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 Giselle is a sweet, loving Female Golden Retriever
who was picked up as a stray by a Long Island municipal shelter. I have
been doing rescue for 12 years and this is one of the most severely
neglected dogs I have seen come through the "doors" of LIGRR.
Giselle is Heartworm positive and has been so for a
very long time. (I personally doubt that this poor dog was ever on a
Heartworm preventative.) She has such a severe infestation of the adult
worms in her heart that a portion of them will have to be removed
surgically before she can even be administered the traditional heartworm
medical treatment. (When the Heartworms die from the medical treatment,
they break up and have the potential to become emboli, which can travel
to the lungs and kill the dog. Giselle has so many worms that it is
dangerous to kill them all, so some will have to be extracted.)
The Heartworms have also affected her kidneys,
resulting in a severe infection. She has a painful skin condition which
cannot be treated in the best way at the present time because she is too
weak to tolerate the appropriate medication.
Through all of this, Giselle gives kisses, wags her
tail and plays quietly with her toys. Like a typical Golden, she
forgives all the humans who have abandoned her and responds to us with
love.
Giselle has a long, difficult road ahead of her. We
will give her everything she needs to get better and hope that she will
soon be on the road to improved health. It will be a challenging process
for Giselle and an expensive one for LIGRR. However, as I told someone
on our Rescue Phone the other day, "This dog is why we do rescue".
PLEASE keep your Heartworm negative dog on
Heartworm preventative year round. Heartworm is on a major upswing in
our area. The preventative is easy to give & much more affordable than
the treatment.
 Giselle is resting and regaining her strength. We are hoping in the near
future to be able to treat her heartworm. We are looking into treatment
options. Please continue to keep her in your good thoughts, as you can
see she is happy and full of spirit. At the moment should could benefit
from a quiet home, with no other dogs, to stay in while she regains her
strength. If you are interested in fostering her please let us know.
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