➡I accidentally bought Balut eggs: 2 live ducks! Now a Chat Thread!

[BantyChooks]

Hmm, that makes sense!! Do you have a lot of water and/or woods near you or something??

Also.... I know this is probably going to seem like a really stupid question and I’m not at all asking it because I don’t want to give the preventative or anything.... just curious... but Luna is very fluffy and long haired, could a mosquito even bite her? I guess they could bite her ears maybe??

I am going to ask about the preventative. I wonder if I could order it online?

I know one time they tried to sell us Revolution and that stuff was pretty pricey but maybe it’s a good idea??

To say the least. This is right by my house, as of last spring.
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[Tesumph]

Hmm, that makes sense!! Do you have a lot of water and/or woods near you or something??

Also.... I know this is probably going to seem like a really stupid question and I’m not at all asking it because I don’t want to give the preventative or anything.... just curious... but Luna is very fluffy and long haired, could a mosquito even bite her? I guess they could bite her ears maybe??

I am going to ask about the preventative. I wonder if I could order it online?

I know one time they tried to sell us Revolution and that stuff was pretty pricey but maybe it’s a good idea??

Yes, mosquitos will bite around eyes, the face, and ears.

Revolution is a good idea. You can’t buy heartworm preventative without a prescription, and they will need to be tested first.

And by the way.. an infected animal is now a carrier host. If a mosquito bites them, now they can spread the larvae to more pets.

 

[ShrekDawg]

It’s never a problem until it is. They can’t “sort of” get heartworms, either the worms are literally in their heart or they aren’t.
Preventative works by killing the tiny heartworm larvae that the mosquitos deposit into the bloodstream while sucking your dog’s blood. Once the larvae turn into adults, they grow in the blood vessels of the heart until it literally can’t pump blood anymore. Treatment is so rough because there is a real risk of the heart becoming clogged with dead worms as they are slowly shed from the body. Preventative can actually be toxic if the dog already has heartworms.
It might help to explain that to your parents. Maybe show them a picture of an infected heart.

OMG that is so scary!!

And it sounds awful and painful!

I’m definitely going to talk to the vet. And also talk to DB & SIL because I don’t think they do it either because of the cost but they love those two so much and would be so upset if anything happened so I’m going to get them to get on it too.

I think they were on it for a while but I think they stopped but idk.

I’m gonna ask them next time I see them.

But for now I’ll focus on one thing at a time and get Luna on it.

Although I have another question (sorry for all the questions ).... should I get the test first and then the medicine or?? Since you said the preventative could be deadly if they have it I just didn’t know if I should get the preventative same day or not.

Also what kind of preventative?

To say the least. This is right by my house, as of last spring.
View attachment 1919358 View attachment 1919359

Wow that is gorgeous!!

 

[littleprairieheartsfarm]

Aww no, you’re not an idiot! It was a a mistake, you had so much going on with the move and everything, it’s easy to miss a month or two. Totally understandable!!

That makes sense and also I should note that for a while when we had Gator we did have him on it in the winter but it still doesn’t really make sense to me because there’s literally no way any mosquitoes would survive that, even inside they have very short lifespans, and I think it also takes a certain number of days above like 57 degrees for it to even be possible to transmit it?? The only time we really have those temps is a couple months in the summer.

But I guess it’s probably smarter to be on it year round. Idk.

But for Gator it was also very very expensive because he was around 140 pounds, a little higher towards the end of his life when he got a bit chunky and a little lower when he was young and before he filled out, so we used to have to buy multiple packs because he was well over the 100 lb weight limit for the pills, had to get that one and the 30 lb one, so it added up to quite a lot.

But I guess the preventative is probably still cheaper. Idk.

Luckily he never got them.

Ruger is 205lbs. He gets three pills, so I get the not cheap part, but like Ted said, treatment costs so much more

 

[ShrekDawg]

Yes, mosquitos will bite around eyes, the face, and ears.

Revolution is a good idea. You can’t buy heartworm preventative without a prescription, and they will need to be tested first.

And by the way.. an infected animal is now a carrier host. If a mosquito bites them, now they can spread the larvae to more pets.

Whoops sorry, just saw this.

Thanks for all the information!! This is very helpful.

