Straydog UPDATE posted FRIDAY 3/14/03 at ~9:07 p.m. CT

Pat Arnold's Daily Dog Log

FRIDAY MARCH 14 2003

News just in this evening from our vet: Alice (formerly Allie) has heartworm disease

      Here it is 5:00 p. m., we've had a fairly good day today, but now our vet just called to say that the heartworm tests he sent off to the lab last Monday (done on new arrivals Alice and Sally) came back and one of them shows that Alice is positive for heartworm disease, which isn't very good  news. (Alice and Sally were rescued at the Tenison Golf Course in Dallas last Sunday.)

      The "preliminary" test for heartworms our vet does in his office showed her to be negative for the disease, but he also sends off the blood sample to a lab to be tested to make doubly sure the dog does not have this disease, and these Lab results show Alice to be positive for heartworm disease. (We had previously reported (going only by the results of our doctor's test) that she did not have heartworms. We were wrong.)

      This doesn't really surprise us, tho. I actually expected both dogs to have heartworm disease because most all stray dogs do. I guess that the bright side to this is that at least Sally is okay.

Alice will begin the treatment for heartworm disease this Monday

      I'll take Alice in for her first heartworm treatment this Monday morning, and she will go again the following day for the second treatment. Because Alice is a young dog, approximately two years old, and she appears to be fairly healthy now, Dr. Morton anticipates she'll come
through this with no problems. I think Alice will be the 13th dog we've had treated successfully for this disease.

Corky went to the vet clinic for his second vaccination today

      This tiny pooch snuggled up on my lap for the 25-minute drive to the clinic, and he didn't move an inch. He is just so happy to be cuddled when any of us pick him up to hold him, and he will just clings to us. He loves to be held, and he was just as snuggley on the ride back home. He had his second vaccination today and is just fine the doctor said.