Heartworms aren't the tiny little worms you may imagine; they grow up to a foot in length! Heartworms are transmitted by mosquitos and can stick around for up to 7 years in dogs, and with each bite from an infected mosquito, more larvae can be transmitted, leading the huge numbers of heartworms some dogs suffer. It's a vicious cycle.

Treating heartworm is not an easy process, because you have to kill not only the adult heartworms but the developing ones as well - it's not a simple one-day, one-dose treatment. A veterinarian will come up with a specific treatment schedule, but generally the dog will receive multiple doses of a strong drug over a two month period. Treatment can be an incredibly stressful and tiring period of time for the dog as the heartworms are breaking up and passing through the blood stream. Because of this, it is absolutely essential that the dog is kept calm and quiet and doesn't do anything to increase their heart rate. Increased heart rate through exercise, or other means, increases the potential for serious complications.

Treating heartworm is not just complicated; it's incredibly expensive. Through your local vet, costs are often at least a thousand dollars, and sometimes, it can be much more than that! CDR, however doesn't shy away from saving heartworm positive dogs because of this potential cost - it's estimated that 30% of our dogs are (or were) heartworm positive. To manage treatment costs CDR has, fortunately, established an amazing partnership with the Humane Society of Charles County who provides treatment to all our dogs and only charges CDR for the medicine. Even with their gracious help, treating heartworm in CDR dogs is a significant investment and always ends up costing significantly more than the adoption fee.

With all that being said, CDR is committed to treating all the heartworm positive dogs while they are in foster care or once they are in their adoptive homes, and despite all the scary things about heartworm, there is no reason to be afraid of a heartworm positive status when considering adopting a dog. For all the facts and figures about heartworm in dogs, once it's caught and treated, your dog should be able to live a healthy and happy life with few if any restrictions.  And City Dogs Rescue is there to help every step of the way.

Many adopters report that the heartworm treatment period is a great time to bond with their dog. Since activity has to be so limited during treatment, dogs need other forms of stimulation to keep them engaged but also to tire them out, which involves owners being very actively involved in mentally stimulating the dog and developing a deeper bond with their dog. After treatment, many adopters have also found that their dogs' energy increases, likely a result of the dog feeling healthy again.

While heartworm is terrible; it's also highly preventable. It's so easy to keep a dog from getting heartworm - just give them their monthly heartworm preventative. You purchase it at your vet and the dog takes it orally each month, and often thinks it's a treat! Easy as pie!  

Contributors: Meg Goswami and Eve Kager  

You hear about it all the time: dogs getting loose because of careless mistakes made by their owners or fosters. Escape incidents include: a child opens the door and the dog escapes; getting out of the fence, either by it being left open or a dog digs under; a child walking a dog unsupervised and letting go of the lease because they are too small to handle it, or just dropping the leash and the dog gets loose; using a foot to hold the leash down while picking up waste; a contractor leaves a door open while working in your house. We realize these are all accidents, but one should take extra precaution to keep the dog from getting loose. Some ways to help prevent escape are:

1. Having childproof locks on the doors, so they can't open the door.
2. Making sure the child is supervised when handling the dog.
3. Making sure the fence is dog-proof, so they can't dig under the fence, and keeping it locked and closed.
4. Supervising your dog even when in a fenced-in area.
5. Always keeping the leash wrapped around your wrist.
6. Making sure your dog's collar and harness are sufficiently tight to prevent escape.
7. Paying careful attention when contractors or housekeepers are working in your house.  Consider keeping your dog in a crate or in a enclosed room during this time.

Retractable leashes aren't the best to use because one hard pull, and your child, or you, can accidentally let go. Retractable leashes have also been known to tangle and cause injury to people an other animals. The CDR-preferred leash is a standard six-foot leash with a handle that the owner can wrap around their wrist and hand. An escape can result in serious or fatal injury to your dog and will cause you unnecessary anguish.  Many escapes can be avoided easily, so please keep your dogs safe!   

Contributor: Hailey Emerson