Maynard's story

　　This is Maynard's story. It's a story of abuse, neglect, and a life-threatening disease. But none of that defines Maynard. What defines Maynard is an ever-wagging tail, a gentle soul, and a love of life. He's a long hair, sable color, mini Dachshund. He loves laps, getting tummy rubs, and racing around the backyard hunting those pesky squirrels.

　　Maynard came into rescue on March 30th of this year. When he had his intake exam with our vet, he was found to be heartworm positive. That started the ninety-day process of killing off the parasites. Heartworm is a serious and potentially fatal disease. Adult heartworms (the females can be up to 14 inches long) are found in the heart and adjacent large blood vessels. They clog the vessels, reducing blood flow to major organs causing them to malfunction. Immature heartworms circulate throughout the body and may block blood flow in small blood vessels. The first step in the process was a thirty-day course of antibiotics to kill bacteria that inhabit the heartworms. After 30 days, the first Immiticide, an arsenic-containing compound, injection is given. At that point, it is necessary that the dog's activity be severely limited to keep its heart rate from rising. After another 30 days, a second and third injection is given on two consecutive days. Thirty days after that, the second test for heartworm is given. Maynard had his final test on July third and it showed he is now heartworm free! He will need to be on a monthly heartworm preventative from now on, of course.

　　Now for a description of the neglect and abuse Maynard has suffered. Sometime in his past, he has had extremely severe periodontal disease. Maynard's dental issues were completely ignored and resulted in his losing over half of his lower jaw, loss of all his teeth, and loss of soft tissue in his upper jaw. Try to imagine the horrific pain he went through while his mouth was infected and his jawbone was rotting. Don't feel sorry for him, however. He laps up moistened kibble and canned food like a little piglet. The heartworm infestation caused him to be very thin, actually skin and bones, but after he recovered from the second and third injections his appetite blossomed. He now has a half can of his favorite food twice a day and has gained a little over one pound in the past month.

　　Please don't say "oh, the poor dog." Maynard doesn't consider himself damaged in any way. He plays with the other dogs at his foster home and can put any one of them in its place if he feels it necessary. And let's not start any owner bashing. Yes, there were humans involved in his past who did nothing to keep him safe and healthy and who directly contributed to his pain and suffering. But Maynard, like most of his kind, doesn't hold grudges. He's just living in the moment and basking in the love he's getting now.