JONESBORO, Ark. – With the need to treat more than ten heartworm positive pups, A Love For Animals (ALFA) is selling shirts to raise money to help pay for the costs.
The Booster fundraiser features the shirts and the fundraiser. “No Tail Left Behind,” is the theme. ALFA is a 501(c)3 non-profit rescue group looking to keep pets alive whether rescuing them from kill-shelters or providing essential medical treatment, as is needed in this case.
One of those who works with ALFA, Charolette Duncan, told NEA Report it makes a big difference when a shelter dog can get a clean bill of health.
“We have 10 dogs right now who need treatment, and every dog that we bring in more than likely will have heartworms,” Duncan said. “Dogs with heartworms are harder to adopt out, because people see it as a death sentence. When we have a dog that’s heartworm free, not only is it more easily adopted, but we are more likely to get help from northern rescues.”
Northern rescues take a lot of dogs from the south, because the laws and culture in the north are much more strict, so they don’t have access to dogs like we do around here, Duncan said.
“They take dogs from us, and sometimes, dogs that we’ve had for years will get adopted within a week of being in a northern rescue,” Duncan said. “The issue is that most northern rescues won’t take heartworm positive dogs and many northern states (such as Washington) have strict rules about heartworms and won’t allow heartworm positive dogs to enter the state. So in short, a dog that has been through treatment and is free of heartworms has a much higher chance of getting to their forever home and much faster.”
Depending on the vet and the dog, it can take between $200 and $800 to treat it for heartworms. The dog then may need to be sheltered, with heartworm treatments taking a physical toll on the body of the animal.
“It’s very hard on them,” Duncan said. “The worms are dying inside them, so while their body attempts to get rid of the dead worms, they can build up and cause blood clots, which can kill a dog instantly. It’s hard on a healthy dog; but most of the time, we are treating older dogs, dogs who have been abused or been through other health issues, dogs who don’t have a proper place to recoup; there are so many risks!”
She also said there is rarely reimbursement when ALFA works with northern rescues, so if they vet the dog, treat the heartworms and spend hundreds, into thousands, of dollars on the four-legged friend – they rarely will get it back.
“So it’s great for the dog, but can be very hard on us if we don’t get help through donations,” Duncan said.
Shirts are expected to be printed and delivered no later than mid-April.
Connect with A Love For Animals on Facebook at this page.
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