A Gateshead puppy has become the first to undergo a life-saving heart operation at an animal hospital in Wakefield after vets discovered she was suffering from a severe heart defect.
Maisie the ten-month-old French Bulldog was attending a routine vaccination appointment at her local vets when staff detected a heart murmur and recommended she be referred to Paragon Veterinary Referrals for a heart scan. Investigations revealed that the young pup was suffering with pulmonic stenosis - a severe narrowing of blood flow exiting the heart - putting immense strain on her heart and placing her in real danger.
Her owner, Anthony Cairns, from Gateshead said: "We were shocked when we heard the diagnosis, as we had only had Maisie for just over a month."
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It was decided that to save Maisie she should undergo surgery to fit a cardiovascular stent, which is implanted via a minimally invasive keyhole technique into the pulmonary artery. It was the first time Paragon Veterinary Referrals had performed the complex surgery.
But thanks to the skills of the hospital's cardiology team, anaesthesia team and nursing team, little Maisie is now on the road to recovery. The operation immediately improved the blood flow out of the heart and reduced the severity of Maisie's condition.
Anthony added: "Heart surgery is obviously a big concern and we understood it would be a major operation but the team at Paragon talked through all the risks involved so we were able to make an informed decision.
"Now she's had the operation she is on the road to recovery. Her last scan showed her operation had taken around 50% strain off her heart and she now has more energy and is more playful."
Chris Linney, head of cardiology at Paragon, said: "Maisie is Paragon's first patient to undergo a stenting procedure.
"Her condition was incredibly serious and required a multidisciplinary approach to give her back a good quality of life. I’m happy to say Maisie is now back home, she is doing well and recovered."
Chris added: "Maisie's condition called upon the expertise of the hospital's specialised nurses in anaesthesia and cardiology, four veterinary surgeons comprising three cardiologists and one anaesthetist, along with the full multidisciplinary team."
