Snowy's Saga

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In April we rescued Snowy. She had a 6 out of 6 heart murmur and was a very young dog, around 1 year. After multiple vet visits, x-rays, and echocardiogram it was discovered that she had Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) It is due to the failure of the ductus arteriosus muscle to constrict, leaving a passageway for blood flow and resulting in eventual left-sided heart disease and/or generalized heart failure.

Finally Snowflake was able to go to UC Davis Cardiology ( there is a long wait for that department) They confirmed PDA and scheduled her heart surgery within the week.

UC Davis was able to use a minimally invasive method. They insert a tube through the femoral artery and put mesh in the whole in her heart. The next day when they did the follow up echo the hole was closed, her murmur was gone, and the heart enlargement had already started going down. Extreme rest is necessary so that the mesh stays in place until the clot formed scars over and keeps the mesh in place and the hole healed.

She is now at a foster- the recovery from this is the hard part- she is confined to a crate at all times for the first 2 weeks with short leash walks for potty breaks ( under 5 minutes) no jumping, no playing. Then she gets gradually longer breaks ( 10 minutes) and can resume some normal activities in 4 weeks and should be good to play at week 5. 

NCPR has spent thousands of dollars to save Snowflake’s life- with this procedure her life expectancy is normal, without it she would die of congestive heart failure before she reach 18 months. 

We not only rescue dogs, but we also take care of any treatable medical needs that improve the quality of their lives. Our medical needs fund can always use extra funds. We would appreciate any donations to help replenish our medical needs fund. You can use the donate button at the top of the page.