Our guy’s name is Ivan – a beautiful boxer/mastiff cross that we fell in love with as soon as we saw him on the Camp Lotsa Dogs website. We met him and adopted him right away. To make a long story short, Ivan turned out to be HeartWorm “positive”. Regardless, nothing would change the fact that Ivan was a part of our family now and we’d do whatever we could to make him better. It was scary at first, knowing absolutely nothing about the disease .. but don’t let it scare you off .. HeartWorm is a fully preventable and treatable disease with no long term side effects to your dog. Here’s a little bit of information we have learned along the way with Ivan .. hope it helps!!

Our vet said he was only the second case of HeartWorm he has EVER seen in his whole career – so right away, we were terrified. After a LOT of research and back and forth with vets, Su and just about everyone else I could find, it was determined all we needed was a few treatments of HeartGuard, rest and some other medications! *PHEW* What a relief! Along with some medication, Ivan was also put on HeartGuard for a year (as opposed to the 6 months a year that vets reccommend) and he’s now as happy and healthy as ever and has recently tested NEGATIVE for any kind of HeartWorm both last Fall and this Spring. We wanted to get him tested just to be sure So every ounce of worm in him was gone thanks to the medication and proper treatment.

Now here are a few things we have learned along our journey with Ivan .. What is commonly called “heartworm disease” is not really a disease at all. Rather, it is an infection by adult parasites called Dirofilaria immitis, which live inside the pulmonary arteries, the right heart chambers and, in severe cases, the vena cava and veins of the liver. Properly treated, this disease is NOT fatal.

How do dogs get heartworms? Only by the bite of an infected mosquito. There’s no other way dogs get heartworms. And there’s no way to tell if a mosquito is infected.
It takes about 7 months, once a dog is bitten by an infected mosquito, for the larvae to mature into adult heartworms. They then lodge in the heart, lungs, and surrounding blood vessels and begin reproducing. Adult worms can grow up to 12 inches (GROSS, I know!) in length, can live 5-7 years, and a dog can have as many as 250 worms in its system.

There are also different treatments to treat HeartWorm. There is the injection (that Ivan recieved in Ohio – where he is originally from) and then there is also the slow-kill method. The vets are able to determine which is right for your dog based on the amount of adult and/or microfalaria (“baby” worms) in your dogs system. The levels of “baby worms” can be found through bloodwork. Chest xrays can also be done for adult worms around the heart. Luckily Ivan only had “baby worms” left in him after the treatment in Ohio, so he was just put on the proper medication.

I know HeartWorm seems scary and your vet may try to convince you to worry BUT that’s only because it is so scarce here in Canada. In the States, it’s VERY common and they deal with it all of the time. Our vet was GREAT during this time with Ivan as well. Innisfil Vet Hospital Dr. Saini – WONDERFUL. Do your own research – don’t let the vets scare you into something that they’re not even familiar with.

Also VERY important: After treatment – Why do you have to keep your dog quiet during the several months he’s being treated for heartworms? After treatment, the worms begin to die. And as they die, they break up into pieces, which can cause a blockage of the pulmonary vessels and cause death. That’s why dogs have to be kept quiet during the treatment and then for several months afterward.

So when you’re adopting a dog, don’t let the word “HeartWorm” scare you off Once they’ve been treated for it, just some medication, REST and you’ve got a happy, perfectly healthy dog again! If anybody has any questions, feel free to contact me. We’ve become our own experts on HeartWorm

I checked with OVMA and The college and THEY HAVE NO BLANKET POLICY IN PLACE altho they recommend it. Unless it’s in the vet act it is NOT LAW AND NOT REQUIRED.

VETS DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO DICTATE POLICY OVER YOUR WALLET OR YOUR PET.

According to the OVMA (see Harwood Pet Hospital email Jan 14) they RECOMMEND testing and BASE it on the AMERICAN Heartworm Association.  Americans have HW up the Kazoo cuz prevention is not used. HERE IT IS USED.

If you use Revolution, Sentinal, all those HW/FLEA/TICK meds correctly from june to november they are 100% effective. If by some fluke your dog does get hw anyway those companies WILL PAY FOR TREATMENT.

