This week, we wanted to share Lily’s story. You’ve seen her adorable puppies, now it’s time to learn about her! Lily was picked up as a stray by animal control in Sumter County. She was very pregnant when she was found, so they [animal control] started reaching out to local rescues with the hope of finding someone to pull her from the shelter before she gave birth as a county shelter is no place for puppies to be born. Those they reached out to were full, so one of those rescues began reaching out to other rescue contacts, just hoping that they would find someone with the space to take this mommy dog in need. That’s where we came in! On June 7th, a very pregnant Lily joined our rescue family, and not a moment too late! Just two short days later, she gave birth to 9 adorable little puppies. Lily has been a very devoted, loving momma, and took the best care of her pups despite the poor condition she was in. Lily was underweight, and suffering from Heartworms. We knew we’d have to get her healthy, and her pups grown, so that we could begin her Heartworm treatment.
Now that Lily’s journey in motherhood is coming to an end, and her babies are ready to go to their forever homes, it’s time for this sweet girl to shine.
On August 8th, Lily will begin the treatment to take care of her Heartworms, but had she been on a simple monthly prevention medication, this would not have been needed. As a rescue, we receive discounts on medical care. Even with those discounts, her treatment is still very costly, well over $500! On top of the costs, these treatments are a lot for a dog to endure. Lily will not be able to run and play, or enjoy the long walks she is accustomed to. The injections are painful, and she’ll be sore after each appointment, but it is necessary to give her a healthy future, and proper lifespan.
So, how does a dog get Heartworm you ask? Well, when a dog is bitten by an infected mosquito, the worm larvae are transmitted. Here in Florida, we know how common mosquito bites are, and how difficult they are to avoid. It takes several months for the larvae to mature into adult Heartworms once a dog is infected. This doesn’t have to happen! For less than the cost of going to Starbucks for a weekly coffee, you can prevent Heartworm disease in your dog.
If you’d like to learn more about Heartworm, and why monthly prevention is so important, we thought we’d share some great resources in the links below. If you’d like to donate to Lily’s treatment, you can do so via PayPal here
Heartworm information:
https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/guide/heartworms-in-dogs-facts-and-myths#1
Noah’s Ark Rescue, Inc. 
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