Florence Fund
Gorgeous little Florence, a puppy who weighs just one kilo, really needs your help for life-saving surgery for Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), a heart defect (see bottom of page for description).
Little Florence didn't have the best start in life. Her mother was a stray who found a kind man that gave her shelter and food when she had her pups. Unfortunately, when the puppies were 4 weeks old their mother was killed on the road. Florence and her sisters were then rescued by the Wexford SPCA where they were fostered and thrived.
One day Florence was making strange noises and her foster Mum took her to the vets who suspected PDA or Patent Ductus Arteriosus, a heart defect but a specialist cardiology scan was needed for a diagnosis. So Florence and her foster Mum went all the way from Wexford to Portadown and PDA was confirmed. If Florence does not have the surgery to repair the PDA, she will not live to see her first birthday. If she has the surgery, she will live a normal life with a normal life expectancy and completely medication free.
The cardiology specialist vet that has agreed to carry out the surgery at a much reduced rate says Florence is a good candidate for this surgery and it carries only a 5% risk. She needs to be a little bit bigger and stronger before he can do the surgery so he has scheduled the surgery for 22nd November 2016 ..... if we can raise the funds by then.
Florence's foster Mum is doing all she can and Florence is eating well, is safe and warm and loves playing with her toy lion - she even carries him to bed with her! Florence gets tired very quickly so needs lots of rest and her immune system is under more stress. Florence also has episodes of coughing and is currently on a diuretic to reduce the build up of fluid on her lungs from the PDA.
The surgery will be carried out by Neil Walmsley at Greenmount Veterinary Clinic in Portadown, Co Armagh.
Please help us save this little puppy by donating whatever you can to the Florence Fund. Florence is a fighter and wins the hearts of everyone she meets. We need your help to give her the chance she deserves.
For further information and updates on Florence see https://www.facebook.com/FlorenceFund/
or contact Brigid Cullen (WSPCA) at [phone redacted]416
What is PDA?
The ductus arteriosus is a fetal blood vessel that closes soon after birth. Once a newborn has begun to breathe on its own, the pulmonary artery opens to allow blood to flow from the right side heart into the lungs to be oxygenated, and the ductus arteriosus closes. In a PDA, the vessel does not close and remains "patent" (open), and allows a portion of the oxygenated blood from the left heart to flow back to the lungs by flowing from the aorta (which has higher pressure) to the pulmonary artery. This can be resolved with surgery. If a puppy with PDA does not have the surgery, they will usually die within their first year.