Why testing? The test is for LAST YEARS EXPOSURE. we have mosquitoes (HW carriers) from apprx may/june to frost in November. If you’re on prevention your dog won’t develope HW.

HW takes about 6 mos to develope adult worms and are easier to detect as adults. If your dog was bitten on DEC 1st (when no prevention used) he will test positive for sure by may/june when we test. Unless you travel to warm countries he can not get bitten by a mosquito when none exist here in the winter.

If your dog does get HW by the time you test in may HE WILL SHOW PHYSICAL SIGNS OF ILLNESS LIKE WEIGHT LOSS WHEN EATING AND EATING TO NAME ONE SYMPTOM THAT WILL MAKE YOU GO TO A VET AND GET TESTING DONE. If you’re dog is normal, even fat, the chances of him having heartworm are pretty much ZERO.

Many of you have tested year after year – have any of your dogs tested positive IF THEY WERE NOT ILL, IF THEY GOT PREVENTION THE PREVIOUS YEAR AND/OR WERE NOT A RESCUE DOG LAST YEAR OUR OF YOUR CONTROL?

So when you get tested just cuz of your vet’s ‘policy’ if you are one of 1000 clients of theirs who pay $30 per test you are putting $30,000 – yes THIRTY THOUSAND DOLLARS into that office for NOTHING. If you all want to give away $30,000 $30 at a time please, please send it OUR WAY cuz we sure need it.

More information

Your Heart Worm testing policy is especially notable as a scam of the greatest magnitute netting vets with 1000 clients in excess of $30,000 in May of each year alone.

Everyone thinks they are alone in being taken advantage of in your policies and practices but it is my intention in this new year to make everyone aware that they do not have to take this crap from you.

This is the email regarding Dr Chapin and Harwood pet hospital specifically but i have well over 1000 people in readership on my blog and i will do EVERYTHING in my power to make sure people know that your policies may apply to your members but they DO NOT APPLY TO US:

One of our adoptors went in to bring their new dog for an exam, poop test and get the 2 boxes of revolution the dog needed to complete heart worm treatement (main treatment had been started by a licenced, competent vet and all paperwork provided from them with address and tel# too) Simple right? WRONG!

The client met with Dr Chapin who looked over the paper work and said ‘OH MY GOD!! IT’S ILLEGAL TO BRING A DOG ACROSS THE BOARDER WITHOUT A PARVO SHOT! (parvo shot was given and listed and all a dog needs technically is a rabies shot anyway). and ‘OMG HE’S NOT NEUTERED!!” (never felt the empty place btewn his legs? AND it was listed on the paperwork) and ‘OMG HE HAS HEARTWORM” (no shit dear glad you suddenly learned to read) and a few other ‘OMG!!”s as well too numberous and TOO STUPID to mention.

ANYWAY, the ‘Dr’ called me and i told her he’s BEEN TREATED and WHERE in the paperwork she could find it and all they needed was Revolution and she said (i kid you not) ‘OMG!! I HAVE TO TEST FIRST” and i said “OMG!! NO YOU DON’T! HE’S BEEN TESTED ALREADY! HOW DO YOU THINK THEY FOUND OUT HE WAS HW POSITIVE ???”
She said the OVMA requires her to test b4 giving out the Revolution and i said ‘ I seriously doubt the OVMA made you the only one able to test in the world’ and he was tested so give them the stuff cuz the test right now will be positive as it will be for the next 8 mos so you are ripping this woman off.

She said she needed to know the serverity of the HW and i said no you don’t cuz no one is asking for your opinion on treatment options thanks anyway,..
She then said she needed to LOOK UP TREATMENT options and i reminded her that AN EXPERIENCED VET TREATED HIM ALREADY and you can’t find out the SERVERITY IF HE’S ALREADY BEEN TREATED!!

