Hind Sight is 20/20

There's so much "hustle and bustle" in preparing for a trip, when you live this far from your destination. Today my part of the prepartion for the trip was to search out the best decision as to what to do with Daisy: do we take her with us and drive or do we board her for six days and fly? Just even considering the "boarding" part is a stretch for me. There are so many positive and negatives to both. For one, if we were to board her, we would have to get her updated on her shots. I've recently learned that a veterinarian's signature is of utmost imporantance in boarding your pet. So, I scrambled to get her to the animal hospital today. As we sat in that little room, I felt like a parent, nervous for her child when she has to get her immunizations. I cringed as I watched them give her several shots, as she shaked with fear. I watched them draw blood, POKING HER THREE TIMES b/c they couldn't find the vein. I wanted to give them .50 cents of my mind, but finally they were able to draw some blood out. My eyes widened as they plunged the longest dern stick I've ever laid my eyes on, straight up her rear end. I thought to myself, "Who knows what I'm going to be like when this is my real child." I pondered how much I love this little baby pup that is a part of our every decision, every day. Yeah, I know she's just a dog, but we take such tender care of her, love her so much, and really she's teaching us a lot about caring for things besides ourselves. She is our little child for such a time as this, for we do not know any different. We take her out in the morning, feed and water her, crate her up, take her out in the afternoon and night, in the rain, sleet, snow, and lightening storms. We spend our money on toys, treats, food, and visits to the vet. I walk/run her on a daily basis, brush her coat,spend time teaching her how to sit, lay down, heel, shake, roll over and praise her with rewards when she is obedient. She's our little shadow that follows us to every room, making sure we are in sight. We pick up her poop, tortured by her "tuna-farts"(they are the WORST), clean up her random "Up-si-daisies" when her tummy isn't feeling good(she has a sensitive tummy), wipe her sleepies out of her eyes daily, give her baths, wrestle on the floor with her and play fetch with Iggy(her Iguana) every night. She wouldn't have it any other way. Really, we never leave far from home, for we have a little Daisy-Babies in need of so much attention and care.....As I sat on that little stool beside Daisy, waiting for the Vet to come in and give me a report of her blood work, I hoped all was well with her. Afterall she was an inside dog and we've taken such good care of her and....."I'm so sorry to tell you this, but Daisy has heartworms." To my dismay, my heart broke as I heard such news. I confess that we had not stressed much importance on taking these preventative measures, for we did not know that a dog contracts heartworms through a mosquito. I knew that heartworms could kill your dog, but I didn't know that such a young little puppy like Daisy, only a year and a half, would have them. I thought they contracted them through other dogs, and we had none. Talk about a sock to the stomach... If I had only known.... Hindsight is 20/20. I know that treating heartworms is so tough on a dog and it's family. There's a great risk involved here in treating this serious condition. She will need to stay at the Vet for several days because the procedure is so risky that she needs to be under their supervision. She will be heavily sedated while they inject potent medicine into her bloodstream and into her very heart to kill off the worms. This is not a little organ we are talking about here. The worms don't go anywhere after they are dead. It takes weeks to get them out of her heart and system. That's why it's vital that she doesn't run, play fetch, wrestle or anything for 5-6 weeks, because the segmented worms can clog her arteries and act as blood clots. This is a very expensive procedure as well, but one well worth the money if it saves my dog's life. I just didn't know how serious this news was until the vet began to educate me. I left there stunned. Hugh was at work, and I had no one to talk to. My thoughts ran wild....

From there, I went to peruse the Boarding Center near us to see their facilities. While there, I asked about Daisy and if they accepted dogs with heartworms. I couldn't believe what I was asking..MY DOG, having heartworms? A deadly disease? I felt burdened as I toured the facilities. The young lady giving me the tour seemed very disinterested in elaborating any detail to me concerning boarding up Daisy, because well...she was just that kind of person. You know when you meet 'em. They are people with few words. Not the saleswoman kind to say the least. It almost felt like it was SUCH a nice place, they didn't have to sell themselves. I felt like I asked a million questions. Even though it wasn't a great tour, I felt like that place was incredible and trustworthy. Looking back, I imagine that young lady discerned my disappointment, for as I began to turn away and head out the door, she expressed sympathy toward me concerning the news that my dog has heartworms. I was floored. I told her that I didn't know much about it and she told me that such procedures hurt dogs, are painful and are very hard on their systems. After I mustered up a ZERO-hearted smile and turned around, out came the tears that had been trying to surface the past few hours. Today has been a weepy day indeed... If you're an animal-lover, I'm sure you can sypathize with us.

We are about to head out of town this weekend, and after all of this, I believe we'll take her with us. I just don't feel like leaving her. But once we get back, she will need to undergo this serious procedure. I just wanted to post this to make sure that ya'll are well aware of the risks of not taking preventative heart medicine for your pets, as well as to shed a little bit of light on to our present-day reality.