Yukio: From Heartworm to Healing Hearts

Each October, Subaru celebrates National Make a Dog’s Day in October (this year, it’s October 22nd).  This year, we are highlighting the journey of Yukio whose Christmas Day was “made” when he was brought in to the shelter and ultimately received much needed medical care and most importantly, a home.

Yukio was found as a stray by local police and brought to the Humane Society of Harrisburg Area (HSHA) on Christmas Day, 2021. Upon examination, it was discovered that the pit bull mix with the beautiful blue eyes was heartworm positive.

Heartworm disease in dogs is very serious. It can cause damage to the heart, lungs and arteries and can even result in death. It’s also expensive to treat, costing $1,500 in medication and care. In addition, heartworm requires treatment outside of the shelter setting in a foster home where a dog can have activity restriction in a low stress environment; otherwise, the parasite may enter the blood stream during treatment, and be fatal to the dog.

However, HSHA was up for the financial and medical challenge. And, after months of searching, the perfect foster home was secured for Yukio.

A mother/daughter named duo Desiree and Natalia had recently lost their two dogs within eight months of each other. As they continued grieving their loss, they saw a Facebook post about Yukio. Something told them by helping heal his heart, it would also help theirs.

At first, Yukio was shy, cautious, and stayed to himself. He wasn’t sure if he was allowed on furniture. He would whisper bark then look at his foster mom to see if it was okay. With time, he began to grow more confident in himself, all while receiving the heartworm treatment he desperately needed.

HSHA was there every step of the way. Providing food, guidance, and medical care. However, Yukio’s journey also needed a lot of patience. His medication was on backorder, delaying the start of treatment. He developed stomach issues, making it challenging to provide food enrichment activities to help keep him calm during treatment. Despite these setbacks, Yukio’s treatment was a success, and is officially cleared of heartworm!

Yukio (renamed Bean) was made an official member of Desiree and Natalia’s family on Saturday, October 15th. The dog who was afraid to jump on the furniture, now requires a blanket and pillow to sleep.

“He thinks he’s tiny and loves to be carried around like a baby,” said Desiree. “Which could be our fault as we tell him daily ‘he’s just a baby.’ He is a beautiful boy with a loving and goofy spirit. He is exactly what we needed to heal from the loss of our boys. His huge personality and his love for people just amazes us. We love him so much.”

#NMADD22