TL;DR: Baldur and Ruben are two brother dogs rescued from a Texas shelter, both diagnosed with heartworm disease. We're raising $4,050 to cover their full treatment — including injections, hospitalization, medications, and follow-up testing. Every dollar donated goes directly to their care. If you can give or simply share their story, you're helping rewrite what comes next for these two boys.

Two Brothers. One Diagnosis. One Chance to Change Everything.

Baldur and Ruben made it out of a Texas shelter together. They arrived with the same soulful eyes, the same hopeful energy, and the same devastating diagnosis: heartworm positive.

They've been through enough. Now they need your help to heal.

Meet The Boys

Baldur and Ruben are both just under 2 years old, each weighing 54 pounds — brothers in every sense, from their size right down to their diagnosis. Baldur is the outgoing one, expressive and full of personality, the kind of dog who lights up a room just by walking in. Ruben is gentler, softer, a little more reserved — a sweet boy who blooms slowly with the right kind of patience and care. Together, they made it out of that Texas shelter, that they were in almost a year. Together, they deserve a real chance to heal.

They have so much love to give. They just need somewhere safe to give it.

What Heartworm Treatment Involves — and Why It Can't Wait

Heartworm disease is serious. Left untreated, the parasites living in a dog's heart and lungs cause permanent damage and, eventually, death. Treatment is involved, expensive, and time-sensitive — but it works, and it saves lives.

For Baldur and Ruben, treatment will be administered by the team at Red Rock Veterinary Health and follows a carefully structured protocol:

Veterinary exams and diagnostic testing — heartworm antigen and microfilariae panels to confirm disease stage and guide treatment
Doxycycline and Prednisone — a preparatory antibiotic and anti-inflammatory protocol to reduce inflammation and infection risk before injections begin
Immiticide (melarsomine) injections — the primary treatment that kills adult heartworms, administered in a controlled clinical setting
Hospitalization during injection procedures
Trazodone and Gabapentin — medications to manage anxiety and keep each dog calm and comfortable throughout treatment
Follow-up testing — required at day 120 post-treatment start to confirm full clearance

The estimated cost of treatment is $2,025 per dog. For both brothers, we are raising $4,050 to cover their full course of care.

The Treatment Timeline — Step by Step

Here's how Red Rock Veterinary Health has structured their care:

Treatment begins with 30 days of oral doxycycline to weaken the heartworms and reduce inflammation. Days 31 through 59 are a required rest period — a full month for their bodies to prepare before injections begin.

On day 60, the first Immiticide injection is administered, beginning the process of killing adult heartworms. From this point, strict activity restriction starts immediately and remains essential throughout recovery.

On days 90 and 91, two final injections are given 24 hours apart to complete the treatment.

On day 120, both boys receive a repeat heartworm test to confirm the treatment worked.

The Recovery Period Is Just as Critical

Once treatment begins, the work isn't over. From day 60 onward, each dog requires strict rest and very limited physical activity — no running, no jumping, no rough play. This isn't optional.

As the heartworms die off inside the body, fragments can travel to the lungs. Too much movement during this period can cause fatal blood clots or serious breathing complications. The rest period is, quite literally, lifesaving.

Both Baldur and Ruben will need calm, structured care and plenty of patience during this critical window. The dogs in our care are supported by a dedicated team committed to giving them exactly that — but we need your help to make their treatment possible in the first place. If you have questions about Baldur and Ruben or want to learn more about how your donation directly supports their care, please reach out to us at admin@KarlsCanineKrew.org.

Baldur and Ruben made it out of that shelter together.

They didn't come this far to be stopped by a diagnosis that is entirely treatable — if we act now.

You can't change what Baldur and Ruben have already been through. But you can be part of what happens next.

Donate today and help rewrite their future.

Karl's Canine Krew is a 501(c)(3) dog rescue in Colorado Springs, CO. Questions? Reach us at admin@KarlsCanineKrew.org or (719) 377-2542.

Two Brothers. One Diagnosis.

Baldur & Ruben’s Heartworm Recovery Fund

Team Members