Jacques aka Murmur - Needs a Special Someone
I'll be taking in Jacques around Aug 16 for a month or so to work on some of his behavioral issues - the big one being FEAR. I met him yesterday while I was at the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. He has quiet the story. Once he gets to know a person he is a big love bug but he is pretty fearful until he learns to be safe and trusts someone.
VMS Performs Life-saving Heart Surgery for HSSV Papillon Mix
Every now and then our veterinarians come across a special animal that needs surgery to fix a medical problem. This was the case for Jaque, a shy, lovable 1-year-old Papillon mix who came to us as a stray in June.
During a routine medical exam, our veterinarians discovered that Jaque had a severe heart murmur. They took chest radiographs and found that his heart was moderately enlarged due to the murmur. Given his young age, they felt he had a condition called Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), an abnormal persistent connection between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. During fetal development this connection allows the blood to bypass the non-functioning lungs during normal circulation. This connection normally closes in the first week of life. But in Jaque’s case, it never closed, resulting in one side of the heart becoming enlarged due to increased blood flow and pressure.
Dr. Julia Lewis, director of animal welfare for HSSV turned to Veterinary Medical Specialists (VMS) in Dublin to see if Jaque could he helped. Upon reviewing Jaque’s case, Dr. Anna Paling, a cardiologist for VMS, felt she could perform surgery to close the opening in Jaque’s heart so he could lead a normal life. The big problem: the surgery was more than we could afford. Dr. Lewis appealed to VMS and Dr. paling and they both agreed to discount Jaque’s surgery. Two weeks later, Jaque underwent open heart surgery. Three weeks later, his enlarged heart was decreasing and his murmur from the PDA was less severe.
Today, Jaque’s heart continues to show improvement and Dr. Paling says his risk for heart failure is minimal. He is currently in foster care where he is thriving and waiting to meet prospective families.
VMS Performs Life-saving Heart Surgery for HSSV Papillon Mix
Every now and then our veterinarians come across a special animal that needs surgery to fix a medical problem. This was the case for Jaque, a shy, lovable 1-year-old Papillon mix who came to us as a stray in June.
During a routine medical exam, our veterinarians discovered that Jaque had a severe heart murmur. They took chest radiographs and found that his heart was moderately enlarged due to the murmur. Given his young age, they felt he had a condition called Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), an abnormal persistent connection between the aorta and the pulmonary artery. During fetal development this connection allows the blood to bypass the non-functioning lungs during normal circulation. This connection normally closes in the first week of life. But in Jaque’s case, it never closed, resulting in one side of the heart becoming enlarged due to increased blood flow and pressure.
Dr. Julia Lewis, director of animal welfare for HSSV turned to Veterinary Medical Specialists (VMS) in Dublin to see if Jaque could he helped. Upon reviewing Jaque’s case, Dr. Anna Paling, a cardiologist for VMS, felt she could perform surgery to close the opening in Jaque’s heart so he could lead a normal life. The big problem: the surgery was more than we could afford. Dr. Lewis appealed to VMS and Dr. paling and they both agreed to discount Jaque’s surgery. Two weeks later, Jaque underwent open heart surgery. Three weeks later, his enlarged heart was decreasing and his murmur from the PDA was less severe.
Today, Jaque’s heart continues to show improvement and Dr. Paling says his risk for heart failure is minimal. He is currently in foster care where he is thriving and waiting to meet prospective families.
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| Visiting Jacques for the first time with someone he trusts |
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