Vet says Huntington dog needs Viagra to live

How can you show a sick dog some love?

Donate your Viagra.

The little blue pills prescribed to help men overcome impotence are also keeping alive a 6-year-old pit bull, Ingrid, at the Little Shelter Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Huntington.

Diagnosed two years ago with congestive heart failure, Ingrid needs two daily 50mg doses of Viagra, said Jodi Record, a spokeswoman for Little Shelter. She has left only about a month's supply.

"Our donations are running low," Record said.

The shelter accepts the pills by mail or personal drop-offs. Monetary donations also help. The pills cost about $22 each.

A Long Island law enforcement official said donating prescription medication is, technically, illegal.

"It is against the law to give your medication to another party because it can be viewed as a sale, but it is also unlikely that anyone would be prosecuted for donating meds since the intention is save an animal," said the official, requesting anonymity to speak freely about a matter not under consideration for charges.

Record said past Viagra donation drives have not drawn the attention of law enforcement.

More than 700 Viagra tablets have been donated, beginning about two years ago when Ingrid was found tied to a fence in an empty lot, Record said.

She was obviously sick, carrying 14 pounds of fluid in her abdomen, Record said. A veterinarian diagnosed her with heart failure and heartworm, a parasite carried by mosquitoes, and recommended Viagra.

The drug, also called sildenafil citrate, was initially used to treat human heart disease.

One woman donated dozens of pills she'd hidden from her husband, whom she believed was having an affair, Record said. Another man showed up with a month's supply.

"I sure hope she appreciates it," the man said of Ingrid to shelter workers, Record said. "She just ruined my month.

Ingrid is available for adoption, but her medical condition and pit bulls' reputation as violent may have deterred potential owners, Record said.

"She is a very, very sweet girl who loves people," Record said. "If you do adopt her, we'll make sure that there will always be enough Viagra."