When we’d hung up she gave the dog  a HW TEST ANYWAY AND ANOTHER PARVO SHOT FOR NO REASON!!, essentially double dosing a dog recovering from HW and it’s treatment, then tells the client that she will get salmonella if her dog eats raw food and he WILL GET NO VITAMINS OR NUTRITION from it DESPITE THE DOG HAVING GAINED WEIGHT ON IT, LOOKING AMAZING, having great teeth etc… (that’s my next campaign – fear mongering and zero knowledge on a topic but spouting propoganda like gospel)
She did the bloodwork inspite of being told not to by HER PAYING CLIENT and shot the dog with another vaccine DESPITE BEING TOLD NOT TO BY HER PAYING CLIENT and THEN PRESENTS HER WITH A BILL FOR OVER $200!! IS SHE NUTS???

You Just don’t DO THAT HARWOOD PET HOSPITAL OR ANY PLACE FOR THAT MATTER. WE ARE THE CLIENTS! You ASK US WHAT WE WANT DONE AND YOU DO IT! We are NOT CHILDREN OR MORONS WHO’S WALLETS YOU CAN JUST DIP IN TO AT WILL!

After i called her back and reamed her out she called the client the next day and refunded $207. But that’s not the point.

I am really tired of having this experience myself with vets other than my three current ones and of hearing this from all my friends & clients having these experiences.
With the current ‘policy’ of HW testing each May at an avewrage of $30 per dog per test if the clinic has 1000 clients THAT’S $30,000 DOLLARS TO THE CLINIC FOR NOTHING!! And b4 you tell me that you catch HW+ dogs i say PROVE THERE ARE ENOUGH TO JUSTIFY BLANKET TESTING WHEN ONTARIANS USE HW PREVENTION and why not wait til SIGNS of illness are there? I HAVE SEEN THE SIGNS AND SO HAVE YOUR MEMBERS many times more than i have so this is absolute nonesense that there could be justification for your POLICY.

How many of of us have done the test year after year to be told (thankfully) that your dog tested negative??  There is LITTLE HW in Ontario BECAUSE WE USE PREVENTION and if you use prevention regularly on the 1st of eah month for 6 months your dog won’t get HW and IF HE DOES GET HW THEN REVOLUTION WITH PAY FOR TREATMENT and IF HE DOES GET HW THE SIGNS ARE THERE!!   You’ll go to your vet cuz he’s acting sick AND GET A BLOOD TEST!

So where do the vets and OMVA get the idea that they can make policies involving our dogs and our money??

If you’re fed up please stop being quiet about it – YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN BEING TREATED THIS WAY – THEY DO IT TO EVERYONE!

Write to

Doug Raven    
Chief Executive Officer   
draven@ovma.org

or any other executives http://www.ovma.org/about_ovma/staff.html or write to them all – I DID.

The originating story can from a client and volunteer here who also uses one of the same vets i use so i know it’s verified.

I imagine most of you don’t use Hartz but as vets and products become more expensive and we see 1-800- petmeds with cheaper products we can’t get we turn to cheaper products in our petstores and petstores DO CARRY THIS SHIT altho the ones i talked to say they ‘don’t recommend it to anyone’ – well if you’re actively ‘not recommending it’ how about you DON’T CARRY IT EITHER??

People – YOU REALLY DO GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR so please be careful – if it’s ‘cheap’ it’s likely cheap quality too

From Stephanie:

Hartz Flea and Tick Drops.  Almost killed our pets.

We usually use Advantage Plus for our 3 dogs throughout the summer months to avoid fleas and ticks and we don’t need anything for our cats as they stay indoors and with the dogs treated our cats can’t get anything. We have never had a flea in the house. We have always been advised by the vet that once the colder weather arrives we no longer need to treat the dogs.

This year by mid September we were having frost at night, but we had a vey hot and humid summer that I didn’t take into consideration. I didn’t bother going to the Vet and getting another box of Advantage, once the frost hits fleas die outside so our flea season is over.

Monday night watching t.v with a cat on one side and a dog on another I felt a mosquito like bite on my ankle. I looked and it was a FLEA. I flipped out and went to the only place open at that time at night, 10:30pm to get something to address the issue. Well Wal-Mart it was, sine it was the only place that was open that late.

