I am furious

[Gingersmurf]

I just got back from the base vet with Marlena. I am so angry and upset right now.

The medicine that the Seoul vet had given Marlena has nothing to do with heartworm. It's an antibiotic and has no effect whatsoever on the heartworm.

The very mild case of heartworm, not even enough to be a clinical stage? Bullshit. They tested her and she has very severe heartworm. Very Severe.

Words fail me right now. Please keep Marlena in your thoughts and prayers that she will recover from this and be healthy. We love her so much and the fear of losing her is unbearable.

[alibuch]

Did you go to a Korean vet before? A lot of times the language barrier is the problem. If the vet tested for heartworm then it would be the same test the base vet would do.

Hope your dog gets better.

[Gingersmurf]

Did you go to a Korean vet before? A lot of times the language barrier is the problem. If the vet tested for heartworm then it would be the same test the base vet would do.

Hope your dog gets better.

Language barrier was not an issue. The vet that Marlena had been seen by previously was the vet used by ARK. That vet is the one that told ARK that Marlena had very very mild heart worm, not even at a clinical stage.

I am so afraid that we will lose our baby now.

[alibuch]

How long ago was this test? Sometimes things can progress quickly.
And which vet are you referring to? Animal Rescue Korea doesn't have it's own vet... and the one people go to after adopting dogs from the shelter is in Daejeon.

[Gingersmurf]

It was a vet clinic in Samdang, I think it was called Dana. Ryan was the person who arranged everything for us.

Right now, we are in shock and worry about our little girl. We love her so much and would do anything for her but this is such heartbreaking news right now.

[Ryan]

The doxson was tested at a vet in Sadang, which is very reputable in the Seoul area. He uses only US equipment and protocol with heartworm. I talked with him again this evening about it, just to confirm. If the test came out incorrectly, I'm sorry to hear about that, however, I don't know if it did. I would suggest having her tested again at a different vet (off base) to see what their tests indicate. As for the medicine, I never did say it was for the heartworm, as I didn't know myself. I hope the doxson does get better. She will be in my thoughts.

[Karen]

Hi Gingersmurf,

From what I understand about heartworm disease, it is treatable but expensive. I'm no expert so please fact check with your vet, but I've fostered 2 heartworm positive dogs and they are both happy and healthy now. I'll write about my experience, but the American Heartworm Society (http://www.heartwormsociety.org/) has the best info.

As for severity, I read that there are 4 stages from mild to severe. This is related to the number of worms in the heart, how long they've been there, etc. My vet did a chest xray to determine the stage. Did Marlena get one? Of course, vets can have differing opinions, too.

The stage of the disease will determine the treatment. Both the dogs I fostered were around stage 2/3 (no exact stage given). They had no symptoms like coughing. They received a dose of the heartworm preventative plus 1 week of oral medication to thin their blood followed by 2 injections (24 hours apart). There is another strategy for more severe cases where the dog gets one shot and then a month later gets two more. Maybe there are other treatment strategies I don't know about.

For heartworm dogs, the vet urged NO EXERCISE for several weeks -before the shots and after. This is important because as the worms die and break down they enter the bloodstream and can cause a clot in the lungs, liver, etc. I believe Wibidad advised you against exercise in another thread.

The antibiotics Marlena was prescribed may be related to something else. The vet may have prescribed them to treat an infection before she gets her shots. When you adopted her, I'm assuming you were explained what treatment she had already received and her future treatment schedule? Has she already received the shots?

Last thing, some months after the treatment Marlena will need a retest to make sure all the worms were killed (my vet retested 3 months later). It's possible that the retest shows positive even if all the worms are dead because the dog may still have antibodies in her system. A US rescue's page on Heartworm Treatment Aftercare (http://www.houstonsheltiesanctuary.com/heartworm_treatment_aftercare.htm)mentions this as a rare possibility.

I hope this info (and especially the links above) helps to put your mind at ease. One vet may think her case is mild, but heartworm disease is always serious. Still, it's treatable.

As for ARK not having a vet, alibuch is absolutely correct. We don't have a single vet (or an office or a shelter). This website is just a resource for sharing info, members go to different vets throughout the country based on their preferences and location. Sorry for the confusion. The How to Adopt (http://www.animalrescuekorea.org/index.php?pageid=adopt) page might help clarify.

I hope you will update us on Marlena progress, I'm sure your baby will be OK.

