Nova Star’s Journey: Heartworms, Healing, Home
In July 2025, Nova Star’s owners moved away and didn’t take her with them. A five year old German Shepherd, alone, was found by neighbors who began feeding her, believing she was pregnant.
But what looked like pregnancy was far more serious and was a
death sentence.
Upon further examination, Nova Star was diagnosed with severe heartworm disease, one of the worst cases our vets had ever seen.
She also had right-sided congestive heart failure (CHF), high blood
pressure, and ascites, which is a dangerous build-up of fluid in the abdomen.The swelling that the neighbors had mistaken for pregnancy
wasactually her body struggling under the weight of untreated
heartworm disease.
Veterinarians got to work immediately, draining the fluid and putting her on a treatment plan to stabilize
her heart before they could even begin tackling the heartworms themselves. Because her case was so severe, heartworm treatment couldn't be rushed. It had to be slow, careful, and closely monitored.
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