I have never used over the counter flea or tick prevention before as I thought that it was not as effective as the Vet products. I have always seen Hartz products in the pet stores so thought I would give it a shot since if you can buy it, it must be safe as long as you use it correctly. We also have 6 cats that needed to be treated now and the cost of Advantage is high so I picked up the flea and tick shampoo for cats and dogs and then the Ultra Plus flea and tick drops for both cats and dogs. I totally thought that I got a deal, so much cheaper then the Vet stuff and problem solved. We got home bathed all the pets, when they dried off we applied the Ultra Plus Flea and Tick drops to all the cats and dogs. I thought that all was ok and went off to bed. We followed the instrctions on te box to a tee.

The next morning my boyfriend is screaming for me to come see the cats. I was horrified to see that 3 of our cats look like they are having a seizure. Poor things are curled up twitching and shaking uncontrollably. I put them all in the carriers and rushed to the vet. When I arrived and told the Vet Tec that we had used Hartz products on them, they rushed me in to see a Vet ASAP.  The Vet took one look at my 3 little ones and told me they were all suffering from TOXICITY. I was stunned. He told me that Hartz products are terrible for pets and can cause DEATH to both cats and dogs. Cats and small dogs are especially sensitive to these cheep products. I was in a state of shock.

I had to leave all three cats at the Vet for 3+ nights for them to do blood work and put them on IV fluids to get the toxins out of their system. That was $585 per cat. the Vet instructed me to go home right away and wash all the pets with anything but Hartz soap even if I didn’t see any troublesome signs, as we might see signs within 24hrs.

As I was filling out the paper work, the Vet Tec told me that a woman was in the week before with 2 cats that had the same issue, she used the Hartz flea drops on her cats. Unfortunately she waited too long to bring them in and they died as they were trying to set the IV drips.  The vet tec also had told me that this year they have seen the most cats and dogs with serious side effects with Hartz flea and tick products.

We have not had an issue with our dogs or other cats and our cats at the vet are ok NOW….Thank God!!! We do have a $1755 + tax bill that I have to pay tomorrow when I pick up may cats. Plus another $250.50 for Advantage Flea Prevention for all of the pets.

If I had any idea that these products were not safe, I would have not even considered using them.  After this terrible ordeal we went through, I had found so much info about Hartz products.

I hope this story will help all pet owners when purchasing over the counter flea and tick remedies.  Just because they are there on the shelves of our trusted pet retailers doesn’t mean they are safe.

-Stephanie Jackson

Hartz pet products are sold over the counter everywhere from grocery stores, Wal-Mart and our well trusted pet retail stores.  Hartz products are NOT vet approved and have been causing terrible side effects and/or death to cats and dogs.

Side Effects of Hartz products

Always carefully read the instructions before using. Make sure the product is for a cat, kitten, dog or puppy this is determined by age and weight. Do not use dog products on cats. Keep the receipt for the product. Also, keep the packaging and container. These are important to keep for a few reasons: Proof of purchase, the batch designation code and contact information.

Known Adverse Reactions -
Crying or howling
Excessive drooling
Depression
Vomiting
Dizziness or symptoms related to balance
Convulsions or seizures
Tremors of the extremities, twitching,
Hypo or Hyperthermia Disorientation
Difficulties breathing
Paralysis In extreme cases
Death may result from prolonged seizure activity or respiratory failure.

Recommended Actions For Owners-
Always monitor your pets when you have applied any flea product closely for the first few hours and then check at 6, 12, 18 and 24 hours

If you notice you’re pet starting to act differently after applying any flea and tick product you must try to get as much of the product off as possible. Bathe the pet with a mild dish soap such as Dawn. Make sure to get all the soap out of the coat and dry the pet to prevent chilling. Avoid extremes in temperature of water. Hot increases absorption and cold increases toxicity.

Have someone call your Vet while you are bathing your pet.
Get you’re pet to a Vet as soon as possible. Take the packaging from the product with you.

