# Adventures of Copper-Bear the Mystery Mutt



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Of course you and Copper Bear are welcome here regardless of what his DNA results reveal. We have lots of members with different breeds, some have cats, horses and some have chickens.......

I did a foster to adopt of a Golden girl several years ago through a GR Rescue. She had Stage 3 HW and did her treatment at my Vet Clinic while I fostered her. She had the slow treatment that lasted somewhere between 3-4 months. She did well on her treatments, had to keep her quiet by limiting her activity.

After she was cleared medically, I officially adopted her.
I would talk to the Vet and find out what all is involved with each phase of treatment, what to expect while he's having the treatment, get detailed instructions for his care while undergoing treatments and his recovery after treatment has completed.

My clinic provided all details throughout each phase-before, during and after.

Good luck, hope it goes well.


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## Searching Goldens (Jun 10, 2020)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> Of course you and Copper Bear are welcome here regardless of what his DNA results reveal. We have lots of members with different breeds, some have cats, horses and some have chickens.......
> 
> I did a foster to adopt of a Golden girl several years ago through a GR Rescue. She had Stage 3 HW and did her treatment at my Vet Clinic while I fostered her. She had the slow treatment that lasted somewhere between 3-4 months. She did well on her treatments, had to keep her quiet by limiting her activity.
> 
> ...


Hello! Glad I can still hang around; this community is wonderful! Chickens sound fun 😂. 
I actually work at the clinic where he is being treated (unfortunately, I'm not dealing with the medical side _yet._), so I'll have a lot of help medically! He starts his doxy in two weeks. He's grade 3 as well. I'm very happy to hear that your girl got through the treatments! I'm sure he'll be fine, but it's a little scary as this is the first heartworm positive dog I've personally dealt with. Thank you for your reply!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Searching Goldens said:


> Hello! Glad I can still hang around; this community is wonderful! Chickens sound fun 😂.
> I actually work at the clinic where he is being treated (unfortunately, I'm not dealing with the medical side _yet._), so I'll have a lot of help medically! He starts his doxy in two weeks. He's grade 3 as well. I'm very happy to hear that your girl got through the treatments! I'm sure he'll be fine, but it's a little scary as this is the first heartworm positive dog I've personally dealt with. Thank you for your reply!


It was my first experience too, I've always given HW preventatives to my guys year round because I live in a area where we normally have mild winters and rarely get hard freezes.

I did a lot of reading online about the treatment before she began them which probably was a mistake on my part because I was not aware how toxic it can be for dogs, but my girl did really well. She thrived and was with me for 9 more years. 

You have an advantage working at the Clinic, I'm sure they will provide you more info because of it.


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

oh he is such a big boy! Looking forward to see what his results are


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## Searching Goldens (Jun 10, 2020)

Ffcmm said:


> oh he is such a big boy! Looking forward to see what his results are


He's very big! Luckily he seems to mostly understand how big he is (unless I get home from work or it's his first time in the morning seeing me. Then all bets are off 😂) I'm looking forward to seeing his breed results as well!


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## SoCalEngr (Apr 11, 2020)

Searching Goldens said:


> I'm hoping he'll have a tiny percentage of golden in him so I can belong here still. 😂


Maybe you can just go with "he has a golden heart"?


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## Searching Goldens (Jun 10, 2020)

SoCalEngr said:


> Maybe you can just go with "he has a golden heart"?


There we go. 😂 
He's a slightly overcooked golden. "Toasted" if you will.


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## Searching Goldens (Jun 10, 2020)

His DNA kit has arrived! He did not like the cheek swab. 😂 Should get results within 5 weeks.
Also ordered him some new bandanas.


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I'm going to guess lab is in there somewhere and possible german shepherd... maybe some pit. Will be fun to learn the combination! I have had several heartworm positive rescues and they all made it through the treatments with no problem. I hope it all goes well for you both. Congratulations on the new addition, he's a lucky boy!


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## Searching Goldens (Jun 10, 2020)

puddles everywhere said:


> I'm going to guess lab is in there somewhere and possible german shepherd... maybe some pit. Will be fun to learn the combination! I have had several heartworm positive rescues and they all made it through the treatments with no problem. I hope it all goes well for you both. Congratulations on the new addition, he's a lucky boy!


Thank you! That's what breeds I'm guessing too! I'm thinking _maybe_ some boxer as well - he has a very boxer-like playing style if he gets excited enough to initiate play. Thank you for sharing your experience with heartworm positive dogs! I hope he makes it through it with minimal problems! 

---

Side note, he had a serious play session for the first time today! He caught tennis balls midair and halfheartedly went for a Frisbee. No interest in bumpers, though. Unfortunately play time was cut short by a giant swarm of mosquitoes going after him. 😬 Any tips for _repelling_ mosquitoes from a dog? There must have been 20 swarming him... Never had this issue with our old guy - he repels mosquitoes by being so bony!


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## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

Searching Goldens said:


> Thank you! That's what breeds I'm guessing too! I'm thinking _maybe_ some boxer as well - he has a very boxer-like playing style if he gets excited enough to initiate play. Thank you for sharing your experience with heartworm positive dogs! I hope he makes it through it with minimal problems!
> 
> ---
> 
> Side note, he had a serious play session for the first time today! He caught tennis balls midair and halfheartedly went for a Frisbee. No interest in bumpers, though. Unfortunately play time was cut short by a giant swarm of mosquitoes going after him. 😬 Any tips for _repelling_ mosquitoes from a dog? There must have been 20 swarming him... Never had this issue with our old guy - he repels mosquitoes by being so bony!


