(and how you can help)
In late February of this year, a dog
(pictured above) was found roaming around the neighborhood near the Publix in
Powder Springs. According to one neighbor, this dog had been wondering
around the neighborhood for well over a month. Some of the neighbors who
felt for it took turns feeding it, but no one took it in. She went
home with someone finally when a member of our staff took her home with him to
try to find her owners.
Ads were placed in the "found"
section of the Marietta Daily Journal as well as the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution. Fliers were distributed around to local
businesses. The Cobb County animal shelter and area veterinarian offices
also had fliers. No one came forward to claim this dog as
theirs. This was VERY odd, as she knew tricks, was extremely
friendly, and housebroken. We kept asking ourselves why someone would lose
a dog this smart and affectionate, and not seem to be hunting for her via the
papers or fliers tacked all over?
The decision was made that this dog would
be named "Mandy", and kept by our site photographer (Greg) who also
has two other dogs who seemed to like her well enough. He rescued his two
from a parking lot, and an abusive owner years ago, and since then has found a
number of strays around - almost every time being able to find their owners, or
at least a new home for them. This time however, he was stumped. He
went through his usual routes and came up with no info on this dog. So,
being the super softy for animals he is, he bit the financial bullet and decided
to pay for her shots, and consider keeping her or finding her a new home.
MANDY IS PICTURED ON THE RIGHT. TWO
OTHER DOGS THAT HAVE BEEN TAKEN IN ARE ON THE SOFA.
"LUCY" ON THE LEFT WAS ABANDONED IN A PARKING LOT, AND "ROXY"
ON THE RIGHT, COMES FROM AN EXTREMELY ABUSIVE HOUSEHOLD WHERE SHE WAS
STARVED AND BEATEN. AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY ARE SPOILED NOW. WE
HOPE TO GIVE MANDY THE SAME OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME AS SPOILED.
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On March 9th, he took Mandy in to the vet
for a set of yearly shots, and to fix her up from common things you find
in strays (ear mites, dry skin, etc). All looked great so far - she
handled the vet visit well enough, and the staff fell in love with her puppy dog
eyes, as she would sit in front of them and put her paw on their leg as if to
say, "Hey, I love you too!". The a member of the staff came out
from the back with a not-so-good look on her face. The reason?
Mandy's test results show she is positive for heartworm.
What It Is -
Treatment - Cost
Heartworms are caused by mosquito larva
(of which we have tons of here). Basically the way we understand it, a dog
will drink standing water outside that has the larva in it, or, a mosquito which
is just about to lay larva will fly into their mouths, and as time goes on, the
larva develop into worms. These worms make their way to the heart, where
the dog will eventually die from them rather painfully. All
veterinarian offices sell a monthly pill (or shot) that can be given to dogs
which controls heart worms from developing, but unfortunately, many people
do not bother to give these to their dogs, and this is the result.
If it's caught early enough, it can be
treated with some very powerful chemicals, at a cost of OVER $500.00. The
treatment takes several months to complete, and during this time the dog cannot
run, play, go on walks, or over exert themselves, as the treatment leaves the
dog very susceptible to a heart attack. It's not only expensive, but
nerve wracking for the owners who must keep an energetic dog quiet for literally
months... all because the previous owner would not spend a few dollars on that
once a month preventative pill!
We're Asking For
Your Help!
You can't save every stray dog out there,
and Powder Springs sure seems to have a disproportionate number of them,
too! We are however, going to try to save THIS one. We're told that
after the long heartworm treatment, she should be perfectly fine, and able to
live a normal long life. Being guessed at around 4-5 years old now,
that will give her another possible ten years of life to have fun with! If
left untreated, she will have to be euthanized ("put to sleep" is a
nicer though inaccurate way of saying it). We're putting money in the bin
for her treatment, and hope there are some animal lovers around who will do the
same to help take care of this costly procedure to save her life.
