Humane Society of Western Montana: Grant Report

How did this grant help your organization and the pets in your care?

The grant was used to purchase Heartgard for dogs in our care, especially those who've been transferred to our shelter from other communities and/or out of state.

One of the most eye-opening presentations from the Adoption Options conference held in Missoula in 2016 was from Brian A. DiGangi, DVM, MS, DABVP -- specifically his discussion about canine heartworm disease. When we learned that heartworm is an increasing problem in our area and areas from which we regularly transfer pets, we knew that we needed to take preventative steps in our shelter. The funding to purchase Heartgard helped us take the next step to ensure the health of pets in our care who are adopted out to families in our community.

How many pets did this grant help?

While we have yet to administer all doses of the medication, we anticipate that it will help approximately 300 dogs.

Please provide a story of one or more specific pets this grant helped.

Our first pet to receive Heartgard was Gertie. Gertie came to us from another shelter with a litter of puppies. Gertie received her initial doses from the HSWM foster family taking care of her and her underage pups. When Gertie’s pups were a little over 6 weeks of age, they were the next group of pets in our care to receive Heartgard Plus. All of these lovely pups and mama Gertie found homes in Western Montana.