HEART for Pugs: Heartworm Education & Responsible Treatment

In 2025, we launched HEART for Pugs, a dedicated program created to ensure every rescue pug in our care receives heartworm testing, prevention, and treatment - while also educating the community on why heartworm prevention is absolutely essential.

Every pug who enters our rescue receives a full medical evaluation, including heartworm testing and prevention. Too often, pugs arrive already heartworm positive or with a history of receiving no prevention at all. No matter their past, we make sure they never face that risk again.

Why This Campaign Matters

Heartworm prevention and treatment are not optional - they are lifesaving.

Every pug entering our rescue receives:
✔️ Heartworm testing upon intake
✔️ Six months of heartworm prevention
✔️ Critical, lifesaving treatment if heartworm positive

For infected dogs, treatment often means months of painful injections, strict crate rest, and intensive veterinary care. Combined with rising costs from emergency surgeries and ongoing medical needs, these expenses add up quickly - and they stretch our resources thin.

Supporting this campaign means protecting our most vulnerable pugs and giving them the healthy futures they deserve.

2025 Impact:

• $9,271 spent on heartworm prevention
• $2,026 spent on heartworm treatment
• $11,297 total invested in lifesaving care

Thanks to your generosity, $11,970 was raised in 2025. To keep our promise of a healthy heart for every pug who comes through our doors, we must raise at least that amount again in 2026.

💔 Our 2025 Heartworm Warriors

In 2025, six pugs entered rescue heartworm positive:

🐶 Archie (10 yrs)
🐶 Loco (15 yrs)
🐶 Maddie (4 yrs)
🐶 Maxine (10 yrs)
🐶 Glenda (9 yrs)
🐶 Cooper (3 yrs)

Some hearts were healed. Some were held gently until the very end. All were loved. Every one matters and every pug deserves a healthy heart and a chance at life.

Help Us Protect Every Pug’s Heart

To continue this vital work in 2026, we need your help.

Please consider making a donation to HEART for Pugs today. Your support ensures that no pug ever goes without heartworm testing, prevention, or treatment—regardless of their past.

💙 Because when it comes to heartworm disease, education and responsible treatment save lives.

👉 Learn more about the HEART for Pugs program and meet the foster pugs you’re helping:
https://pugrescueflga.com/heart-for-pugs

Thank you for supporting Pug Rescue of Florida & Georgia. Together, we can give every pug the healthy heart - and future - they deserve.

The HEART For Pugs Fundraising Campaign

Donate Today & Help Us Protect the Hearts of the Pugs who Depend on Us