Pioneering £12,000 heart op saved our loveable pup’s life
A PUPPY has undergone lifesaving heart surgery never before performed on a dog.
Black labrador Lottie was born with a “huge” hole in her heart which vets said would drastically shorten her life.
Owners Paul and Pauline Daley were devastated when scans showed Lottie’s heart would fail within months.
But, thanks to surgeons from the Royal Veterinary College in London, the year-old pup is set to make a full recovery and live a long and happy life.
Pauline, 58, from Malpas, Cheshire, said: “When it came to making the decision it was so difficult, especially because Lottie seemed fine in herself.
“This adorable little puppy was playing to her heart’s content and had no idea.
“We were in shock when they explained what the defect was. Her heart was already enlarged and under immense strain.”
In May the couple met leading heart surgeon Professor Dan Brockman and the cardiology team from the college. Retired sales manager Pauline said: “We were in turmoil, we kept thinking she could go at any time.
“The surgeons had been speaking to paediatricians to find out how they perform this operation on babies.
“We just said, ‘We can’t let her go’. She’s such a special little dog and we thought there would be so much to gain by giving her a chance.”
Lottie had a hole in the wall between the upper chambers of her heart, known as an atrial septal defect, and her tricuspid valve, which stops the backflow of blood, was not working.
The £12,000 surgery had never been performed on a dog, but on July 30 Lottie underwent the four-hour operation with a team of 10 led by Professor Brockman.
She was connected to a bypass machine and her heart stopped for an hour and a half.
Surgeon Poppy Bristow said: “The huge size of the defect and the valve problem made Lottie’s condition unique.
“We are the only place in the country performing open heart surgery on dogs and Lottie’s operation – with the combination of both procedures – we had never done before.”
Pauline said: “The surgeon updated us throughout the day. He said he couldn’t be happier with how things had gone so we were very happy.
“That night I kept thinking about her in the intensive care unit hooked up to all those machines but she was doing so well which was such a relief.”
To aid the pup’s recovery she was allowed home just five days after the operation.
Pauline said: “All she wanted to do was play, she is full of beans and it is so encouraging.
“She can’t go out and run – there’s a lot of healing to do.
“We think it will be about four months until she is back to normal. A thank you to the team is not enough. It’s amazing what they’re able to do and the care they have given her.”