It's been a tough week. Over the weekend, I received a message from a dachshund member I've known for years. Her dog passed away in December 2023, and three weeks ago, she bought a dog off Gumtree. In short, she realised she was still grieving badly for her boy and that the time wasn't right, so she wanted the very best home for her new dog. Consequently, D2DR stepped in.

Unbeknownst to her, she had picked up this tiny brindle female from a somewhat shoddy place in Brisbane. She kept messaging them for the dog's microchip number and health records, which they promised to send through. However, once she picked up the dog, they stopped replying.

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Heartworm is a serious and potentially fatal parasitic infection in dogs, caused by the worm Dirofilaria immitis, which is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito. Once inside a dog's body, the larvae mature into adult worms and lodge in the heart, lungs, and surrounding blood vessels, leading to severe lung disease, heart failure, organ damage, and ultimately death if left untreated. The presence of these parasites can severely hinder a dog's quality of life, causing symptoms ranging from a mild persistent cough, fatigue, decreased appetite, and weight loss, to severe complications like heart enlargement and blockage of blood flow. Due to its grave implications and the invasive treatment required to address it, prevention through regular prophylactic measures is strongly advocated to protect dogs from this dangerous condition.

When she surrendered the dog to us on Tuesday morning, Carina, her foster carer, and I had already booked her in for a health check, vaccinations, and hopefully, desexing. However, this dear little girl, who just turned 2, tested positive for heartworm. Coco started her treatment yesterday at Brookfield and will be with us for at least 12 months.

It's devastating news, and she's such a sweet little darling. Carina is looking after her, and it's a heavy regime to go through. We would like to try and raise some funds to help with her veterinary costs of around $3000 for her treatment.

Anyone wishing to donate

Direct Deposit: REF: COCOBSB: 124-079A/C: 22282277PAYPAL: info@d2dr.org.auALL DONATIONS OVER $2 ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLEIf you are donating via Direct Debit, please send us an email so we have your contact email (to issue a tax receipt)All other donations via PayPal or Stripe will be issued a tax receipt.

Donate to Coco's Treatment