I have a rescue group that is adopting free dogs to good homes. All dogs are heartworm negative, spayed/neutered and vaccinated. The only thing they need is a rabies (not legally allowed to give) and dewormer (can buy cheap at feed store once you get pet). All new owners must agree to put dog on heartworm prevention. Contact me at 919-302-7066.

9/23/2008 10:26:59 AM

heartworm prevention is such a scam.

i've never had our dogs on it, and they've never had heartworm. Yes, i know they can get it, but the chances are so miniscule that it's not worth spending several hundred dollars a year for it.

9/23/2008 11:05:16 AM

"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of treatment"

I think it's worth it. Heartworm treatment is EXPENSIVE and not fun for the dog.

9/23/2008 11:19:30 AM

it's like buying a $100 DVD player, and paying $30 for the protection plan.

but there's a sucker born every minute.

9/23/2008 12:13:16 PM

its like the life of a dog, who is your best friend and whom you can become emotionally attached to, definitely compares to an expendable piece of your entertainment center.

but there's an asshole born every minute

9/23/2008 12:23:03 PM

BobbyDigital, that is the most asinine thing I have heard!!!!!! The chances of a dog getting hw's in NC is over 90%. In fact, most dogs we get into our rescue our hw positive. It costs A LOT of money to treat, the disease can KILL a dog, and the treatment and disease are really hard on the dog's body.

You should not be allowed to own a dog if you can't pay a damn $6/month to prevent something like that. People like you really piss me off!

[Edited on September 23, 2008 at 12:50 PM. Reason : i spelled something wrong!]

9/23/2008 12:50:35 PM

dito on ^ what Jeremi said

9/23/2008 1:09:13 PM

As a kid, my mother didn't keep our dogs on heart worm prevention and they both got heart worms. One died with it and she had to spend ALOT of money to treat the other.

My older brother and his wife did not realize that they had to keep their dogs on heart worm prevention and both of their dogs died with heart worms because they were too stupid to do anything about it.

With the humidity in NC and the number of mosquitoes, 45% of all dogs who are not on prevention are infected with heart worms. NC is a "hot spot" for heart worm infection. Prevention is cheap and far from being a scam.

If your dog had not specifically been tested for heart worms, you have no way of knowing whether or not your dog is infected. If your dog is inactive, it takes even longer for there to be noticeable symptoms. By the time you notice that your dog is suffering from congestive heart failure, it is usually too late.

[Edited on September 23, 2008 at 2:23 PM. Reason : .]

9/23/2008 2:06:41 PM

Quote :

"45% of all dogs who are not on prevention are infected with heart worms"

Where did you pull that statistic from? Certainly not from this..

Quote :

"The American Heartworm Society (AHS) estimates that only 55% of dogs in the U.S. are currently on a heartworm preventive, leaving 27 million dogs at risk of acquiring heartworm disease. "

--
My mom never did heartworm prevention with the dogs I grew up with. I haven't done it now. That is 0 infections for 9 dogs.

[Edited on September 23, 2008 at 2:49 PM. Reason : tidbit]

9/23/2008 2:48:09 PM

I have a cat with heartworm, which is even more bizarre than dogs with it. Its kinda sad. :-( poor xena.

9/23/2008 3:15:03 PM

Don't worry. Xena is a warrior. She'll pull through.

9/23/2008 3:37:32 PM

"lickher" that is the US NOT NC!!

http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article.asp?id=1141 look at the map.

I can't remember where I found my data for the percent of dogs that get hws in NC. I did a project on it in college.

9/23/2008 3:47:04 PM

haha@Martin County.

9/23/2008 4:04:17 PM

the units aren't complete on that map so it really doesn't tell you anything. is it cases per clinic per week, year, month, ever..?

9/23/2008 4:19:32 PM

^^If you want to know more about pets in Martin County, check out our thread in the lounge.

9/23/2008 4:33:25 PM

Quote :

"The highest infection rates (up to 45%) in dogs (not maintained on heartworm preventive) are observed within 150 miles of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from the Gulf of Mexico to New Jersey and along the Mississippi River and its major tributaries."

http://www.heartwormsociety.org/article.asp?id=1143

Eastern North Carolina is a "hotspot." Some areas in the US have a <5% infection rate, but that is mainly in drier regions without large mosquito populations.

---

And some people simply do not realize that their dogs have died from heartworms. The signs and symptoms are almost unnoticeable, especially if you do not have an active dog. People just assume that their dogs are aging and slowing down without realizing that their heart, lungs, and other organs are failing because of heartworm infection.

9/23/2008 7:00:42 PM

On a different note... The dewormer that you get at any normal store (I think I've even seen it at food lion) does not always work for every type of worm, or for severe cases of worms. It's best if you go to the vet to get the good stuff, especially if you see any signs (diarrhea) that the dog might have an issue.

And for the love of god, get heartworm prevention. If you're too cheap to spring for heartworm preventative, you're too cheap to own a dog. It's like not getting a tetanus shot and crossing your fingers that you won't step on a rusty nail and wake up with lockjaw. Just plain damn stupid.

Good luck finding homes for the dogs!

9/23/2008 7:55:57 PM

Quote :

"(up to 45%)"

Oh okay. You just went on ahead and assumed the maximum is the minimum.

^wow. terrible example. tetanus (for adults) is once every 10 years, and not very expensive at all.

[Edited on September 23, 2008 at 9:48 PM. Reason : -]

9/23/2008 9:34:45 PM

Even if only 1 out of 10 dogs that were not on heart worm preventatives ended up infected, it is still too high of a chance to take with your pet. Especially when you consider that heart worms kill and the cost of treatment is astronomical. If your dog is not important enough to you to spend less than $7 a month on prevention, then why even have a dog?

And seriously, heartworm prevention is not expensive at all and most brands also prevent intestinal worms. Intestinal worms that can also infect humans, might I add. It is not uncommon for children to pick up intestinal worms from household pets, so even if you don't give a flying flip about your pet, you may want to look out for your children.

9/23/2008 10:23:32 PM

Quote :

"The chances of a dog getting hw's in NC is over 90%."

i call bullshit.

my boxer is 6 years old, my brittany is 4.

neither have ever been on heartgard, and neither have ever had heartworms, which they get checked for by default at their annual vet visit.

90% huh? two dogs with 10 years of life between the two of them, and both have been heartworm free their whole lives....

9/24/2008 7:02:36 PM

^there are also smokers who don't get lung cancer, its all about sample size


back to the original topic...is there a website for your rescue group or any pics of the dogs available?

9/24/2008 7:31:51 PM