Our Dog of the Week is Jenny. She is a Lab mix and her shelter story includes her whole family. She gave birth to 4 puppies while in animal control at a small rural town outside of our immediate area. A ‘sister’ rescue found out the town leaders wanted the animal control officer to shoot the puppies because they had been there for several months. When we found out their plan we took the puppies into the shelter to save them from that fate. Two have been adopted, one is pending adoption approval, and one is currently available.
Then we found out that their mother was in the same situation. Jenny is a very sweet girl with ice-blue eyes, but while she is safe in our care, her trials are far from over. Jenny has tested positive for Heartworm and will need to undergo several months of treatment. Her prognosis is good, but Heartworm treatments are expensive and can be very painful for the patient. It is a serious disease that can result in severe lung disease, heart failure, other organ damage, and even death if untreated. It is caused by a parasitic worm called Dirofilaria immitis. The larvae are spread through the bite of a mosquito and the female worms can mature up to 11 inches long. Adult D. immitis inhabit the pulmonary arteries, and during severe infections can migrate into the right atrium, right ventricle, and inferior vena cava leaving the heart.
Arkansas is ranked fifth in the states with the highest incidence of Heartworm Disease. And it is totally preventable! A once-monthly chew, topical treatment, or a shot every 6 months can prevent this deadly disease (all available from a veterinarian). Please use Jenny’s story as a cautionary tale – all dogs should be receiving Heartworm prevention to avoid the pain and expense of the treatment or even the death of your beloved pets.
We would love to see Jenny in a good home rather than a kennel while she undergoes treatment. She has been very quiet and well behaved while in the kennel and loves people. She is shy but warms up to individuals quickly. Sweet Jenny will be available for adoption once her treatments are complete.
This week’s featured kitty is Patches. She is a beautiful torbie (tortoiseshell tabby) and we estimate her at about six months old. She was carried into the Shelter in early February during one of our three-day spay/neuter clinics. A lady found her and it appeared she had been attacked by a dog sometime ago. The wound looked really bad and we weren’t sure she was going to make it. But the vet who was here that day cleaned up her wound and prescribed antibiotics. After a while, she perked back up and now her wound is completely healed.
Patches is a very sweet girl and we think she knows how lucky she is. She’s very playful but not too vocal.
If you’d like to meet Jenny, Patches,or any of our other adoptables, please call Have A Heart at 870/449-7387 or stop by at 657 Highway 202 West in Yellville during our normal business hours, Tuesday through Saturday, 9 am to 3 pm.