Contributed by Mary McDaniel
Dogs entering the Dillon County Animal Shelter already have two strikes against them. The first strike, of course, is that they are now homeless. Some are owner-surrenders. Perhaps the owner is going through hard times economically and can no longer provide adequate care, or perhaps their lifestyle has changed such as entering a nursing home, or having a death in the family. Unfortunately, there are those cold-hearted owners who lack enough compassion to continue caring for a pet. Many animals who enter the Animal Shelter have never known the love of a caring family. They have spent their entire lives as strays struggling every day to survive in the wild. But however they end up at the Shelter, each animal is homeless.
The second strike is the threat of euthanasia, which thankfully now occurs at the Dillon County Animal Shelter less and less frequently because of many people’s efforts to make the Dillon Shelter a no-kill shelter. But the most lethal strike facing a dog entering the Dillon County Animal Shelter is the threat of heartworms. Many are already suffering from this preventable disease and will die a miserable and painful death without treatment. Others will contract the disease during the time they are there. Heartworm disease is not only a health problem for each dog, but the disease also makes them very undesirable as adoptees because of expenses involved in treatment.
It is because of the prevalence of this problem among the homeless animals entering the Dillon County Animal Shelter that several people have joined forces to alleviate the situation. One person is a very devoted member of the Humane Society of Dillon County who has spent many hours fostering and caring for countless dogs and cats. She became aware of the problem and offered financial aid to establish a program of treatment for dogs with existing heartworms and also for those who will enter in the future. The second person is the founder of Friends Helping the Dillon Shelter who is helping both financially and is organizing a plan of implementation. Forty dogs will soon undergo treatment for heartworms in the coming months. Several are already at the vet’s office being treated now. Because of the severity of the fast-kill treatment, dogs must be kept in very quiet and peaceful environments during the treatment. Shelter employees are currently formulating plans to implement the slow-kill plan for forty dogs awaiting treatment at the Shelter.. The Humane Society of Dillon County is asking for volunteers who would be willing to spend time walking the dogs undergoing treatment as they need exercise, but they cannot run and play as usual. Contact Mary McDaniel at 843 487-7592 if you would like to contribute to this program financially or volunteer your time.
The problem of heartworms is not specific to just homeless dogs at the Shelter. Many pets in Dillon County and across the country are infested and will suffer needlessly. It is estimated that over a million dogs will be diagnosed each year with heartworms. (USA Today.com/life/lifestyle/pets/2009). Heartworms are spread by mosquitoes and can also be spread from animal to animal when a mosquito bites an infected dog and picks up the tiny larvae from the dog’s bloodstream.  Then that mosquito bites another dog infecting it, too, with the heartworm larvae. These larvae can grow to over a foot in length and migrate to the animal’s heart and blood vessels of the lungs resulting in a dreadful death.
This disease, although very common among Dillon County animals, is highly preventable by giving a monthly dose of preventive prescription medicine. Animals should be tested every year for heartworms and owners are encouraged to never skip a monthly dosage or to be late with administering it. The treatment for heartworms, which the Dillon Shelter is beginning for these forty dogs, is very painful, and not always successful. But because of the kindness and generosity of several devoted animal advocates, these dogs will have a chance at a good life, rather than be doomed by disease.  The Humane Society of Dillon County, Friends Helping the Dillon Shelter, the Dillon County Animal Shelter employees, and all the area veterinarians would like to encourage all pet owners to keep their beloved pets on proper heartworm medication, too! If you would like to join the Humane Society of Dillon County and help improve the lives of all the homeless animals in Dillon County, please attend our monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 16, 2016, at 7:00 in the meeting room of the Dillon Wellness Center.