FOCUS ON A LABMED DOG
By Saralyn Sharp

Andre, a Lab rescue who survived heartworm infection, has joined the select cadre of contraband-sniffing dogs who are helping to reduce international drug traffic.

Maybe you have wondered about the final placement of the many Labrador and Labrador-mixes that LABMED helps. I know those of us who volunteer for LABMED often do. It is very heartening to get a letter from the rescuer that tells us how a LABMED-funded dog has found his or her forever home. Therefore, I was excited to receive a note from Andre's rescuer. I was soon to find out that Andre's second chance is not only a happy story, but also a patriotic one.

Andre is a two-year-old (approximately) male chocolate Labrador retriever who was found as a stray on the streets of Houston, Texas. He was turned into a shelter there and was subsequently discovered by a rescuer who works with an all-breed rescue group named Twyla's Friends. Andre was very skinny and had obviously led a rough life up to that point, but he still retained the sunny, hopeful nature for which Labrador Retrievers are known.

Unfortunately, it was quickly discovered that Andre's rough life had included more than a lack of food; it also included a lack of preventive care. In Texas, that practically guarantees heartworms, and Andre couldn't beat those odds. Because heartworms are so prevalent in Texas (which leads the nation in numbers of heartworm cases statewide), it is usually a death sentence for dogs in the shelter, but Andre's winning ways couldn't be ignored by his rescuer.

His rescuer contacted LABMED for help in getting the young dog treated so that he could be put up for adoption and find his forever home. LABMED was happy to help. Andre was quickly taken to the veterinarian's and treated with an adulticide to begin killing the parasites with which he was infested. Andre took the deep muscle injections stoically, but he did not like the physical confinement required for a dog undergoing treatment. His rescuer saw that spark in Andre of a dog in need of a job.

After the veterinarian had given Andre a clean bill of health, his rescuer, with the help of Twyla's Friends Rescue, contacted the Customs Department about Andre being tested as an applicant to their training program to become a Contraband Sniffing dog. Andre, who was tested with about a hundred other dogs, was determined to have the temperament needed to join the ranks of Contraband Sniffing dogs.

The Agents look for a high energy dog with a strong retrieval drive, but who won't give the ball back. Often these are dogs who are turned into Rescue Agencies or shelters, due to the inability of their current owners to keep up with their high energy. Now Andre will go to school. Of course, no one will tell Andre that this is school; he will think it is playtime. After he graduates, Andre will most likely work the United States/Mexico border searching for contraband. "It's a great life for the dog, and they perform a terrific service for our country," says Andre's foster mom. "Andre needed a job and now he has one." .

We at LABMED are always happy to hear that the dogs we've helped have gone on to become loving companions, but this year we are especially proud to say that we helped a dog that is going on to help the nation.

UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY OF HEARTWORM DISEASE
By Saralyn Sharp

Bloodfed Aedes notoscriptus, a common domestic breeding mosquito and major vector of canine heartworm.

You only have to volunteer at LABMED a short time, or read through our Success Stories, to realize that heartworm disease is a frequent problem in rescue dogs. Some of this stems from the lack of care that rescue dogs tend to get before they go to rescue, but some of it stems from ignorance.

Heartworm disease is caused by a parasite that lives in the vena cava (the main vein that leads into the heart). The adult parasites produce larva, called microfilaria, that live in the circulating blood. To mature to an adult worm, the microfilaria must be sucked up into a mosquito during a blood meal. Once in the mosquito, the larva matures and re-enters a dog during another blood meal by the mosquito. Once in the dog, the larva matures and migrates to the vena cava.

Heartworm disease is diagnosed through two types of tests. The older of the two tests is a microfilaria test. This test takes a sample of blood from the dog, strains it through a filter, and then examines what is left on the filter for evidence of microfilaria in the circulating blood. The drawback to this test is that approximately 20% of all dogs that have heartworms do not have the microfilaria in their peripheral blood. The more recent test devised to detect heartworm uses an enzyme that bonds with an antigen (a tiny piece of the worm) of the female worm and shows a color if the antigen is present. A dog must have at least 3 female worms for there to be detectable levels of antigen in the blood. This is often called the occult or ELISA (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay) heartworm test, which can detect about 99% of all heartworm infections.

If a dog tests positive for heartworms, what can be done? Fortunately, there is a treatment for this disease. The most commonly used treatment at this time is a drug called Immiticide. First, a "work-up" is done on the dog to determine the amount of damage that the worms have already caused. This work-up usually entails x-rays (to determine if the heart has been affected and if there is inflammation in the lungs), a Complete Blood Count (this shows if the dog is anemic, and shows some indications of the inflammatory response), and a Biochemical Profile (this determines if the inflammation and/or impaired blood flow has affected other major organ systems such as the kidneys, or the liver). Sometimes a urinalysis is performed to help evaluate kidney status. Rarely, an echocardiogram is performed to show the extent of blockage in the heart.

Of course the best way to deal with heartworms is to prevent your dog from getting them at all. Fortunately many heartworm preventives exist on the market today. There are daily pills, monthly pills, a monthly topical treatment, and even an every six months injection. Discuss with your veterinarian which preventive treatment would be best for you and your dog. All dogs should remain on preventive care during the mosquito season for their area (keep in mind that many heartworm preventives also contain intestinal parasite preventives so your veterinarian may recommend that your dog remain on the medication year-round, regardless of the length of your mosquito season). Also remember that monthly preventives work backward; they kill any microfilaria that your dog may have been exposed to in the previous month. Your last dose, therefore, should be given 1 month AFTER heartworm season ends.

For more information on heartworm disease, see http://www.heartwormsociety.org/canine.htm, the website of the American Heartworm Society.

WHAT IS LARYNGEAL PARALYSIS?
By Dianne Walsh

Maverick, the author’s yellow lab who was diagnosed with Laryngeal Paralysis at age 11, had a lifesaving vocal fold resection.

A little more than two years ago, my then 11-year-old yellow Lab, Maverick, developed a hoarse-sounding bark. What's more, there were odd little sounds I'd hear at the end of each bark. Sometimes they sounded like a wheeze; other times, more like a whistle. Still others, the sound was a definite honk. I thought that Maverick had strained his throat and I waited for him to return to normal. It never happened. As time went on, Maverick only sounded worse.