So you would recommend the Revolution then? Or is a pill better? The Revolution seemed somewhat expensive before thinking about now, I guess it’s probably the same price or cheaper than buying the flea&tick stuff and heartworm stuff separately??? But does the topical heartworm prevention work as well as the pill??

Sorry for all the questions.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Ruger is 205lbs. He gets three pills, so I get the not cheap part, but like Ted said, treatment costs so much more

Oh wow he’s a big boy!! Plus with the other dogs!! OMG that must cost a lot!!

But that makes sense, the preventative is probably definitely cheaper in the long run.

 

[Tesumph]

Whoops sorry, just saw this.

Thanks for all the information!! This is very helpful.

So you would recommend the Revolution then? Or is a pill better? The Revolution seemed somewhat expensive before thinking about now, I guess it’s probably the same price or cheaper than buying the flea&tick stuff and heartworm stuff separately??? But does the topical heartworm prevention work as well as the pill??

Sorry for all the questions.

Either one. If you don’t know how to pill a cat, then I’d go for topical.
Tell the vet that you’re tight financially and ask them what they recommend.

 

[Tesumph]

Ruger is 205lbs. He gets three pills, so I get the not cheap part, but like Ted said, treatment costs so much more

Ted.
Yea, not cheap for our pups either.
Try looking for some mobile vaccine clinics near you. They often sell preventative for cheap(er), but you have to provide proof of a recent heartworm test and preventative.
Most clinics provide discounts for buying in bulk. We usually bite the bullet and buy a year’s supply and often get a month or two for free.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Either one. If you don’t know how to pill a cat, then I’d go for topical.
Tell the vet that you’re tight financially and ask them what they recommend.

Thanks again! Very helpful! Assuming giving a cat a pill is a lot different than giving a dog a pill?? Wouldn’t want to accidentally hurt her. But then again she is very docile and let’s me brush her teeth, clean her ears and eyes, trim nails, brush her out, etc. so she’d probably let me give her a pill too but topical’s probably easier. I wouldn’t want to stress her out.

And thanks! That’s a good idea! I’ll do that.

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

Okay. I have news!

The last two weeks...

Ruger has had swelled lymph nodes across his entire body. The swelling was increasing at an exponential rate, and so my heart started sinking...that it had to be cancer, and then he started to stop eating which is not like him and his drinking went through the roof. He was emptying 2 water bowls every hour. Mastiffs are genetically prone to getting lymphoma and all of his symptoms mimicked what I had read through several research articles and medical pages.

No vets wanted to see him since he doesn’t like people. We finally managed to get him scheduled with one but this was 2 weeks after the initial swelling and he was having trouble breathing. I was preparing myself for the worst (and by preparing I mean I was sobbing every night and forcing myself to talk about it in public so that way I could not be so sad).

His vet appointment was yesterday. Ruger was so perfect. He had one accident (peed on the floor) when a couple barged into the vet clinic even though they could clearly see Ruger was right by the door. During the exam, which was done in the back room on the weight scale, we pulled blood (a hind leg since they didn’t want to be near his head lol) and he didn’t even cry out even after they blew a vein.


Tests...
At the vet office, we had the 4DX test done. Ruger came back heartworm positive which was something I hadn’t even considered, and my heart stalled.. I was in the set mindset that he now had heartworm AND lymphoma. He was put on 14 pills a day. (5 antibiotic and 2 steroids twice a day)

Bloodwork was sent to an outside lab and we just got the results back 20 minutes ago. Kidney and liver levels were tested as well as a CBC for the WBC.

Results are...
Kidney and liver levels were perfect!

The vet told us that 30k WBC was high infection, and anything from 60k and above was likely cancer...
His WBC was 23k!!!

The vet said that she isn’t worried that it’s cancer, and to update them in 4 days if the swollen lymph nodes aren’t going down.


TLDR: Ruger our mastiff was thought to have lymphoma due to symptoms, he has heartworm instead and vet isn’t concerned about it being cancer.

That is so scary to have to go through. I know Ruger is your bff and baby and it breaks your heart to see him go through and have health problems. I am soooo very glad it isn't cancer. I hope with the medications that he is feeling so much better in no time. Give him plenty of snuggles and sneak him an extra treat or 2.