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When you give to the WHS on Giving Tuesday, you help Harvey recover from heartworm.

Heart disease can kill a person. It can also kill our dogs. Heartworm, a potentially fatal disease where worms live and sustain itself inside a dog’s heart and lungs, is costly to treat at the WHS and requires a long recovery period.

“Heartworm is easy to prevent, but can be catastrophic in dogs that already have the disease,” says Dr. Erika Anseeuw, WHS Director of Animal Health. “It’s an invasive disease that takes a lot of time and resources to treat.”

Heartworm, a common disease in Manitoba, is transmitted to dogs by infected mosquitos. The larvae grow inside a dog’s heart where they can grow up to 12 inches long and cause heart distress and failure. Once a dog with heartworm is treated with medication it needs on average about one and a half months of careful monitoring under the care of the WHS.

The WHS has spent over $31,000 on heartworm treatments and care this year. There have been 33 cases and counting of heartworm at the WHS in 2016, compared to only 15 in 2015. Medication for the treatment of heartworm costs an average of $535.

Today is Giving Tuesday a national day of giving. The WHS is raising money on Giving Tuesday to help offset some of the costs of care and treatment for dogs with heartworm.

Please help us raise $10,000 to support the treatment and care for a dog with heartworm – like Nigel.

Donate today and let us know by using #WHSGivingTuesday.

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