Below are some links which will allow
anyone who wishes to contribute to her treatment to make a donation. With
her shots and this heartworm treatment, we're talking over $650.00 to raise to
get her back up to speed. When you click on a button with the appropriate
amount you'd like to donate, it will take you to a service called "Paypal"
which if you follow the directions, will allow you to make your donation with a
credit card or check card. You do not need a Paypal account and do not
need to "log in" to make a donation... just click where it says
"If you have never paid through Paypal before, click HERE" and it will
send you to a form. Just fill it out carefully and the payment will be
made.
Greg will be collecting the money via his
Paypal account, and putting
it into a special Mandy account. 100% of all
money collected will go ONLY toward the treatment and maintenance of this
dog. We'll keep vet records so folks who would like to know where the money's
going can see that, too.
If you would prefer to make your donation
through the mail, please send an email by clicking HERE
and we'll promptly email you instructions on how to do so. Below that will be some links to sites that
explain heartworm better, and how to prevent this from happening to YOUR dogs.
Thank you!
Donations
| Click the appropriate link for the
amount you'd like to donate, below. Then follow the
instructions. If you have trouble, or if you would like to find
out how to make a donation via mail, please click HERE
and we'll email you back. Thank you. |
| Now ready: Greg has done a
spring blossom portrait just for this cause, and we now have prints
ready to mail out! Those making donations of $30.00 or more will
receive an 8 x 10 inch print, and those making $20.00 donations can
receive an email of it. For more information on this offer and the
details, Q&A, etc., please click the small photo just below, and it
will take you to the appropriate page and much more
information.
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Click HERE
to make a $3.00 donation.
Click HERE
to make a $5.00 donation.
Click HERE
to make a $10.00 donation.
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CLICK THE PHOTO ABOVE
FOR MORE INFO FOR THOSE MAKING DONATIONS LARGER THAN $10.00
Click HERE
to make a $20.00 donation.
Click HERE
to make a $30.00 donation.
Click HERE
to make a $40.00 donation.
Click HERE
to make a $50.00 donation.
Thank you VERY much.
*An Important Link*
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HEARTWORM
DISEASE, PLEASE VISIT THE "AMERICAN HEARTWORM SOCIETY" WEB PAGE BY
CLICKING HERE.
YOU WILL FIND VERY VALUABLE INFORMATION ON WHAT THIS DISEASE IS, WHAT CAN HAPPEN
TO YOUR PET IF YOU DO NOT PREVENT IT WITH THE PROPER MEDICATIONS, AND FIND
TESTING AND TREATMENT INFO AS WELL.
M a n d y's B L O G
Here we'll post Mandy's "blog"
(journal) to keep folks informed to her progress. Depending on which
computer and type of browser you're using, you may wish to click the
"refresh" or "reload" button on top to make sure the newest
info loads.
MARCH 9, 2004:
Many is taken to a local veterinarian who gives her yearly shots including
rabies, parvo, and the rest. She is given a treatment for an ear mite
infection she has, and is treated for an anal gland problem (that part is gross,
you may not want to know). Her heartworm test comes up
"positive". We are told she will need a series of five
treatments over a period of months, at a cost of over $500. During this
treatment period, she will not be able to be very active due to an increase risk
of heart attack. A crate (cage) may have to be purchased to keep her still
during days when no one is home, and a stake and tie-down will be purchased for
the yard so she doesn't chase animals and get overworked when she's outside.
MARCH 11, 2004:
An appointment has been made with a second vet for another opinion and treatment
options. This vet explains that they will administer a new test which will
determine the level of severity of the infestation. She may not need five
full treatments! An appointment has been made, and we will begin
over with this vet with her appointment early next week.
MARCH 15, 2004:
Some folks are mailing in donations to Mandy's treatment fund (thanks ahead of
time). As far as Paypal donations via the link above, we have received a
confirmed $93.00 in donations. Thanks to
those who have donated so far. Mandy's treatments start tomorrow morning.
