Old Friends Senior Dogs: Lucky Penny Update

Penny makes herself right at home

Today the lab results came back on Penny's bloodwork. Everything was checked. The good news is that most everything was normal. The bad news is that one thing was not normal. Penny is Heartworm Positive. She is not symptomatic, so hopefully the heartworms have not done much damage. Because of her age and condition. Penny can not be treated for heartworm using the most agressive, "fast kill" method. This treatment would kill all worms, adult and microfilariae, but could put her health in even more danger. We will instead use the "soft kill" method which involves giving heartworm preventative which will kill the microfilariae and keep new worms from growing. The adult worms already in her system will not be killed, but will die once they live out their life which can be two or more years. The decision was made as the "lesser of two evils" as the best choice for Penny. In a future blog post, I will discuss heartworm disease further.
On the brighter side, Penny is beginning to settle in and her personality is coming out. She moves from chair, to doggy bed, to couch and then to the floor. She enjoys being able to choose her place. Penny is sleeping a lot, but enjoys her slow but steady walks and having company. Our one dog welcoming committee, Gracie, spent some time with her today and they were calm and comfortable together. We are going to move Penny upstairs on Saturday when we will be here with her all day long.
A Dawn and then a medicated bath really cleaned Lucky Penny up and brought out her true, rich, German Shepherd like, colors. She is a pretty girl and will be quite beautiful when all of her hair grows back in. She was a real trooper and didn't complain at all. She enjoyed the attention.
Lucky Penny is eating well, so we expect that she'll get some meat on her bones quickly. She gobbles down the homemade stew that I make for all of our dogs to supplement their kibble.
Sweet Penny still needs a Forever Foster Home. Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary will pay for all of her vetting and basic costs for the rest of her life. Penny will fit in well with any calm, loving family. Until Penny finds her Forever Foster Home, Old Friends will not be able to take in any more senior dogs as we are now full.