Milo is my 3 year old Pitbull! He is the best thing in my life and has forever changed my life since I brought his home 3 years agoI He is my family and my best friend. In the beginning of December I brought Milo to the vet to get his annual vaccines, when the vet called me he expressed concern about Milo's murmur. The vet recommended doing and echocardiogram on Milo to check Milo's heart and have a clearer picture of what was going on. On December 9th, 2020 Milo had his echocardiogram and was diagnosed with Pulmonary Stenosis. He has a pulmonic outflow velocity of 6.4 m/seconds (normal: < 2 m/seconds)
Severe stenosis is considered a peak gradient above is over 4.5 m/seconds.
The cardiologist and Milo's vet have recommended doing a valvular balloon plasty where the surgeon inserts a balloon into Milo's pulmonic valve to stretch open the leaflet in order to restore the blood flow to his lungs.
The surgeon has consulted with me and through millions of questions I have had as a worried dog mom, he has expressed that if Milo does not have this surgery, he may only have another 2-3 years to live as well as he is at risk for sudden cardiac arrest with activity. If Milo has the surgery he can live a long FULL healthy life. He can keep swimming and adventuring with his mama.
The surgery will cost $6000.
Any contribution, big or small, would be appreciated more than you could possibly know. Thank you so much for reading!
Understanding Pulmonic stenosis: Pulmonic stenosis is a congenital heart disease where the leaflets of the pulmonic valve, between the right ventricle and pulmonary artery, are either fused together or abnormally thick. This creates an obstruction to blood flow, which increases the workload of the right ventricle and reduces blood flow to the lungs. Thickening of the right ventricle, results in decreased ability of the right ventricle to relax and refill, making the heart muscle stiff and prone to abnormal heart rhythms. Later in life, the stiff ventricle may lead to circulatory congestion and leakage of fluid into the abdomen (ascites), a syndrome known as congestive heart failure.