Possible Emergency Vet Treatment
Seizures are controlled with anticonvulsants/muscle relaxants. If necessary, the patient’s airway is secured and is ventilated. Intravenous fluids are administered to maintain hydration and blood pressure. Treat hyperthermia.
LENGTH OF HOSPITAL STAY:
Most animals recover within 24-48 hour or longer depending on the animal
Vet Costs
Usually from $100.00 to $1000.00 per pet and may be more depending on the required treatments

CURRENT INFORMATION FOR FILING COMPLAINTS- Hartz and Over the Counter Flea Treatments

The owners of Hartz Mountain-
Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA)
President and CEO Michihisa Shinagawa
EVP and CFO Masato Sugimori
Media Relations Masao Miyamoto
There Amerciacn offices- New York (Headquarters)
Sumitomo Corporation of America
600 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10016-2001
Tel: 212.207.0700 Fax: 212.207.0456
Web site /http://www.sumitomocorp.com/
Email contact atlhttp://www.sumitomocorp.com/contact.html

Hartz Mountain Corp-
Call Hartz at 1-800-275-1414 and make a complaint.
Follow that with a written complain.
Consumer Relations Department
The Hartz Mountain Corporation
400 Plaza Drive
Secaucus , NJ 07094 USA
Email http://www.hartz.com/Contact%20Us/index.asp
Web site http://www.hartz.com/

Hartz Canada INC.
1125 Talbot Street, ST Thomas,
Ontario N5P 3W7
Tel: (519)631-7660
Toll free number is 1-800-275-1414
Rosemary Tini is their Consumers Relations Department.

EPA-
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs (Mail Code 7509C) Ariel Rios Building 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20460
E-mail: opp-web-comments@epa.gov
When contacting the EPA directly (provide them with the EPA Reg. # of the product, which is printed on the packaging)

EPA National Pesticide Information Center
(NPIC): 1-800-858-7378, seven days a week excluding holidays,
from 6:30 AM to 4:30 PM Pacific Time – or fax them on (514) 737-0761 –
Email at npic@ace.orst.edu
They maintain a database of pesticide-related illnesses for the EPA. The EPA uses this database to determine if dangerous pesticide products need to be removed from the market.

FDA
Have your Vet or Vets Assistant file a complaint.They may submit an adverse reaction report by contacting the Center for Veterinary Medicine, Food and Drug Administration at the web address: www.fda.gov/cvm/contactcvm/contactCVM.html

Center for Veterinary Medicine -
“Report a Drug Reaction”. You can also submit an adverse drug reaction to the by telephoning 1-888-332-8387.

HSUS-
The HSUS would also like to keep track of these cases.* Please send your contact information, the product name, a brief description of the health problem, and a brief summary of your veterinarian’s findings to The HSUS at the following address:
The Humane Society of the United States
Companion Animals Department: Flea Products
2100 L St. NW Washington, D.C. 20037

These allergies don’t respond to changes in food (other than lessening some) and even benadryl isn’t effective. Your vet will want to give them prednisone and yeah, that could work but it also stays in their organs forever and ever so i won’t even go there.

In my dogs, Gizmo & Nikos I’ve seen it the last 5 years (thats how long i’ve had them) and same thing end of every august, they chew themselves pretty raw,  Nikos losing the hair around his eyes even. I went nuts the first 2 yrs of this happening, even going so far as to use advantage on Gizmo thinking he was still allergic to fleas even tho i know he had none.  It’s not a flea or food allergy.

I started asking people if their dogs had the same problem and YES a lot DID!!

I’ve gone the homeopathic and alternative ways – Benedryl (works some) and i foudn that TRAUMEEL  and Apis Melifica from the health food store works the best. I get both in liquid (absorbed by the body faster) and put them in a spray bottle so i can squirt it in their mouths and on their itchies easily and in their food and on pieces of bread as needed.

They are lower to the ground than us and the environment AFFECTS THEM  i think faster and more severely than us.

A couple of clients also have dogs with this yearly reaction so that’s why i’m writing about it.  Most have purebreds (Gizmo is too altho a puppy mill dog) but Nikos is a mix and the only mix i know of so far to be so affected altho mixes are suffering the same as purebreds on shitty commercial foods.

I’m also writing because maybe we can’t ‘fix’ everything and to let others know you are NOT ALONE with your dog’s problems. If we talk about things that our dogs do, things that affect them, things we see in our dogs, maybe we wouldn’t be feeding the $4 billion dollar pet industry so well for no results?

Many pet products that has glucosamine in it does not have ENOUGH glucosamine ot make it work any better than using nothing at all?

I used to think glucosamine didn’t well for dogs as i saw no real imporvement in older, arthritic dogs (and you KNOW how many dogs i see and that are at my disposal for checking things out).

