Help fix Teagan's broken heart

Teagan, my Newfoundland puppy, needs surgery to fix a congenital heart defect. If you met Teagan you would love her. She has the most amazing spirit and a vivacious personality. Teagan is a mischievous pup whose antics are the stuff of legend in our home. Teagan is also very sick and this breaks my heart.

Teagan was born with Subaortic Stenosis (SAS). In a SAS heart the dog is born with an abnormally narrow passage way leading from the heart to the aorta. The narrowing is due to muscular and fibrous tissue that kept growing longer then it should. The narrowing of this passage way causes the left ventricle to work harder to push blood increasing the thickness of the heart muscle. SAS is incurable and will eventually lead to the premature death of the dog. Teagans life expectancy could be as little as 1 1/2 years or as much as 5 years. It is unsure how fast her heart will degenerate as she ages.

A new technique called Cutting Balloon Valvuloplasty (CBV) is Teagan's best option for a normal life. The surgery, similar to angioplasty in humans, would widen the narrowed passage in Teagans heart and allow less restricted blood flow. Teagie is an excellent candidate for CBV and that her outcome from surgery could really improve the quality of her life and maybe even extend it.

This is heart surgery and it is unbelievably expensive. Our Cardiologist informed us that this surgery requires two surgical cardiologists to be present during the procedure. The hardware for the surgery is $2500.00 (The cutting balloon and high pressure balloons used can only be used on one dog and have to be special ordered for each surgery then discarded after.) Teagan will require up to two nights stay in Intensive Care, hooked up to special heart monitors and her heart functions monitored extensively. The list of special needs and requirments goes on and on.

Mike and I are committed to Teagans care, but at this time we can't do it without you.