/ . I couldn't find them at my local pet stores; the other things kept our pup sufficiently occupied that I didn't think we needed them. Best of luck for a speedy recovery! I'm sure it will pass much quicker than you imagined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pansmom Posted December 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 So Vala had her shot of Immiticide today (along with cortizone and restarting doxycycline), and she seemed herself - completely - when I picked her up. Bounce in her step. Interest in birds in the ditch as she pottied before we got into the car (strong but restrained interest, pleasantly aborted when I told her "none of your business," her prey-drive cease-and-desist command). Also, they did another smear before they gave her her shot and she had zero microfilaria. Finally. But she was still coughing when she wasn't on doxycycline so they still wanted to do the shot. But things look good so far. Continued mojo please. Thanks Alchemist for the additional post, we're going to use frozen kongs (I bought a second), and we have a buster cube already around here somewhere, I'll try to find it, good idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy Coyote Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 How long ago was that? I never heard of the aspirin thing. Should I ask my vet about it?We're going to be restarting doxycycline and a cortizone shot concurrent with the Immiticide shot to stop the thromboembolism. It's supposed to work... It was a few year's ago. The aspirin is used to thin the blood a bit. I think it may lessen the danger if the heart worms start to pass thru the heart. I hadn't ever heard of it either but she really did well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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