Take care,
Karen

[Gingersmurf]

The doxson was tested at a vet in Sadang, which is very reputable in the Seoul area. He uses only US equipment and protocol with heartworm. I talked with him again this evening about it, just to confirm. If the test came out incorrectly, I'm sorry to hear about that, however, I don't know if it did. I would suggest having her tested again at a different vet (off base) to see what their tests indicate. As for the medicine, I never did say it was for the heartworm, as I didn't know myself. I hope the doxson does get better. She will be in my thoughts.


Oh please. In the email you sent me dated July 2, 2008, you said: Right now she is being treated for mild heartworm (not even enough to be considered a clinical stage).

On July 9, 2008, I emailed you with: Ryan - I called and spoke with the vet today on base and managed to get her an appointment for Friday. I explained that she was being treated for heartworm and that she has the powder. He was baffled, said he wasn't sure what medicine that was.

Your response, also dated July 9, 2008: the medicine that she has has been ground into a powder, which is the only reason why it is a powder.

And again on July 10, 2008, you emailed me with: The heartworm is very minor (not even a clinical stage yet).

Not only did you tell us when we met you in Sadang that the powder she had was for the heart worm, you also advised that we walk her for at least half an hour a day.

The information was completely misleading. Did you feel that you had to lie about her health in order to get someone to adopt her? Trust me, it wouldn't have changed our decision to bring her home.

Both the vet and his assistant were quite wide-eyed when they read the results of her heart worm test. They were quite shocked at how severe it is. And now I have a very unhappy dog who is confined to her crate for the most part and no longer allowed to go on her beloved walks around town. It is of the utmost importance that we do NOT exercise her and that we keep her calm and contained. We feel like **** for taking away her freedom and that hurts us too.

We can only hope and pray that she survives this despite our foolishness in believing that what she had was a "mild" condition. She is, despite the short time we've had her, very much a part of our family, spoiled completely rotten and loved unconditionally. Money is no object in assuring that she gets the treatment she needs to be healthy but I can not express how horribly disappointed we are that you were not up front with us about how sick she really was. We are so upset that we may have caused her further harm because we didn't know how very sick she actually is.

Just be honest in the future.

[annie]

There was this dog I had to get tested 3 times to confirm he had some worms (1 test out of 2 came out negative).

Maybe the vet on the base uses a better quality test? 1 thing that does bother me though is that even with a stage 1 disease, they are supposed to get the injection. Ryan, has the vet mentioned anything about why he didn't give them?

Why don't you get the 2 vets to talk and see if there was some misunderstanding anywhere along the line. Just a thought...
Maybe it would even help the vet in Seoul upgrade his equipment. Who knows?

Sorry about your dog! We will surely hope for the best. Keep us posted!

[sarah24]

if its stage four you should be able to feel multiple heartbeats in one beat.. i know the vet on area 2 are good but maybe you should get him tested once more just to be 100% sure...

stage 4 isnt completely treatable there is a dog from daejeon that has stage 4.. shelll have to live on meds her whole life and after her first shot she had more than a 50 percent chance of dieing.... she survived!!!!! the first shot atleast.. it was soooo heart wrenching to know she made it through.. if you believe i know shell do better for sure!

[Ryan]

As I told her on the phone today, the reason why she was on the medication is for something that needs to be corrected first. As most of you know, dogs need to be otherwise healthy before any heartworm treatment. This was what was being done. Why would I lie? I do not lie about animals to get them adopted, as many people know, and this post actually upsets me a little. I thought all was resolved on the phone, but I guess not.

In order for heartworm to be classified, the dog needs to show symptoms, such as fatigue, appetite change, and most importantly coughing, which she showed none of. Not once. She was excited and very happy. The heartbeat was fine, and as for the blood test, the vet (with me there) looked at three different samples under a microscope where only one worm was spotted, along with one larvae, thus the mild statement. As for the actual test, I don't know how the vet could tell that it was severe, as the actual test only shows positive and negative.

Without an ultrasound, it is next to impossible to tell the severity of heartworm. And even more difficult to diagnose without zero symptoms.

Anyway, I hope the dog pulls through, as she is a sweetheart who deserves another chance.

