HEARTWORM TREATMENTS-DAY ONE!

Today was Dos' first day of the long awaited heartworm treatments.

I woke up early, at 6 am to take Dos to work with me, because we needed to go directly from there to the APA! clinic to get the heartworm treatment.

She could sense my apprehension, I think, because when I tried to get her out of her bed, she was grumbly and turned herself into dead weight. I had to pull the bed out of the crate with her on it and sweet talk her into standing up. Once she stood up, she didn't want to leave her bed at all, so I had to carry her to the car, where, as usual, she rode with her front paws on my lap.(Maybe she doesn't like my driving).

She hung out with me at work, under the desk or following me around to clean. She was very good, and didn't bark or growl at any of the other dogs, which I was expecting. She wasn't afraid at all.

I administered Dos' pain meds, and we left for the clinic.
We got to the clinic a bit early, and Dos waited patiently, laying on the floor.

When they called her back, she wasn't apprehensive about the vet's office at all, even though she has been poked and prodded so many times.

They shaved the teeny bit of fur on her back and prepared the injection site.  They asked me to pet her head/face and speak loudly to her, to distract her.

She didn't notice the injection (a large needle going very deep) at all. She took it like a champ.
They told me what to look for (labored breathing, blue gums, collapse) and what I should be worried about, and we were on our way! The process itself was easy-what was to come later was difficult.

Dos screamed in the car. She whined and whined and whined. She actually sat in the back seat (well...rolled around on the seat). Once we got home, I got her situated in her favorite spot on the couch with a soft blanket and petted her until she stopped whining enough to fall asleep-but the second she would almost fall asleep, she would start to panic and scoot her body to the edge of the couch, roll off, and drag herself to every corner of the room to lay down to get comfortable.

I tried putting her in her crate, as it is important to keep a dog undergoing heartworm treatments calm, as the worms die and break apart, you don't want to put any undue strain on  their heart/lungs.

In her crate, she was restless, and trying to dig her way out, which was making things worse-so I took her back onto the couch and just cuddled with her, to keep her still.

She didn't like her back or tail being pet, or anywhere near it. She got a bit growly with me when I was too near the back of her, so I just sat with her and petted her little ears until she finally fell asleep.


She slept through the night, and I finally got her into her crate so I could sleep, too. She slept soundly, snoring away all night, as per usual-and this morning, she was thumping her tail against the side of her crate, happy to see me.


I think our girl is going to be alright.


Today, is the second round of the treatment. I'm less nervous about the process..but it's so much poison, and still runs a risk...so I'm just trying to stay positive.