Hello! I'm creating this on behalf of my elderly mother, Trish, and her rescue dog, Belly, short for Isabel - yes, she was named after a character from a book/TV show that my mom enjoys. Since my mom's in her 80s and not quite savvy with this interwebs stuff, I'll be handling this page and making any payments directly to her/the vet. Receipts will be posted!

My mom's previous dog, Gizmo, passed away earlier this year. We were all devastated, but my mom was especially heartbroken. I watched her struggle with grief and hoped that, in time, her heart would have room to love another canine companion. While browsing the listings at a local animal shelter back in August, my mom fell in love with Belly and the rest is history!

Belly's approximately six years old and a German Shepherd mix. She was used extensively for backyard breeding and then dumped when she'd outlived her usefulness. She was picked up with another dog, possibly one of her last puppies, and brought to our local shelter. She was underweight, malnourished, and covered in fleas and ticks. Despite all of that, she was sweet-tempered and friendly. Dogs are amazing like that.

Unfortunately, it was determined that Belly was high heartworm positive. We were aware of this when my mom adopted her, and we quickly brought her to our veterinarian for evaluation. She noted that Belly had a lot of muscle deterioration in addition to being malnourished. She also did her own test/imaging to confirm the shelter's diagnosis and see which treatment option would be best for Belly. The test results confirmed the shelter's high heartworm diagnosis, and imaging indicated that she was a candidate for the "quick-kill" treatment approach since there were no signs of caval syndrome. Belly was on doxycycline for a month. Her first injection to kill the heartworms is tomorrow (10/20). We'll be dropping her off early in the morning and picking her up later in the afternoon. Belly will be on strict crate rest with leashed/brief potty breaks. One month later, in November, she'll return to the vet for her last two injections, which will occur over two days (back-to-back injections). Currently, I'm unclear as to whether or not the vet will keep her overnight for those; since I'm taking mom and Belly to their appointment on 10/20, I plan to ask about that. One month after the final injection, Belly will be tested for heartworm and hopefully cleared for normal activity.

I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't worried, especially when it comes to Belly being on crate rest for two months. That would be difficult for anyone. But I'm hoping for the best, because she's a wonderful companion for my mom and deserves to enjoy the rest of her days just being a dog. She's very smart, and I look forward to seeing her without the pain, anxiety, and reactivity associated with her heartworm status.

In terms of the cost, our veterinarian provided us with an estimate for the heartworm treatment plan. This estimate reflects the cost of the three injections plus sedation and prednisone; it does't include any additional imaging that may be needed or any costs associated with a potential overnight stay. It also doesn't include the cost of the medications that Belly's currently taking for pain/sedation, gabapentin and trazodone, or anything else that my mom's done to prepare, including enrichment for Belly's crate rest (lick mats/etc.) and a Porch Potty I found on FB Marketplace that will hopefully make potty breaks easier. I've been helping out as much as I can. While I do have Care Credit, I've had to keep that available for my own deaf/special needs dog, who will need imaging sometime in the next few months to determine the root cause of a pain issue. I've been helping mom as much as I can financially and also contributing in terms of training and care for Belly.

Two local organizations each contributed $150 towards Belly's treatment. These checks were mailed directly to our treating veterinarian, so I don't have copies; for now, I'll attach the language from the shelter as evidence that these grants are provided to people who adopt a heartworm positive dog. Our veterinarian has received these checks and applied them to Belly's account, so I can show the credit being applied to her first injection bill on 10/20.

The amount I'm fundraising for is to cover the remaining cost for the injections, as well as a small buffer to cover the additional X-rays/imaging and heartworm tests. Belly's medications cost about $45-50/month, so I'm including about 3 months in that amount, too. Once her treatment's finished, we plan to taper her down and wean her off these medications. Based on the vet's estimate, the injections will cost approximately $1,221 ($407 x 3 injections); X-rays were estimated to cost around $350. I rounded up to $2,100 to cover any unforseen additions to the vet bills. Subtracting the $300 credit we have brings us to my goal of $1,800. Math, right? Ew.

My mother's elderly and on a fixed income. I know she's done her best to ensure that Belly has everything she needs and more; I'd just like to help somehow. My mom's had a lot of unexpected health issues over the past year, and I know that put a dent in her finances. Things are tough for everyone right now, so please don't feel obligated to help out. If you can, that's great! If you can just share this link, that's also great! I'll also happily accept positive vibes for Belly's treatment and recovery! Honestly, even if I can't meet the goal I've set, any amount contributed will help and be greatly appreciated. I'd love to surprise my mom by covering more of the costs and allowing her to focus on loving and supporting Belly.

Thanks so much for reading, and I'll be posting updates throughout Belly's heartworm battle!