Gia, the pitbull, has heartworm

***UPDATE:

Gia's heartworm treatment will start today. I have received half of the funds needed for her HW treatment, and then her spay after the HW treatment is complete.

Gia spent four days with my friends on their farm and their dog, Luna. Luna was too accustomed to being an only dog and not sharing her toys, so it just didn't work out between the two pitties.

She's back home with me and attempts to help me daily with my Zoom depositions. The attorneys get quite a laugh at our view.

Hi, my name is Pam Moceri. I've been a court reporter in Michigan since 1976, and I'm a lover of all animals. Some of you may have seen my post on FB July 16 about the pitbull, Gia, that jumped my fence on July 14 and got into my backyard. Well, here is her story and why I need help...

Yes, she scaled a rather tall fence and found her way into my yard exhausted and hungry. At first sight I was rather taken aback. I do own dogs, but mine are 8lbs and tiny. Here was a 50lb pitball. I just didn't quite know what to think. I slowly edged out my door to get onto the porch next to her and discovered that she was a very sweet and gentle young dog probably just separated from her owner and at the moment just in need of some food and water. I thought for sure she was someone's lost pet. As I'm obligated to do in my township, I called the police so they could check for a chip and reconnect her with her owner. The police found she wasn't chipped, and as they are obligated to do, turned her over to our county dog pound.

Here is Gia that first day at the police station...

When I followed up with a phone call to our police station and found they had turned her over to the pound, I was pretty distraught. I immediately called the pound, but they were closed. The following day I went to the pound to find out their procedure with lost dogs. I found out that lost dogs are kept for 15 days, and if not claimed, they are put down.

Well, that didn't sit well with me, so I walked out of the pound that morning with my very own 50lb pitbull to take home to my tiny little house containing my three little dogs and one fat cat. I knew my life wasn't going to be the same.

Upon arriving home with Gia, I realized she was actually a stray dog off the street. I didn't want to expose her to my dogs yet in case of fleas and whatever else stray dogs can contract, so I called my friend Ray Kerinan, https://razork9.com/credentials, and asked for his assistance on my next steps. Ray's background is a dog trainer originally for the Detroit Police Department. I hope you will read his bio on the link I've provided. He has devoted his entire life to dogs and training on every level.

Ray came to my home, evaluated Gia and concluded there was no evidence of aggression, but she was full of fleas and needed some veterinary care, and referred me to a shelter that would possibly help me.

I contacted the shelter and used Ray's name. Michael James, the owner, gave me a gigantic crate large enough for Gia, blankets, toys galore, a 50lb bag of food, stainless steel ample food and water bowls, and referred me to a pop-up vet for vaccinations and all the testing that needs to be done on a stray off the street. He told me if I could foster her, he would try to assist me with any future vet bills that might accrue should she not be in good health, and he would also help me to place her in a good home.

Gia received her vaccinations on July 16 and all the tests to determine whether she was a healthy dog. Three days later, I was contacted that she is heartworm positive.

In the meantime, Michael James's shelter received eight positive heartworm dogs off the street. It's his responsibility to come up with the funds to provide the treatment for those dogs. Ray and I thought instead of putting more burden on Michael, we would attempt to fundraise for Gia's heartworm treatment.

I've called a few vets in my area and get varying pricing. With the diagnostics before treatment, x-rays and ultrasound, then the actual treatments, then after treatments the follow-up x-rays and ultrasound, the amount of money I need is somewhere around $3,000. She also needs to be spayed at some point.

I've put a few posts up on my FB page about Gia, and friends told me they were interested in taking her into their home, a 5-acre farm including their pitbull Luna, if I can get her healthy. We got Gia and Luna together yesterday to see if the dogs would tolerate each other; it was instant love. The dogs seem to be close in age; it was just total play! My friends have taken Gia back to the farm until her treatment starts.

Here are some of the pictures of Gia and Luna at the farm:

As much as I've grown to love Gia, the farm would be a better home for her than my little house and yard. She would get all the exercise she needs playing with Luna in the wide-open country, and she would be with a couple that would love and care for her.

I personally have had big vet bills with my older dogs. I still owe $2,000 to one emergency vet, another $2,000 on my CareCredit line. I have two dogs that are diabetic and also have Cushing's disease that are presently being treated because their blood glucose is not well controlled and we're attempting to resolve that. I only have one healthy dog!

If you can find it in your hearts to donate to Gia's endeavor to become a healthy dog, free of heartworm, and be able to move on to a happy forever home, it would be greatly appreciated. She is such a good dog. Never, and I mean never, has she growled at my little dogs. Never did she go after my cat. Never did she meet a human that she didn't kiss. She is so deserving of a healthy life and a good home!