Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/save-a-heart-anniversary/

Heartworm is a truly unjust disease. Not only does it prove fatal if left untreated, but it also disproportionally affects those animals who are least equipped to deal with it.

Take, for example, shelter pets from Louisiana, which leads the country in terms of heartworm infection. But even though heartworm is common, overcrowded shelters don’t have the space or resources to treat sick animals, who then risk euthanasia. This gives heartworm-positive shelter pets a slim chance of leaving the shelter alive.

This heartbreaking dilemma led The Animal Rescue Site and Greater Good Charities to team up last April– aka Heartworm Awareness Month–to launch our Save a Heart campaign.

These life-saving flights transport heartworm-positive shelter dogs from Louisiana-–where their odds of survival are slim–-to East Coast shelters with the capacity to treat them. When they’re healthy again, our shelter partners also help them get adopted.

And because heartworm prevention is also the best form of treatment, Save a Heart flights also transport shelters dogs at risk for contracting heartworm, which threatens animals across the Bayou State.

One year later, we’ve already flown 1600 shelter dogs to safety, treatment, and adoption though through the Save a Heart program. This number includes 500 heartworm-positive dogs who would have otherwise been euthanized.

Save a Heart helps dogs like Bruiser, an emaciated beagle found tied up outside in rural Louisiana.

Fortunately, somebody noticed the starving, flea-bitten dog–who was found with two other beagles in grim condition–and called Iberville Parish Animal Control. The shelter quickly sent officers to investigate.

When rescuers arrived, they found the starving dogs were actually in far worse shape than what the man described.

“They were all extremely emaciated, covered in fleas, tied up without food or water,” shelter workers said, recalling the heartbreaking scene. In lieu of shelter, the dogs huddled under the tin of an old AC unit.

All 3 dogs were in poor condition, but Bruiser was in especially bad shape, with worn teeth, severe emaciation, and an injured back leg that had never properly healed after going his whole life without medical care. The skeletal dog weighed only 14 pounds when he was rescued that day.

Worst of all, Bruiser suffered from a serious case of heartworm disease.

“Heartworms had started taking a toll on his body. He was depleted, lethargic, and his spirit was broken,” said shelter workers. “His eyes were filled with lost hope.”

The rescued beagles were rushed back to the shelter for treatment, where Bruiser was immediately started on doxycycline, Heartgard, and Nexgard.

Fortunately for Bruiser, the shelter had these medications on hand thanks to the Save a Heart program, which–in addition to flying asymptomatic heartworm positive dogs to safety–also supplies participating shelters with critical heartworm medication.

After treatment–and many hours and days of TLC–the battered beagle finally started coming around. “Bruiser became a loving, outgoing, spunky guy,” said shelter workers, recalling how the weary, depressed dog began gaining weight and playing with other dogs.

When Bruiser was healthy enough, the rescued dog and his sister boarded Save a Heart flight heading for Florida, where they were transported to the Humane Society of Broward County and quickly found forever homes!

“All of this was made possible from being a part of the Save a Heart program,” said Erin Robbins, director of pet programs for Good Flights, the Greater Good Charities’ program that operates the Save a Heart program. “Bruiser is just one of the many lives that were changed and touched by this program.”

Gladys is another Louisiana dog who got a second chance through the Save a Heart program.

The heartworm-positive dog was also rescued by Iberville Parish Animal Control, which was contacted by city officials regarding two dogs in desperate need of help.

Rescuers stepped into a house with no electricity, running water, and covered in what they assumed was mud and dog feces. The reality turned out to be even more disturbing.

“The poor animals were living in a house full of human feces,” said shelter workers, who found two very thin, frightened dogs inside.

Both dogs were missing big patches of hair and covered in feces, but Gladys, the older of the two, was in the worst shape. The terrified pups were also spooked by the visitors, not understanding that these people were here to help.

“During this time, we saw two dogs unsure of what was going on with all the new faces, so they were running in and out of the house, and then under the house,” said shelter workers, who were eventually able to coax them out with gentle touches and food.

Back at the shelter, Gladys and her sister were given much-needed baths and warm beds before staff began their examinations. Unfortunately, those tests only confirmed rescuers’ worst fears. Both dogs had fleas, bacterial infections, intestinal parasites, and–worst of all–heartworms.

The silver lining, however, was that all these ailments were treatable, especially because the shelter already had heartworm medications on hand. “This was only possible because of the Save a Heart initiative which made these products available to us,” shelter workers said.

When Gladys was healthy enough to fly, she was booked on a Save a Heart flight, which transported the long-suffering pup to safety, additional treatment, and–at long last–a safe and loving home.

“After arriving at the new shelter, she received all the extra loving and medical care she needed,” said shelter workers, describing how Gladys “pulled lots of heartstrings” and found her forever home quickly. “Now, she enjoys riding in the passenger seat down the beach and letting her newly grown hair blow in the wind.”

Bruiser and Gladys are just two of hundreds of heartworm-positive dogs who’ve gotten a second chance at life because of Save a Heart, which also wouldn’t be possible without the support of Animal Rescue Site readers.

With your clicks, shopping, and donations, we’ve been able to buy air miles and medicine for Bruiser, Gladys, and the 1,600 shelter dogs who’ve been flown to safety and treatment since April 2021, when the Save a Heart program began.

Together we’ve helped hundreds of shelter dogs overcome heartworm disease with life-saving transports and critical treatment, and we couldn’t have done it without your support! Thanks for helping us save at-risk dogs during April’s Heartworm Awareness month–and every month of the year.

Please make a donation to help fund Save a Heart flights or learn more about this life-saving program.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog