$22.50 per pound so far

Traveler's World, San Antonio, Texas 78214

February 18 - 25, 2013

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PETS:

I am NOT made of money...really! I now feel that I truly did save Renny's life. He's a little 12# munchkin, that a hawk, a wild animal or a vehicle could easy kill with him being loose all the time. We took him in to La Cantar Animal Hospital, which is owned by our English Setter Rescue's consultation vet, Dr. D. Thompson.
He had to have pre-testing for his neuter operation. He was given all the vaccines needed. I do not like to put so much stress on dog by doing all vaccines at once.  I like to do the normal vaccines, then rabies 6 months later. Yes, it makes for more vet visits, but this is what I prefer for peace of mind. But poor Renny was given all kinds of things his body will have to react to. His core vaccines, rabies, de-wormer and then anesthesia and operation. He seems to have handled it all very nicely.
Unfortunately, we discovered he is HW+ (heartworm positive). HW is transmitted via mosquitoes.
Long skinny worms live in the heart of the dog. So many develop, it clogs the heart making it unable to
work.

 Treatment for dogs with heartworm disease is fairly expensive and very difficult for both dogs and their caretakers. The dog gets a shot to kill the heartworm. Part of what is in this shot is arsenic! So the dog doesn't feel very well first off. Then we have to keep the dog quiet. As these long worms start to die, they break up and disperse through the blood stream which can cause blockages in the blood vessels of the lungs. Therefore, keeping the dog calm and mainly crated during and 6 wks after treatment is a must. So our little stray, who we are now fostering will be with us for a while.
Our rescue charges $300. to adopt a dog. Many people think that is way too much. But please look below at what we've spent on an itty 12# dog so far. This does not include the heartworm treatment.

$269.92. That comes out to $22.50 per pound of love. 

This price is WITH a rescue discount! Many of our rescue dogs come in HW+, so many of our adoption fees do not cover the vet expenses our rescue has had to pay. Add to the above bill, there can be a release fee if we are getting a dog from a shelter that is going to kill the dog. Sometimes we need to board the dog until volunteer transport can be arranged. So that's another expense that can be from $5. - $30./day x 7 days. 

Heartworm disease is easily prevented by giving a once monthly pill. You need a veterinary prescription for it, so please ask your vet about it.