Gorgeous Cocker Spaniel Otis was just 12-weeks-old when he was found to have a severe heart murmur and was diagnosed with a condition known as Patent Ductus Arteriosus, so was referred to our Puppy Heart Murmur Clinic and then for surgery.
If left untreated, the condition leads to heart failure and causes more than half of all affected dogs to die before their first birthday.
His owner said: “Otis is my little sidekick. It’s so nice to see him with an energy he didn’t have before and being able to play with my other dogs. The four weeks of cage rest required after his surgery was tough for a little puppy, but we got through it and now he’s just a normal, healthy Cocker Spaniel. I can’t thank the vets at DWR enough – what they do is fantastic and I couldn’t have asked for better treatment for Otis. It’s wonderful to see him celebrating his first birthday, because it’s a milestone that I didn’t think he would reach.”
Laurent Locquet, one of our Specialists in Cardiology who carried out Otis’ operation, said: “Patent Ductus Arteriosus is a connection between the two main arteries leaving the heart which normally closes after birth, but sometimes remains open. This allows continuous shunting of blood between these vessels, which eventually can result in heart failure. Otis’ surgery was a complete success and we’re so pleased to see him back living life to the full with his family.”
