Help Ramsay beat heartworms!
Donation protected
Hello, vast internet! My name is Kris, and picture above and throughout this campaign is my lovely 2-year-old boy Ramsay. Here, have more photos because he's just that handsome <3 
That's with his sister Dakota, and here he is hanging out with me and our third dog, Tanner...
We adopted Ramsay from a rescue in May, because who could resist that face? I mean, come on ;) He was a former stray in North Carolina, was caught and in a shelter in December, then went to a rescue in Delaware, and placed in a few foster homes before we took him into our home and hearts. According to the shelter's records, he had his rabies shot, was heartworm negative, and the rescue that took him afterward had kept up with his preventatives since they'd gotten him.
Fast forward to today. I took him in to our vet for his 3 year rabies and bordetella, and of course, his heartworm test. As you'll see in the photos, his former test and his current one were, sadly...different.
So....what happened? For those familiar with heartworms and the tests for them...they come from mosquitoes. Said mosquitoes carry the baby heartworms and inject them into dogs when they bite for a blood meal. It takes 6 whole months for them to reach maturity and to show up on a blood test (the heartworm test actually looks for an antigen released by breeding female heartworms). So while Ramsay may have indeed had heartworms back in December of last year when his test was first taken, they were likely still young and had yet to reach adulthood. So even though the rescue, and ourselves, have been very diligent in keeping up with his heartworm and flea and tick preventatives (which are not cheap, mind you. He is on Sentinel and Nexgard, the best of the best), he was likely positive BEFORE the shelter even took him in.
SO, what now? I'm asking for help because heartworm treatment is NOT cheap. My vet has a 9 month treatment plan and protocol going forward, which includes treatments of doxycycline (which he got today), prednisone, and immiticide, as well as x-rays and bloodwork. We're reaching out to our fellow animal lovers for a helping hand as this was not an expense we were prepared for. We were given an estimate of around $2000 for everything that'll need to be done over the next 9 months. I already work 2 jobs and don't have much time or energy for a third (that's time spent taking care of our 3 furbabies! <3 ), so any and all help is truly, incredibly appreciated. Any and all funds will go towards his care in these coming months.
This guy is so special to us, and has already come out of his shell so much since coming into our home in May. Thanks for any consideration and donations to get him heartworm free <3
That's with his sister Dakota, and here he is hanging out with me and our third dog, Tanner...
We adopted Ramsay from a rescue in May, because who could resist that face? I mean, come on ;) He was a former stray in North Carolina, was caught and in a shelter in December, then went to a rescue in Delaware, and placed in a few foster homes before we took him into our home and hearts. According to the shelter's records, he had his rabies shot, was heartworm negative, and the rescue that took him afterward had kept up with his preventatives since they'd gotten him.
Fast forward to today. I took him in to our vet for his 3 year rabies and bordetella, and of course, his heartworm test. As you'll see in the photos, his former test and his current one were, sadly...different.
So....what happened? For those familiar with heartworms and the tests for them...they come from mosquitoes. Said mosquitoes carry the baby heartworms and inject them into dogs when they bite for a blood meal. It takes 6 whole months for them to reach maturity and to show up on a blood test (the heartworm test actually looks for an antigen released by breeding female heartworms). So while Ramsay may have indeed had heartworms back in December of last year when his test was first taken, they were likely still young and had yet to reach adulthood. So even though the rescue, and ourselves, have been very diligent in keeping up with his heartworm and flea and tick preventatives (which are not cheap, mind you. He is on Sentinel and Nexgard, the best of the best), he was likely positive BEFORE the shelter even took him in. SO, what now? I'm asking for help because heartworm treatment is NOT cheap. My vet has a 9 month treatment plan and protocol going forward, which includes treatments of doxycycline (which he got today), prednisone, and immiticide, as well as x-rays and bloodwork. We're reaching out to our fellow animal lovers for a helping hand as this was not an expense we were prepared for. We were given an estimate of around $2000 for everything that'll need to be done over the next 9 months. I already work 2 jobs and don't have much time or energy for a third (that's time spent taking care of our 3 furbabies! <3 ), so any and all help is truly, incredibly appreciated. Any and all funds will go towards his care in these coming months.
This guy is so special to us, and has already come out of his shell so much since coming into our home in May. Thanks for any consideration and donations to get him heartworm free <3
Organizer
Kristen Hoffman
Organizer
Rehoboth Beach, DE