Last night I got another email from Sheila, with a link to the responses she got when she posted JoLee’s predicament on Greytalk. The responses were 100% supportive, and many held links to sites with more information.
Among other things, I learned there are heartworms in the Mississippi Delta that have become resistant to ivermectin (the main ingredient in heartworm preventative), and down South, they test puppies every six months until they can get them on a heartworm preventative regimen. Baton Rouge is in the Mississippi Delta area. I woke up at 4:00 a.m. wondering if JoLee has had heartworms all his life.
As I lay there in the predawn darkness, visions of hearts full of worms swam before my eyes, and every time JoLee moved or made a noise, I worried he was showing symptoms. He sneezed - was he sneezing out bits of heartworms? He coughed, just once. Was that due to heartworms? I just hated the thought of worms living in my dog and compromising his health - I wanted them gone!
I emailed “K-9 Nose Work” for instructions on how to teach JoLee how to do “Nose Work,” an exercise in locating objects by their smell. I think that would be a great way for us to pass the time in a more or less sedentary way until he can be active again. I have a friend who was able to attend one of their workshops with his terrier, and he says it tires them out, too - so that’s a great thing.
Here’s a link: http://www.k9nosework.com
(A note to readers: I heard back from K9 Nose Work staff at least a month after I had sent them my request for information on how to train JoLee while he was recuperating - and about two weeks before all of JoLee’s restrictions were lifted. They told me they were sorry, but no workshops are being held in my area. Since apparently you have to attend a group class, which wouldn’t be advisable if your dog is recovering from heartworms, I would suggest you find alternative methods for training if this is something you are interested in pursuing.)
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