I almost never stop for stray dogs despite them being all over the place in Texas, but for some reason I was compelled to on my way home from work this past Thursday when I saw this poor emaciated puppy cross a 55mph highway right in front of me and go hobble around in a crusty, barren ag field. While she clearly wanted love when I stopped and greeted her, something in her recent past wasn't letting her trust me enough for pets. Another person stopped and gave me a can of dog food, saying she had seen the dog a week ago and carried the food around every since in case she saw it again because it looked so sad and starved. I realized around this time that I needed to try and save this dog. Despite the dog coming right up near me to eat that night with the dog food, I didnt have a leash and couldn't catch it. I passed by again twice Friday to/from work without success as well. Finally Saturday morning with the help of another stranger (the 3rd I had now seen with/had stopped while I was with the dog), I got a slip lead over the dogs neck and was able to get her in my car.

Here's the reason i'm posting this. I brought her straight to the vet to get her checked over, scan for microchip, etc. She was only 26lbs and estimated to be ~6 months old, and surprisingly was clear on most tests despite some cuts, ticks, fleas, and some serious diarrhea, however she did test positive for heartworm. For anyone who doesn't know, heartworm is a parasitic roundworm that lives in an animals blood and is transmissible by mosquitos. It is unfortunately common here without preventative measures and is fatal if left unchecked in dogs. We started the pup on a flea/tick/worm killer, intestinal parasite treatment, and the first step for heartworm treatment.

For now, I'm calling her Echo because of those damn cute sideways bunny ears she has. She's improved so much in the 30 hours since I picked her up - no more fleas/ticks, her belly bloat has resolved, she had a mostly solid poop today, is somehow even more affectionate, and has a ravenous appetite. Heartworm treatment can easily be $1500-2000 (if no complications) on top of the $570 I spent yesterday, and she will need to be spayed and vaccinated in the near future as well. I'm hoping my circle might be willing to chip in a few bucks here and there to help offset these costs. Please only do so if you feel you comfortably have the means to do so - I can afford the remaining costs I end up with but do appreciate any and all support, and I figure many people would be happy to help out. Any money raised above what I need to spend for the heartworm treatment will be donated to a local animal rescue organization!

I do not currently intend on keeping Echo as I really love my 1-dog household with Stormy, so if you are interested in meeting her please let me know!!! I would happily drive across the state or more to hand her off to a loving home. That would also give me the freedom to rescue more dogs in the future. Time will tell though, I've said that before! Thank you all in advance for any help here.

Justin