MARCH 16, 2004:
Mandy's appointment went as expected - they [the new vet] did confirm she has
heartworm by doing a new blood test. It is probably at a "stage 1 or
stage 2" (middle, but not the most advanced type of infestation). She
is staying at the vet's office for three days, where she will receive two shots
over a two day period, and the third day being simply for observation to make
sure she handles the medication ok. She will return home for a month,
where she will then go back and this same schedule will be repeated.
During this time, activities will be very limited (no running,
etc.). She is being kept in a decent kennel and her favorite dog bed
fit just right in it, so she should be reasonably comfortable for these three
days.
MARCH 19, 2004:
Mandy came home today from her first treatment! All seemed to go
well. She didn't freak out being in a pen at the vet for four days, and
although she's a little run down, act like herself. Now comes the very
hard part - keeping her reasonably quiet and inactive for a month, when she now
wants to play and run! She has to be leash-walked every time she
goes outside now to keep her from getting over active, and cannot play with the
other dogs for at least these four weeks or a little longer. She must take
aspirin each day to keep her blood thin during the recuperating process, and
take extra dog vitamins. Sounds like a lot, but she IS on the path
to getting better! Not every dog that goes through this can say the same
thing, so we're happy on this end so far. We'll keep updating as to her
general health, how she reacts to things, etc., during the period between
visits.
We have received a confirmed $168.00 in donations
so far for Mandy's treatment and shots... Thank you! To date, her
medical bills, shots, etc., have totaled approximately $425.00.
There will be smaller amounts added to the total as follow-up treatments are
given to her. Please note that 100% of all money donated to the Mandy fund
will be spent ONLY on her ongoing treatments/vet bills, etc. This weekend
we'll be adding a special offer to those who donate $30.00 or more, by giving
away an 8x10 blossom print taken by resident photographer and Mandy caregiver
Greg. Check back here later this weekend for more info.
MARCH 20, 2004:
We now have 8 x 10 prints available for people making certain donations.
Please look above to the donations area for more info!
APRIL 14, 2004:
Mandy had her second treatment on Tuesday. This time around it was a
different set of chemicals, and while they are normally a slightly weaker
treatment than the first, she has more reactions to this one. She is very
tired most of the time, her mind is wondering a bit, and she gets short of
breath very easily. These are supposedly very short term side effects
however, and should subside shortly. She will get a third treatment in a
week. After the third treatment, she will be tested again, and there's a
chance she may just be able to go on a regular monthly heartworm pill to finish
the job. If not, she'll undergo more treatments (the number of treatments
varies per dog, per amount of infestation, etc.).
Please note, that the "Mandy prints" are still available for donations
to Mandy's treatment (see details and link above). To date Mandy's
treatments/bills are approximately $500.00, and
donations received come to $193.00.
APRIL 22, 2004:
Mandy went in this past Tuesday for another treatment. Her last one had
more of an effect on her than the first, leaving her lethargic, and with a loss
of appetite and some heaving and throwing up. This time around, an
additional shot was given to her to help ease these, and she's not experiencing
as many side effects. This could be her last treatment! She is being
retested and must still not be allowed to get overly excited for at least a
couple of months, but she's out of the woods, so to speak.
At this point we're going
to end Mandy's blog because we're no longer getting questions via emails.
Donations stopped long ago as well, so we're assuming interest is no longer
there to maintain this. We ARE still accepting donations! Mandy's
vet bills are over $600.00
at this point, and anything folks would like to donate is
appreciated. Certain donations are eligible for the 8 x 10 inch
"Mandy's Blossoms" print as well, as they're still available!
Click HERE for more info on those.
Soon, we'll remove this
blog and simply have a page where we will be selling the Mandy's Blossoms print
among others. Sales of the print(s) will go towards her medical bills, the
medical bills of other rescued dogs we're caring for, and a portion to
dog-related charities. Watch this site for that new page, which we're
expected to redo around June. Thanks to all who cared!
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