Hi Richard!

>>I can relate to that.  Thank goodness we've only the one young Rottweiler. wE
>>keep her on the once a month preventative pill.  Our last Rott we adopted off
>> the streets of inner city NEw ORleans had a bad case of heartworm.

>> That's sad... luckily we have yet to see a dog with it.. we do try
>> to keep no standing water around as much as possible though.. well,
>> as much as we can.

> SHe still lived to be an estimated 14 years old, but her last year or so was
> pretty miserable.  I think I've told her story here in this echo, so won't
> repeat it. Badly mistreated and neglected when we adopted her.

I always feel like if you can make some part of the animal's life good and
happy, then at least you tried to make a difference, know what I mean?

> the vet wanted us to consult a canine cardiologist about possible cures, but
> for the estimated price and the time she had left we figured to let her live
> out what life she had and enjoy it. They also wanted us to change her diet
> radically to make the heart work less hard, but about the only thing the poor
> old girl had left to enjoy was food.
> THis was after Katrina when we ended up here in TEnnessee.  AT that time we
> didn't figure that she had another two years at most anyway.

Yeah, after what all of you went through with Katrina, I'm sure that added
some more stress to the dog's heart... and I know what you mean about the
only thing she had left to enjoy was food at that point..  Its so sad when
you see you dog not able to run, or walk.. I went through that with two of
my dogs, for other reasons, but still bad to have to watch :(

>> We use frontline as well.. Works great over here.  I order it online
>> if we're not going to be stopping in at that vets for whatever
>> reason.

> WE just get ours from the vets.

I grew up with everything in the village where I lived, so Windsor drives
me up a wall sometimes... everything is like 15-20 minutes away
.  It just seems so darn "country" here sometimes :)
So rather than get in the car, I'll just get the stuff online unless we're
going to the vet's anyway for updates for shots, etc.. :)

>>If you live in the southern U.S. the flea collars aren't effective according
>> vets I've consulted.  THe fleas have mutated to be able to withstand the
>> chemistry of those flea & tick collars.

>> Actually, I think that's true all over.. up here in in NYS, where we
>> do indeed get the deep freeze through Dec./Jan./Feb., those flea
>> collars and powders do NOT work anymore.   They really barely worked
>> years ago when we used to use them on our Irish Setter when I was
>> kid growing up in Warwick, NY.. :(

> I've heard that elsewhere too.  Same as with other organisms that antibiotics
> are supposed to fight, the organisms become antibiotic resistant, around and
> around we go.

Yep.. very true..

Hey, Carol Shenkenberger should be showing up here soon!  She's got a new
dog! Cash is his name, he's a rescue fella who sounds really neat... :) 
He's also a Heartworm survivor.. so far, just treatments from the vet..

I'll let her tell you all about him when she gets here 

Take care,
Janis

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