Teddy was born with what was diagnosed as a stage 3 heart murmur. The breeder disclosed this to us prior to our purchasing him. I checked with two veterinarians and a cardiologist, and all three told me that it is common, and he should grow out of it. Teddy was 13 weeks when we brought him home. I took him to my vet for his initial exam and the stage 3 heart murmur was confirmed.
Two months later I took him back for his heart check up and the vet confirmed he was now at stage 4, and suggested Teddy be taken to a cardiologist. He was examined by Dr. Pinkos at MedVet on September 15th, and had a blood pressure check and echocardiogram. She confirmed that he has Severe Valvular Pulmonic Stenosis. Teddy was prescribed Atenolol to slow his heart rate down to control the enlargement to the right side of his heart.
The cardiologist recommended that Teddy have a balloon valvuloplasty, which is a minimally invasive surgical procedure to increase the opening of the pulmonic valve, thereby increasing the blood flow to the lungs. Only two veterinarians in Michigan perform this operation, Dr. Pinkos being one of them. She said the surgery should be done as soon as possible because the longer we wait, the more risky it will become.
We put up a fundraiser but it only brought in enough to cover the bills for his diagnostics. I went back to the breeder to ask for some help, but was told that the only thing she would do would be to take him back and euthanize him, which was something we would never consider. Teddy was only 7 months old, and without surgery Teddy’s lifespan will be very short.
Thankfully a friend told us about Bandit’s K9Care, and we were so grateful that they agreed to help us give Teddy the opportunity to have a long and healthy life. He had surgery in October of 2021, and two months later he was beck to his old puppy self! He will go back to the specialist in late January to have his 3 month checkup and echocardiogram. I have no doubt that we will receive good news, and it will all thanks to Bandit’s K9Care and everyone who donated to help our boy.