With some research i found that they can legally claim their food or suppliments have glucosamine in it cuz it does. What the DON’T have to do is add ENOUGH to make any appreciable difference.

Since we rely on vets and pet food companies to tell the truth and help us keep our pets healthy (WellI don’t anymore) they can IMPLY anything they like and we ASSUME it’s correct or GOOD for our dogs.  NOT!

The homeopathics i’ve been using along with food have given awesome results but i’ve also been looking for products for thos of you who can’t or won’t do raw that will upgrade the foods and make it absorbable and healthier.

I’ve found BG and Orijen for kibbles to be better than most and I have been adding Dr Clarkes Hip formula to my raw for the older or damamged dogs like Molsyn, Rufus, Cocoa b4 she left, Belle. and even my Hank who is 9 now. It has right AMOUNT of glucosamine in it – as well as some other good stuff i would use homeopathically – and you sprinkle a little on their food once per day.

All the dogs are moving better but the most astonishing one is Molsyn who is a 6 yr old, 105lb Cane corso. First, they usually only live til 8 yrs so she’s technically OLD and she has TWO bad legs – muscles & knees. She wobbled when she came, could do little physically and even short times walking in the yard would make her back legs shake something aweful.

She is now running and even jumping up on me for a kiss. No we haven’t reversed the damage but we’ve improved her enuf to be a little less in pain and enjoy life more – same for the other dogs.

We are adding Dr Clarke’s to our product line and anyone who would like to buy it can contact me for shipping or pick up.

Canine Vestibular Disease

C.V.D.

A journal of recovery

By Ace Lobrin

My journal begins at day one:

My dad and I were in the garage, when we heard a thump coming from inside the house. It sounded like someone dropping a sack of potatoes in the kitchen, and my mom called for us in a very urgent tone to get in the house right away. Upon the scene inside the house we saw my dog sitting at the base of the steps leading upstairs. We thought nothing of it as he was excitedly wagging his tail and grinning in his usual goofy self. He sat up and continued his usual manner pacing the house and seemed fine. But, he was wary of the stairs….Oh Oh…

Later that night after he made it up the stairs…he fell again, trying to get up on my bed, a yellow card for me. Could he be having a stroke? Was he poisoned? He managed once again to get up on my bed and lied down next to me for an hour or so, when he got up and began what I call C.V.D “restless stage”. He would stand by the door panting and leaning against the wall. We thought he might have eaten something that didn’t agree with his stomach, after offers to take him outside were turned down….i made his bed of blankets and his pillow and hit the sack. Doggie spent the night restless panting and uncomfortable.

Day two:

Doggie managed to descend the stairs with assistance and we made our way to the yard to do his business. I was anticipating him to make an epic “self relieving”(poooh). But to no avail. Doggie was now entering what I would like to call the C.V.D.”drunken monk” stage. Doggie was leaning on everything he could, staggering, toppling over and knocking things down, an uneasy pacing, and seeming to be uncomfortable anywhere he was. I offered him food and he deliberated, before eventually eating, and, I am so thankful now, that at this stage, doggie still managed to make his way to his water bowl, but was oddly sipping from the side in an awkward way. Continuous panting and staggering, beginning to look less and less like stomach problems and more and more like a stroke(which buy the way, correct me if I’m mistaken, through my research is very rare in dogs). At this stage we rushed doggie to the vet, on an emergency visit.

At the vet, after having to carry doggie in/out of the car and into the office (he’s about 45lbs)we’re quickly shown into an examination room and seen by a doctor. An examination including heart, eyes, legs and neck followed. A few answers to our questions were narrowed down to a few conditions. Stroke was ruled out as it was very rare and unlikely, he was showing no facial symptoms. Possible spine problems at the neck was a concern. And finally doc suspected C.V.D…Canine Vestibular Disease… an injection of CERENIA 3cc was prepared and administered for his nausea and dizziness. Doc prescribed rest and supportive care, GRAVOLtm.,and she also suggested a crate to rest in and keep doogie from getting into trouble(we got one and find it crucial in how we rehabilitated doggie). At this time doggie is just so out of it, as soon as we got home, he got some shut eye for about two hours. The prescribed GRAVOLtm. Had not yet been administered. And doggie had not eaten yet, just a little water(hydration is VERY important!) Another restless night…….(with me camped out in the living room right next to his crate)

