Dank's secret

This handsome face belongs to our dear friend, Dank M. He always crosses our thoughts in the spring months because he has a frightening story to tell. Dank was adopted as a young puppy from the animal shelter in Torrington. He is a tried and true Wyoming native, but you can probably tell that just by looking at him! He lived in Torrington for a couple of years and then made the move with his Mom to Casper. Dank is a homebody and has been here ever since. When he was about five years old, Dank’s Mom started working at Best Friends Animal Health Center. (Remember Meghan?) She learned a lot about pet health that she had not been told by Dank’s previous veterinarians. She realized that he had never been on heartworm prevention, made the informed decision to test him, and then get him started on prevention.

Imagine everyone’s shock when Dank’s test came back positive for heartworm disease! Heartworm disease is a condition caused by the heartworm parasite. It is transferred by mosquito bite and causes heart failure and inflammation in the pulmonary artery and lungs. Dank’s diagnosis was early enough that he was not yet showing symptoms from his heartworm disease. Symptoms can include exercise intolerance, coughing, shortness of breath, and/or death.

Dank was started on the American Heartworm Society’s recommended treatment protocol for heartworm disease.  This protocol includes x-rays, oral steroids, oral antibiotics, heartworm prevention medications, a series of arsenic-based injections called Immiticide, and confinement.  This was a very long and very expensive process for Dank’s Mom and a very long and painful process for Dank!  Heartworm treatment is extremely painful and very hard on the dogs that have to have it.

One year and three months after his initial diagnosis, Dank did test negative for heartworm disease.  The treatment worked!  Dank’s Mom was SO relieved to not have that hanging over their heads any longer!  Dank has been on heartworm prevention every month since and has been doing great!  We love seeing his sweet face and being on the receiving end of his wonderful hugs.  We are grateful he is here to wag his happy tail and share his heartworm “tail” with everyone, too!

April is National Heartworm Awareness Month.  In honor of this, we are offering a Heartguard special. 

15% Off 1 year (2 boxes) of Heartguard + $12 mail in rebate WITH a current, negative heartworm test.

For more information Click Here.