Success Stories

Neptune, July, 1999

Neptune had spent more than a year on his own, foraging for food and sleeping wherever he could find a bit of shelter. Then one day, tired and weary, the young black Lab wandered into a supermarket parking lot, where he was coaxed into making friends with some rescue workers from the Paradise Animal Welfare Sanctury (PAWS) in the Virgin Islands.

Frightened, malnourished, covered with fleas and ticks, Neptune had a life-threatening infection and, as it turned out, heartworm as well. He had also been hit by a car at some point, leaving him with an injured leg that had not healed properly. Yet as ill as he was, and although he had little reason to trust humans, Neptune summoned the strength to wag his tail and lick the hands of his rescuers.

The first step was to rid Neptune of his ticks and fleas and to cure his severe infection. Then his heartworm needed to be treated, and this is where LABMED was able to help. Research on the Internet enabled PAWS to contact LABMED, and we were happy to fund our first "overseas" rescue!

Neptune started therapy for his injured leg, and an adoptive family had already been found even before his heartworm treatment was completed. Neptune's new family quickly made him feel at home. Their only disappointment was that - until the heartworm treatment was completed - Neptune had to stay out of the family swimming pool!