Day three:

Doggie is very fatigued and restless, shifting around and panting, occasionally plopping into a nap, he is still very uncomfortable. Water is offered and drank, but food is turned down. GRAVOLtm. Alternative is administered(dimenhydrinate) and doggie is now napping, getting up only to shift positions, possible neck injury is ruled out due to doggie comfortably sleeping on both sides favoring neither(though when awake it is evident he favors turning to his right side, indicating affected side). Doggie is still uneasy and reluctant to stand. Chicken is offered and taken, so is water, and he is holding it down-no vomiting.

After a few hours dimenhydrinate is administered and doggie is still fairly sedated and continues to sleep. When given a chance to leave the crate, doggie is still staggering and very dizzy-like. At this point from the moment and since we got the crate, I have been camping next to his crate to monitor and keep him company to keep doggie in as good spirits as possible, I wouldn’t suggest leaving him/her alone for long periods and believe that being with him/her or being nearby was a crucial part of his recovery process.

Still sedated and groggy.

Day four:

A trip to the yard to do some business is successful, doggie is slowly regaining his balance. Water is offered and taken, another dose of dimenhydrinate is offered, and back he goes in his crate. More rest and sleep, and restlessness and panting bouts are gone!

Around lunch time 4oz. chicken is offered and taken, more water, and sleep.

Things are looking good, though still wobbly, but signs of nausea are less, and he is standing in his crate more often. Lots of rest and TLC, and his favorite treat “for the love of dogs 100%natural” are taken…Sleep sleep sleep, need to build some energy……. A dose of dimenhydrinate is administered before sleeping…..REST REST REST…

Day five:

Looking good! A trip to the yard and business, doggie now standing more surefooted and steady. Chicken, water, favorite treats, and a dose of dimenhydrinate are accepted. Still in the crate(he has been in the crate since we got it in day two). REST REST REST. Now I would like to share what I consider an important part of our recovery I would like to call “Stand therapy”, this is when we re-learned balance by standing, In this case doggie is reluctant to walk too far, so letting him/her stand while being there to assist in case he/she topples over is crucial in re-learning balance and confidence. We stood for about 20min. testing balance until tired, and back in the crate. REST REST REST(we situated the crate by the sliding door to the yard with lots of fresh air since day two). Doggie is standing more and more……..

Day six:

Things just keep getting better! A trip to the yard to do some doggie business starts the day….followed by a drink of water, and dimenhydrinate therapy has been stopped. Another 30min. “Stand therapy” session, and doggie is willingly back in his crate for a nap. Doggie is now starting to show good signs and is acting more normal…licking himself and seems to be more comfortable…He is accepting his favorite treats readily…Oh…and he’s barking again(when I tried to lift him) music to my ears!

Day seven:

We’re baaaaaaaaack! Doggie is now walking and is enjoying his new doggie harness(we got him one since the doc suspected a neck problem), eating really well and he is back to his antics(he loved to rearrange the shoes from the front of the house and he joined us for dinner, eating well and drinking well, phew, thanks to god, and DR. Findley, Susan’s treats, and my family, without them I don’t think I would’ve got through this)

Things and feelings I would add to share:

It’s ok to be scared/worried, it is a very dramatic and visual disease….but the last thing your doggie needs is a panicking and negative scene, doggie needs you positive, brave, and supportive to get through this, be strong.

I can’t stress this enough…stay calm, C.V.D. is VERY dramatic…stay calm…

It’s ok if your dog chooses not to eat for a little bit…keep some of his/her favorite treat handy…mine took some chicken and his “power pellet” treat, “Love my dog” dehydrated treat: call Susan @905 655 7575 (this was a crucial key element to our recovery, truthfully)

HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE!

REST REST REST!

TLC…and you will see…he/she will be…well…

Love your dog…be strong…he/she will be counting on you…you guys WILL get through this…I promise!

Research proves very strong and positive recovery statistics for C.V.D.

Best of luck, cheers, and happy wagging tails….