There is a repellant that can be wiped on horses but not sure I would even try this. This sweet boy is already getting a huge amount of parasitic drugs, this could really be more than he can handle and kill him. Check with your vet to get their input. 
With my last heartworm positive dog (and I've had many) it was extremely important to keep secluded in the bathroom (I didn't crate). It was a cool, comfortable place away from the other dogs until several weeks after completing the treatment. Any extra activity that might cause the heart to work harder could put your pup in peril. His heart is packed with actual worms and already working really hard. As the treatment continues his system will be expelling dead worms that can cause heart failure. I even took the precaution to do potty breaks on leash in case they decided to chase a squirrel. Please keep his activity to a bedrest level.


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## Searching Goldens (Jun 10, 2020)

puddles everywhere said:


> There is a repellant that can be wiped on horses but not sure I would even try this. This sweet boy is already getting a huge amount of parasitic drugs, this could really be more than he can handle and kill him. Check with your vet to get their input.
> With my last heartworm positive dog (and I've had many) it was extremely important to keep secluded in the bathroom (I didn't crate). It was a cool, comfortable place away from the other dogs until several weeks after completing the treatment. Any extra activity that might cause the heart to work harder could put your pup in peril. His heart is packed with actual worms and already working really hard. As the treatment continues his system will be expelling dead worms that can cause heart failure. I even took the precaution to do potty breaks on leash in case they decided to chase a squirrel. Please keep his activity to a bedrest level.


Definitely not adding any more drugs to his system; wasn't sure if they had any essential oil repelling sprays or anything that were made for dogs. He's about to start doxycycline. Hopefully he'll do fine on that. 

That's a good idea about putting them in the bathroom! He's a calm dog by nature, so I think I'll leash him in the living room on a shorter leash with his bed and water bowl (and food bowl when it's meal time). His vet said bathroom breaks will definitely have to be strictly on leash since his heartworms are so bad. I appreciate you sharing your experience! I feel bad for this guy. He must have been having these heartworms for a while.  He had whipworms too, but that was an easier fix.


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## Searching Goldens (Jun 10, 2020)

Bear is going to get some new things in the mail on Monday/Wednesday! Some toys, a rubber brush, booties for his feet when he comes down the street to get the mail with me as the pavement gets hot (until his treatment starts), a bin for his toys, ear cleaner fluid, a nice handheld vacuum to pick up the hair he drops in the car...and more bandanas, of course! 




































New bandanas that will be arriving Monday:































Also, he likes Purina One. So I'm glad to have found a food he'll eat without too much reluctance. 😂


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## Searching Goldens (Jun 10, 2020)

Bear's breed results are in!

*Mixed Breed*
22.0% American Pit Bull Terrier

14.4% Australian Cattle Dog

11.2% American Bulldog

10.9% Labrador Retriever

10.3% German Shepherd Dog

9.0% Chow Chow

6.7% American Staffordshire Terrier

15.5% Supermutt 
Siberian Husky
Alaskan Malamute
Rottweiler


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## Ontariodogsitter (Feb 23, 2020)

Wow, not much h left


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## SoCalEngr (Apr 11, 2020)

Wow...10 dogs for the price of 1?


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Searching Goldens said:


> Thank you! That's what breeds I'm guessing too! I'm thinking _maybe_ some boxer as well - he has a very boxer-like playing style if he gets excited enough to initiate play. Thank you for sharing your experience with heartworm positive dogs! I hope he makes it through it with minimal problems!
> 
> ---
> 
> Side note, he had a serious play session for the first time today! He caught tennis balls midair and halfheartedly went for a Frisbee. No interest in bumpers, though. Unfortunately play time was cut short by a giant swarm of mosquitoes going after him. 😬 Any tips for _repelling_ mosquitoes from a dog? There must have been 20 swarming him... Never had this issue with our old guy - he repels mosquitoes by being so bony!


I use have a spray bottle of Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, it's one part ACV to 3 parts water. It helps repel bugs, it's non toxic too.


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## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

thank you for sharing the results, that is super interesting!


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## Searching Goldens (Jun 10, 2020)

SoCalEngr said:


> Wow...10 dogs for the price of 1?


No kidding, haha!



CAROLINA MOM said:


> I use have a spray bottle of Braggs Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, it's one part ACV to 3 parts water. It helps repel bugs, it's non toxic too.


Thank you for that! I will get some ACV next time I go to the store!



Ffcmm said:


> thank you for sharing the results, that is super interesting!


The ACD surprised me! He's a lot more mutty than I expected!

Also, if he's not in the golden club by genetics, he is in shedding. 😂 This is just curry comb and a little hand-pulling of loose hairs by his hind legs. 
























He's genetically pretty healthy too. He has one copy of a gene that makes him more sensitive to high doses of MDR1. He also has one copy of the gene for degenerative myelopathy (unlikely to ever surface since he just has one copy) and one copy of a gene that may cause him to have a lower ALT baseline level than most dogs.


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