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Dolly is a 5 month old Chihuahua mix with a heart condition called patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA. In this disease, a small percentage of dogs are born wherein a vessel between the main arteries of the heart that normally closes after birth remains open. The end result is abnormal flow of blood in the body which causes the heart to have a difficult time pumping blood effectively. If a PDA goes untreated, most dogs will die within the first year of life from congestive heart failure. However, PDA is a treatable disease and dogs that lucky enough to receive the procedure, whether it be from a non-invasive vessel occluder or surgical ligation of the vessel, will usually go on to live a fully normal life.
Dolly was lucky enough to fall under the care of an amazing rescue group, Itsie Bitsie Rescue Inc., who were able to give her the initial veterinary care she needed through UC Davis to diagnose her condition and attempt to treat it. On 4/21/21, she underwent general anesthesia and the amazing UC Davis Veterinary Cardiology Service attempted a non-invasive occluder method to fix her heart. However, due to her small size, this method failed, leaving us with open chest surgery as our final option to treat her. And while surgery was still an option, finances of her wonderful rescue would not permit proceeding any further in her case.
Monique and Dolly were lucky enough to meet just as our 4 years of vet school are coming to a close. I heard about her case from Monique and we went to the wards together that night so I could meet her. We both knew at that point we had to help her and get her the care she deserved. The very next day we adopted Dolly. That said, we are still broke vet students for a few more months before we graduate, and she needs this surgery ASAP. Unfortunately, without the surgery, Dolly only has a matter of months to live. We are applying for all the funding we can though the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, but will still likely be paying for a good chunk out of pocket. Every little bit counts for us. So, we are hoping that you'll consider helping us fix Dolly's heart. Thanks for taking the time to read!
Sincerely,
Sammy, Monique, and Dolly
Dolly was lucky enough to fall under the care of an amazing rescue group, Itsie Bitsie Rescue Inc., who were able to give her the initial veterinary care she needed through UC Davis to diagnose her condition and attempt to treat it. On 4/21/21, she underwent general anesthesia and the amazing UC Davis Veterinary Cardiology Service attempted a non-invasive occluder method to fix her heart. However, due to her small size, this method failed, leaving us with open chest surgery as our final option to treat her. And while surgery was still an option, finances of her wonderful rescue would not permit proceeding any further in her case.
Monique and Dolly were lucky enough to meet just as our 4 years of vet school are coming to a close. I heard about her case from Monique and we went to the wards together that night so I could meet her. We both knew at that point we had to help her and get her the care she deserved. The very next day we adopted Dolly. That said, we are still broke vet students for a few more months before we graduate, and she needs this surgery ASAP. Unfortunately, without the surgery, Dolly only has a matter of months to live. We are applying for all the funding we can though the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, but will still likely be paying for a good chunk out of pocket. Every little bit counts for us. So, we are hoping that you'll consider helping us fix Dolly's heart. Thanks for taking the time to read!
Sincerely,
Sammy, Monique, and Dolly