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According to the American Heartworm Society, more than one million pets in the United States have heartworm disease, both dogs and cats can contract the condition and, worst of all, it can be fatal.
Enter Parker County Pets Alive — a nonprofit organization that raises funds to help cover the cost of treatment for many of the heartworm-positive dogs housed at the Weatherford Parker County Animal Shelter.
Board of Directors Member Jenni Day started the 501c3 back in 2012 and said it has evolved considerably over the last 11 years.
“We started out as a rescue when the shelter was going through some big changes - new staff and there had just been some issues and what not,” Day said. “We started off as a regular rescue with volunteers where people could foster. We'd take dogs, get them fostered and then get them homes. But there are so many rescues that we decided that we would just be a fundraising organization, to help pay for things that the shelter can't pay for medical wise.”
This entails a great deal of fundraising because treatment can be costly.
“You know, you adopt out a heartworm-positive dog for $25, and take them to the vet, and if they're heartworm positive, they're going to get quoted $1,200 to treat this $25 dog,” Day said. “And a lot of times that was an issue, and they were the first ones to be put down if it came to that. Weatherford tries not to do that. They have a really high live-release rate. But, if they're looking for who usually goes first, then usually it was a heartworm-positive or sick dog. So we pay for every single dog that comes to the shelter that gets adopted and is heartworm positive.”
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Parker County Pets Alive works with Riverstone Veterinary Hospital in Brock and Dr. Ryan Cate for treatment purposes, and Day said heartworm treatment should not be taken lightly.
“In Texas, if your dog is not on a heartworm preventative, your dog is going to get heartworms,” Day said. “It's not if, but when. Because it’s spread by mosquitoes. We have mosquitoes 12 months out of the year here, and one will bite a positive dog and then goes and bites a negative dog. Then in a nutshell, the heartworms start growing in the dog that was previously negative.”
Day said there are preventative medications that can be taken for heartworms and some even work retroactively.
“Sometimes in older dogs, the procedure is rough on them because it’s killing them (the heartworms) off,” Day said. “They have to keep their heart rate down and for some dogs that’s hard to do. You know, the mailman walks up or a squirrel runs by and the dogs are going to go crazy. You have to keep their heart rate down because as the worms are dying, and breaking up and being shed out through the bloodstream, they can choke out the heart if they get too excited. So that’s another heartbreak. If you adopt a dog and get it treated, it’s basically a six-month treatment program.”
And Day said there are some misconceptions when it comes to heartworms.
“The big one we get is ‘My dog only goes outside to go potty, you know, so they’re not going to get it,’” Day said. “Have you ever been bitten by a mosquito in your house? That's basically the comeback for it. People also think that if one of their dogs doesn’t have have, the other dogs aren’t going to have it. That doesn’t work either.
"Clear the shelter is an upcoming event and we talk about it to people about it because a lot of people really don’t know...and it’s so big. It’s so big in Texas, but it’s real treatable. The dog that I had, he had heartworms and he also had a broken femur, and now he’s fine.”
Day said it is best to have a blood test completed because pets can have heartworms for a while with no symptoms, and said there is a certain symptom to watch for.
“Coughing, because they’re getting choked out is one,” Day said. “And it’s pretty obvious. Sometimes it will sound like kennel cough, which just sounds like a dry cough, but they do an X-ray of the heart and lungs. The shelter does a blood test. It's real easy. There’s several different kinds, and it’s immediate, so they just take some blood and look at it under a microscope, and they can see the microfilariae swimming around and tell how serious it is.”
The most fulfilling part of her job is follow up after treatment.
“Seeing the dogs that we’ve helped, you know the happy tails, as we call them on our Facebook,” Day said. “The dogs that have gone through our program, that are living their best lives. Someone's adopted them. They're part of a family, they're going camping, going to the dog park. You know, just seeing the dogs that the people have gone through the program, and giving a dog with a heartworm a chance. And they're healthy going forward. We love to see the happy ones.”
For more information on Parker County Pets Alive or to make a contribution, visit
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