I first met Penny shortly after she arrived at the Berkshire Humane Society towards the end of May this year. She is a very sweet , three year old Cockapoo. When I asked about her, I was told she had been surrendered to the shelter because she has a heart murmur and was waiting for further testing. A few weeks later, she received an echocardiogram that diagnosed her with Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). The ductus arteriosus is a blood vessel that is normally present in a puppy before it is born. At birth or within a few days of birth, the ductus arteriosus should close allowing blood to begin flowing through the lungs to pick up oxygen. If the ductus arteriosus does not close, it results in an abnormal communication between the two largest vessels in the heart, the aorta and the pulmonary artery.
Uncorrected, the prognosis for most dogs with PDA is poor. Without correction, they usually progress to left-sided congestive heart failure, for which mortality is very high. Fortunately, there is an excellent surgical option available involving a trans-catheter placement of a coil through the femoral artery in order to occlude the ductus arteriosus. With surgical correction, the prognosis is excellent for a long, normal life depending on how advanced the changes in the heart are at the time of surgery.
Since Penny is three years old, and already has an enlarged heart, the Cardiologist urged us to have the surgery as soon as possible in order to avoid any further irreversible heart damage. The surgery will cost $2,500 and we hope to have it scheduled before the end of the summer. Penny sends her heartfelt appreciation for your kindness in helping her to have this life saving surgery.
The Berkshire Humane Society is raising money to pay for Penny’s surgery and all donations will receive a tax deductible receipt. Please consider helping Penny by making a donation to her surgery. When making a donation, provide us with your name and address and a receipt will be mailed to you by the Berkshire Humane Society. Thank you for helping Penny live a long healthy life! To make a donation please call Marion Bergan Irwin at 518-229-8188 or make your donation online now.
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