A perfectly healthy, happy dog goes into the vet one day for a heart worm injection. Zazz had the heart worm pill when he was a younger dog with no reaction. My husband being a long haul trucker, decided to take Zazz along with him a few times this summer for company. A quick trip to the vet and our beloved Zazz is now dead. As to make it easier for us, the injection was chosen. Within 10 minutes our dog was not the same dog. We live in a small town where we only get a vet one afternoon a week. Luckily, I noticed a massive change in this hyper dog and managed to catch the vet just as she was leaving town. She took the appropriate measures and then decided to take Zazz back with her, to keep an eye on him at her clinic ( 1 hour drive away).

I got a call at 3 am to get to her clinic now, she could not give him the care he required and he needed to see a specialist.

Long story short - he was not expected to live.

After a very heart breaking morning of running him to another vet a further 1 1/2 hours away, Zazz was barely holding his own.
He did not even recognize me.

Thedrug manufacturer was assisting in every way, to offer advise. Around noon, nobody had any ideas what the problem was and why he was not responding. My only concern was that he not be suffering or made to hang on to be a cripple. He deserved to have the quality of life he always had. I said my good-byes and gave him my permission to pass if he wanted, not to hang on for us, to not live in pain or poor quality of life.

I was unable to make the call to put him down.

I did not look forward to the $6000.00 and growing vet bill. Before I was asked to make a decision on 24 hour care the drug manufacturer stepped up to the plate to pay the whole shot. They wanted to give all the care in world to make sure this dog survived. This did take the load off of my mind, but my only concern was for Zazz.

Sadly, he passed away that night. But why??? why???

Try telling your husband who is 4 days drive away from home that his most cherished dog (that he had before you married him) has passed away for no good reason.

We gave permission to the vets and drug manufacturer to take samples, to aid in the finding a reason and to hopefully alert them to any possible problems. They told us that Zazz had a heart tumour that was unknown to us all. Seems that he is the 5th dog (that they admit to) dieing from the injection, of the 5 - 4 had underlying heart conditions that were undiagnosed.

So who in their right mind checks for major heart problems before a heart worm injection?!?
Be warned everyone, stick to the monthly pills.
The injection is straight insecticide going into a small body that can not tell you if it is causing any discomfort.
Do not take the easy way out.

I am pleased to say that the drug manufacturer has made a donation (so they say...) to W.S.P.A. (World Society for the Protection of Animals). I can only hope that I have introduced a large drug company to a major animal protection group and that just maybe some good might come of it.

In Canada we are unable to actually sue companies. So I do wonder why they so quickly came to our aid and so quickly offered a donation. They called me constantly and kept me updated during the vet stay, the vets were compassionate and loving.

I can only hope in my heart that the drug company actually does care about the animals and that it was not out of fear.

Michelle

Update: "Similar to a child dying and then the parents broke up, we lost our dog and divorced"