[luvadog]

Vets misdiagnosing:
How is Marlena? She has been in my prayers and I hope she has recovered by now. My Punky was diagnosed in Seoul with kennel cough after I got him from Karama, then I stopped by the Daejeon vet to pick up some things before going home. Dr. Lee tried to tell me he didn't have kennel cough at all. But within days, Punky was almost dead from bronchial constriction from kennel cough. It was a fight for his life and we won, thanks to Macro emergency clinic near the Wolpyeong Emart. They had an incubator with oxygen and the knowhow to save my little guy when he lay limp in my hands and I was begging them "Don't let him die."

[Scarlet13]

I hope your doggie pulls through:)She is in my thoughts.

[luvadog]

Dr. Eum at Macro, Daejeon explained the heartworm test and showed me. Along with microscopic examination, they have a kit that they put a large spot of blood on. After a few minutes the paper shows one spot or more.
#1. One spot means there are no mature heartworms.
#2. The other spot shows there are mature heartworms.
#3. The deepness of color of the "other" spot shows severity.
#4. Microscopic exam only shows microfilaria, the precursor to worms. If the kit shows negative for adults, but microfilaria are present in the blood, then the condition is not severe. But treatment should start ASAP before they mature into heartworms.-----------
I have more peace about the exams if the vet shows me and explains it to me this way. Hopefully we can have a good working relationship with our vets and they are patient with us as well as with our pets.

[luvadog]

Ryan: Did the ARK vet do the serology test on Marlena? Dogs can show negative on the microscopic exam and still have adult heartworms (especially if they only look directly at the blood sample instead of using the Knott's test.)


http://www.petplace.com/dogs/heartworm-test-in-dogs/page1.aspx

[annie]

Wow! Thanks for all the info Luvadog!

Ryan: Did the ARK vet do the serology test on Marlena? Dogs can show negative on the microscopic exam and still have adult heartworms (especially if they only look directly at the blood sample instead of using the Knott's test.)

I just want to clarify that there is no such thing as the ARK vet. We use several vets mainly both in Daejeon and Seoul. We vary depending on the ailment, the location, the patronage, etc. However, if anyone wants to volunteer and be our official vet, let us know ;)

[luvadog]

Oops! Yeah, I should have said vet #1 and vet #2, or the vet Ryan used vs the vet on base. And we all realize that vets are human and they can make mistakes. But if it happens consistently, then we should go elsewhere.

[Ryan]

Yes, there is no "official" ARK vet, just the vets used by volunteers. This vet did both a microscopic test and kit test. Both came out positive, and the results were as explained above.

[Gingersmurf]

Update: Marlena is doing well and is just about done with her convalescence. The heartworm treatments cost well under $500 over all (not sure of the exact figure off-hand). She's had some rough days with the coughing but I think they are all behind her now. Another couple of weeks and she can start being active!

While Ryan did clarify on the phone to me after my post here that the medicine Marlena came with was for some "other condition", I've never been told exactly what that condition was.

As far as Marlena's vet contacting the vet in Seoul, Marlena's vet had no time or interest in doing so. To be honest and fair, the vet clinic here on base is here to service the military working dogs. That is their primary purpose and function. That pets are seen is above and beyond what they are here to do, and understandably, the military vet isn't going to waste time calling another vet when he himself can clearly diagnose the issue at hand.

Marlena is the most spoiled rotten baby girl ever! She wears her pearl necklace daily and just loves it; she loves to put on her sparkly "diamond" heart charm too to go downtown. Since she's been on bed rest for the heart worm, she has her very own pink doggie stroller and she gets so happy when we wheel it out!

She spends every moment she can with her head resting on my lap. Very affectionate, very loving.

She's quite the effective watch dog too. Well, effective if you have a problem with leaves in the yard, or ants on the sidewalk! LOL!! As for someone actually approaching the gate, she waits patiently until they are gone before she begins barking hysterically. Yes, I sleep safer at night knowing Marlena is guarding the house LOL!

We are very honored to be Marlena's parents and never regret for a moment making the decision to bring her into our family.

[luvadog]

Wow...what a great success story! I know it's hard when you have to deal with a sick baby that you have attached to instantly. They really steal your heart don't they? And they are sooo worth it. Can you post pictures when you get a chance?

[alibuch]

That's great that your dog is doing well now.

While Ryan did clarify on the phone to me after my post here that the medicine Marlena came with was for some "other condition", I've never been told exactly what that condition was.

However, if you have personal issues with Ryan I think they're better to be dealt with via PM or telephone instead of airing your problems with him on this site. Ryan has done a lot for ARK and the dogs he's worked with. I don't think he intentionally mislead you.