SPCA of Brazoria County

Leading Brazoria County to a time when there are no more homeless pets.


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Flood Update

We are in need of financial assistance to care for the high volume of displaced pets being brought in. Please click on the Donate Now button or the Pay Pal to donate online, or checks can be mailed to SPCA-BC, 141 Canna Lane, Lake Jackson, Texas 77566. Thank you!

 

Flood Update Tuesday Afternoon


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The Five Most Important Things You Need to Know About Heartworm Disease in Dogs

  1. Heart worm disease is EASY to prevent. A simple, relatively inexpensive, monthly medication available from your veterinarian will keep your dog safe. There are several different brands. If the brand your veterinarian recommends for your pet is too expensive, ask for a generic brand. Your monthly cost per dog can range from $3 to $15 depending on the size of your dog, the brand you choose, and the quantity you buy. This is a small price to pay to keep your dog healthy. As an added bonus, many heart worm preventatives also double as flea preventatives and are also effective against certain intestinal parasites. All dogs who live here on the Texas Gulf Coast should be on YEAR-ROUND monthly heart worm preventative.
  2. Heart worm disease is EXPENSIVE and DIFFICULT to treat. Once your dog is infected, treatment will be expensive and difficult. The good news is that most heart worm treatments are successful. A heart worm treatment must be done under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian. You will need to be able to restrict your dog’s exercise until the treatment is complete. This is necessary because physical exertion can increase the rate of damage the heart worms will do to your dog’s heart and lungs. Your veterinarian will administer a series of injections of melarsomine (trade name Immiticide), the only drug approved for treatment of heart worm in dogs. Depending upon the severity of your dog’s symptoms, your veterinarian may also administer other medications along with the treatment, including  antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, and pain medications. You will need to continue giving your dog a heart worm preventative before, during, and after treatment to avoid re-infestation. Heart worm treatments can range in cost from around $200 for a small dog with no symptoms of disease to $2,000 or more for a larger dog with advanced heart worm disease.
  3. There is no such thing as a “slow kill” treatment for heart worms. “Slow kill” refers to the practice of administering a heart worm preventative to a heart worm positive dog. Over time, the dog may test negative for heart worms. However, heart worm preventatives do not kill adult heart worms or treat heart worm disease. While you are waiting for a heart worm negative test result, the adult heart worms will live out the remainder of their lives in your dog’s heart and lungs and continue to do damage to these vital organs. Adult heart worms can live up to five years as they continue to wreck havoc on your dog’s heart and lungs.
  4. Some dogs are not good candidates for heart worm treatment. Some dogs are too high-energy or too easily stressed to be able to keep their physical activity restrained. Some dogs are in such poor health condition at the time of diagnosis that they cannot withstand a heart worm treatment.
  5. Dying from heart worm disease is a terrible way to die. Unfortunately, by the time a dog has clinical signs of heart worm disease, the disease is usually quite advanced. As the heart worms live and grow inside your dog’s body, they begin to clog the heart and the major blood vessels leading from the heart. Blood supply to your dog’s vital organs is greatly reduced, causing these organs to malfunction and die. Reduced lung functions will cause your dog to become short of breath and lose stamina. He will begin to have a short, dry cough and seem weak or listless. As the disease progresses, your dog may experience congestive heart failure, and your dog’s chest, abdomen, and legs will begin to swell with accumulation of fluid. Your dog will begin to loose weight and may become anemic. The cough will become painful and productive, as your dog begins to cough up blood and fluid that has pooled in his lungs. At this point, any exertion at all could cause your dog to suddenly die. If sudden death does not occur, your dog will become more and more lethargic as his breathing becomes more labored and he will eventually die as the disease overcomes him.
Dog heart

Your dog’s heart is important. He needs you to protect it for him.

 


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Kitten Season is Coming

Kitten Season is Coming

 

What is “Kitten Season? you might ask. . . well, it’s simple enough. . . as the weather warms up, the critters start prowling, looking for love in all the wrong places. The result is a huge influx of stray, abandoned, and orphaned kittens and puppies into the shelter. It’s no joke. They come in to us by the bucket, box, tote, and barrel. Some days, we intake multiple litters which can add up to 30-50 new critters in a single day. We run out of places to put them! What can you do to help?

  1. Help us stop the influx at the origin. Spay and neuter your pets. If your pets are already “fixed,” sponsor a spay or neuter for your neighbor’s pet. We can help. Email our Low Cost Spay Neuter Clinic at spay@spcabc.org.
  2. Just Spay One CatStop “saving” orphaned critters! Not really. . . but if you find baby animalsLeave Kittens Alone who appear to be orphaned. . . just wait. Mothers have to find food and water for themselves, so they have to leave their babies alone sometimes. Watch and wait for mom to come back. If the babies are being cared for by a mother, they are better off being left alone, at least until the babies are all weaned. Keep an eye on things, and if mom is caring for the young un’s, just let them be.
  3. Stop “rescuing” lost cats. Most lost cats will find their way home, but if you capture them, you may be separating them from their babies. Leave lost cats alone unless they need medical attention. If a cat hangs around for a while, and you’re sure she doesn’t have babies hidden away, you can spay her (or neuter him if it’s a boy) and put her right back where you found her. Her odds at survival are much better outside the shelter. We can help with the spay/neuter–just email us at spay@spcabc.org for details.
  4. A shelter is not a good environment for a pregnant or nursing mLeave Cats Aloneother. It’s an even worse environment for orphans. You can save multiple lives just by agreeing to foster a mother cat and her kittens or by bottle-feeding orphaned kittens. It very well could end up being one of the most rewarding experiences of your life. We will set you up with everything you need. Get on our foster list today, so that we can call you when the need arises. For more information email volunteer@spcabc.org, and we will get you set up!
  5. Host a “kittefoster art ideasn shower” to help us stock up on supplies. You provide the location, snacks, and activities. We will give you a wish list of needed supplies. It’s a fun way to help us start kitten season with everything we need! This is also a great activity for your kids! Kids love to volunteer and know that they are making a positive impact. For more
    information email info@spcabc.org.
  1. We're Expecting

Kitten Season is Coming! Help us get ready. It’s a great time to be a part of the solution!