In April of 2007 one of our dog-loving clients, Madeline Koperdak, received a call from an elderly couple in her neighborhood. They found a stray male Miniature Schnauzer roaming the streets. They put him in their backyard and gave her a call since they knew she was involved with dog rescues. After an effort to locate his owners turned up empty, Ms. Koperdak brought “Mac” (as she called him) in to Bay Beach for a wellness check. Mac seemed to be in basically good health except for one big roblem: he was diagnosed with a heartworm infection.

A sweet face and a sweet disposition.

Heartworms are parasites that live in the pulmonary arteries and heart chambers of their host. Hosts are primarily dogs, although cats may become infected as well. Heartworms are transmitted through mosquito bites. The mosquito deposits microscopic larvae into the body during feeding and over a period of six months the larvae grow, develop, and migrate through the body tissues to their destination. In adulthood they reside in the major blood vessels of the lungs and the chambers of the heart, where they can live for several years and cause extensive inflammation  and damage. Some pets with heartworm disease become very ill with lung disease and can develop heart failure. Many dogs have lost their lives due to heartworm infections.

Mac was lucky. He found his way into the hearts of the couple that found him and they helped fund his treatment out of their own pockets. By doing this, they and Ms. Koperdak helped to guarantee him a future.

Treatment of heartworm disease involves a series of injections of a drug related to the poison arsenic called melarsomine. The dog is hospitalized while these injections are administered, and there are some risks involved. The worms die within the circulatory system and heart, and the fragments of the dying worms cause tiny clots to form within the blood. These clots can be dangerous if they lodge into the smaller vessels of the lungs or brain. Heartworm treatment patients are monitored very closely in the hospital, and when they are released, a mandatory restriction from exercise and heavy activity is imposed on the patient for 4-6 weeks. This “quiet time” decreases the risk of complications from the clots as they are cleared from the body.

While Mac felt a little sick from the treatment (most patients do), he did very well and made a full recovery, all the while “smiling” and being as stoic and brave as any little man could be. He grew on everyone at Bay Beach, especially Dr. Thompson, who wanted to make sure this special guy found a great home after all he had been through. Ms. Koperdak already had a house FULL of her own rescues, so she was on the lookout for the perfect family to adopt the Schnauzer.

Dr. Thompson decided to take Mac home for a weekend visit. While her husband wasn’t ready to adopt a new critter into the family, Mac caught the eye of Dr. Thompson’s neighbor, Jackie. He stayed the weekend with the busy family of six, and seemed to fit right in.

It must have been difficult for Ms. Koperdak seeing Mac leave, but “Wilson”-as he is now called- leads a life that most dogs could only dream of. He lives on a cul-de-sac with 15 adoring children surrounding him, and a group of doggie buddies that he plays with every day.

Wilson is lucky not to have any lasting damage form his heartworm infection… no one would ever know he had the disease to look at him today. He certainly is a “poster child” for heartworm prevention, which is as simple as giving your dog a medicated treat just once a month.

And… thank goodness for all those involved in giving him a second chance: the couple who found him and helped with his medical expenses, Ms. Koperdak who brought him to our facility and saw him through his recovery, and the Richard-McCormack Family who are giving him the best life a dog could ever dream of.