Dirofilaria immitis For a long time it was a “heard about it” kind of thing from far away places but now it has reached our little country as well. The only protection against it is PREVENTION!
This disease is spread by mosquitoes and without treatment it is a deadly disease. The trouble maker is the heart worm and they live in the animals lungs, artery of the lung and in the heart. The worms cause severe lung disease and heart failure causing a slow painful suffering but sometimes sudden deaths.
The worms can grow really big in the most sensitive organs!
They are doing researches to determine which animal race affected in this disease. It is said that all warm blooded animals are in danger but mostly dogs but the cats and the ferrets are also on the top of the list! It is important to mention that the stray dogs, the carnivorous wilderness animals could be infection sources!
The life cycle of the worm, the condition of the infestation and the process are hard to write down in few words but it is very important to know the mosquito infects the animal! The dog can’t infect one another by sniffing, licking or by biting!
If you wish to know more about the disease watch this video:
Unfortunately 3 of the Noah’s animal home protégés have been affected by this worm. Currently 3 of our dogs test came back positive. Porelán Lili the extra small Chivava, Kya our pretty little Dachshund girl and Laguna the Malamut female.
The ELISA quick test was done first and when it came back positive then the PCR genetic test was done and that came back positive as well. In 2 of cases we could even see the worms with our very own eyes when the special heart ultrasound was made. They are all in a different phase of the disease so they will get different treatments. All of the treatments are long, dangerous and very expensive. Either the surgical solution or the medical treatment need extra foresight because if the worms die due to the treatment they can still cause very serious trouble for the animal. So the decision has to be made very carefully on which dog receives which treatment and for how long. The Noah’s animal home dogs are treated by Dr. Dalma Péterfia. We can safely say that she is the biggest expert in Dirofilaria Immitis in Hungary. She has a lot of experience in all treatment.
Porcelán Lili Lili is a very small Chivava and when she came to us she was hardly 1 kg and even though she gained some weight she is not even 2 kilos right now. She was diagnosed first. Although her small size she has grown worms in her lung artery very close to her heart.
In the middle of ultrasound examination:
The ultrasound clearly showed the grown worms in her lung artery – they are marked red on the picture.
In Lili’s case the solution is surgery because the worms are very close to the heart and if the worms are killed by medication then they most likely will go into the heart killing her as well. The surgery is done with a catheter that has a “hook” at the end and literally they fish out the worms. (In the first picture you can see the worms that were taken of a dog.) There are a couple of problems with the operation: 1, In Hungary the catheter is not available. 2, The ideal lowest weight limit is between 3-4kg and Lili is less then that.
Thanks to Dr. Péterfia found an Italian heart worm specialist who is willing to be at our service but the it will be very expensive and it is not clear if Lili can have the surgery due to her physical condition. The vet will examine her and decided if she can have it or not. Even though if she can there is no guarantee that the operation will be successful. We are very hopeful because she is a very lovely, sweet dog.
Kya She is not just pretty but a very friendly lovely dog. The worms are in her lung artery close to her heart so in her case the surgery is the option. Her weight and physical condition is good and she is operable.
She was thoroughly examined and had a heart ultrasound where we could see the worms.
Laguna Our wonderful Malamut girl who loves everything. She loves to play and always longing for love. Her case is a bit different. She is in the beginning phase of infection. Both of her test came back positive but she doesn’t have grown worms in her lungs or in her heart.
The worms are probably in her lungs and too small to be seen so surgery is not an option for her. She will be treated with medication. Don’t think for a second that she just takes a couple of pills and then she is cured. The situation is much more serious. She has to take Doxycycline for a month and then she takes a break for a month and after that she will get 3 special Immiticide injection which has arsenic in it. This very dangerous for her. She will get them on 60th, 90th and 91th day of the treatment in anesthesia. This is the most critical part of the treatment for Laguna. The Immiticide is very expensive and we can only get it from abroad and the 3 injections cost more then 200.000,- forint (about 650 euros).
All of the dogs will be examined each month and will get spot ons to kill the larvae of the worms.
We have some good news as well. Neither of them show any symptoms. They don’t have and heart or blood pressure problems. After the surgery they will have a chance to live a totally healthy LIFE!
There is no question that we will give them the opportunity to live long and healthy but we are talking about a lot of money thousand of euros.
Laguna’s treatment already started, Porcelán Lili’s and Kya’s surgery will take place this weekend. Please, keep your fingers crossed!!!!
We also have to think about the other animals as well. The tests are going up to the 1000 euro range quit fast when you have about 500 dogs. We are searching for the right solution for the future.
Our sponsor Ceva has donated Vectra 3 d spot on for 160 dogs through the summer! We thank them whole heartedly!
Please, support Lili’s, Kya’s and Laguna’s recovery! The costs are enormous! You can also support and donate to the tests of other dogs or for the prevention and continues protection of our dogs.
You can support them individually with virtual adoption here:
If you speak Hungarian you can do it with you bank card through this website: : http://adhat.hu/niok/online-donation/163662
Through bank transfer: Forint bank account number within Hungary: 11710002-20083777 Bank account number from abroad: IBAN: HU62 1171 0002 2008 3777 0000 0000 SWIFT (BIC): OTPV-HU-HB OTP Bank / Budapest, 1102 Kőrösi Csoma sétány 6.
EURO bank account number within Hungary: 11763103-13106883 Euro bank account number from abroad: IBAN: HU15 1176 3103 1310 6883 0000 0000 SWIFT (BIC): OTPVHUHB OTP Bank / Budapest, 1102 Kőrösi Csoma sétány 6.
Or you can donate through PayPal: info@noeallatotthon.hu
Thank You!
A Tetszik gomb eléréséhez sütik engedélyezése szükséges.
Magyar
Deutsch
Share