Caoimhe
Caoimhe
I first heard about Caoimhe in Mid November 2004. I received an e-mail about a senior lab mix who was "Urgent", as many shelter dogs are, and who was to be euthanised after Thanksgiving. I had been looking for a companion for Bonnie and decided to apply to adopt Caoimhe.
I was honoured to be selected as Caoimhe's forever home - she arrived to retire on November 29th 2004. She was the sweetest and gentlest dog I have ever known, sitting, watching the world go by, occassionally gracing me with kisses. She had obviously been injured in the past, having numerous orthopedic problems, yet I had visions of many a year with her wanting belly rubs and to sun herself on the deck - this was not to be
A vet check on November 30th found Caoimhe had heartworm disease. She had obviously been an outside dog and had not been on heartworm preventative. The fact she was so quiet was likely not her nature, more an indication of how sick she was. Radiographs and auscultation sounded good, so we began heartworm treatment. Initially Caoimhe seemed to do OK, however by the end of the week she appeared to be deteriorating. Radiographs taken only 12 days after the initial set showed her heart had almost doubled in size and that Caoimhe had gone into heart failure. We tried medications to reduce fluid that was building in her abdomen and reduce her blood pressure, but all to no avail. On December 13th my vet told me that she had no chance and recommended that she be euthanised. I helped her to the bridge that morning - my heart was, and will ever be broken....
Heartworms live in the right side of the heart. When dogs are treated for heartworms the worms break up and migrate to the lungs where they are gradually reabsorbed by the body. Sometimes the worms can block the pulmonary artery, causing hypertension that leads to heart failure. This is likely what happened to Caoimhe. IT NEED NOT HAVE BEEN THIS WAY. One heartworm prevention tablet a month would have prevented this and Caoimhe would still be alive today. Please, if you have a dog and live in an area of the world where heartworm disease is present, talk to your veterinarian and follow their recommendations.
For more information on heartworm disease please visit the American Heartworm Society
Each year millions of unwanted pets are destroyed. Please help reduce this number by spaying / neutering - all my dogs are .
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