Life Saving Surgery for Stanley

Hi, my name is Steve, and I'm raising money for Stanley.

Stanley is only 18 months old, and he needs two surgeries to save his life.

Poor Stanley hasn’t had the best start, although you wouldn’t know it from his demeanour and courage. He was due to have an operation in December 2022 to correct an issue he was having in his intimate area, but the operation had to be aborted after a significant heart murmur was detected.

After referral to a cardiologist and scans of his heart, it was discovered that Stanley had two heart defects. One was a valve which was not functioning properly, and the other was described as an extra piece of muscle in his heart which was causing the right side of his heart to enlarge abnormally. We were shocked to see the images on the screen of how his heart looked compared to how it should look.

We were told that it could take 6-12 months for him to start developing symptoms which would lead to heart failure, and the only way to correct it would be through heart surgery. Unfortunately, that estimate was very optimistic.

Only four and a half weeks after having his heart scan, our beautiful boy started to develop a persistent cough, which was initially diagnosed as Kennel Cough. After four weeks of follow up appointments and unsuccessful treatments, Stanley’s cough had worsened and he had become very withdrawn and lethargic, far from the bouncy, energetic, full of love boy we were used to.

We took him to an out of hours emergency vets for a second opinion and to see if we could get any alternative treatment options for him. Scans discovered that his lungs “were swimming in fluid” and he was put on oxygen for the night. Two more nights of oxygen, referral to a cardiologist, and then to the specialist animal hospital would follow.

After having the fluid drained from his chest, Stanley was given a host of scans under sedation and the consultants were able to form a diagnosis. Worsening of Stanley’s heart defects had caused fluid to travel from his Intestines, up to his chest and surround his lungs. This caused Stanley’s right lung to slip and twist. All this was causing his coughing and difficulty breathing.

He now needs surgery to remove the part of his twisted lung and a second surgery as soon as possible to fix his heart defects. Stanley needs these surgeries in order to survive and to be able to live his full life and continue to receive all the care, love and life experiences that we want to give him.

Unfortunately the costs for these surgeries have now risen to £23,500. £6000 for his lung surgery, and £17,500 for his heart surgery. We have already maxed out his insurance allocation paying for his initial heart scans and the treatment he’s needed to get him to this point.

We don’t want finances to be a barrier to Stanley getting the treatment he needs for the chance to live the full life he deserves. We would be eternally grateful if you could contribute anything to help us raise the funds needed for these life-saving surgeries. Stanley is family to us, and we want to give him the chance to live a full life full of love and happiness. We would be grateful for anything that you can do to help.

About Stanley:

Stanley is an 18 month old Maltese dog. Before he started to get symptoms, he loved being taken for days out to the seaside and being carried around for long walks in his papoose! He makes everyone smile when he dances on his back legs to show us when he wants affection and loves to sing along to orchestral music-especially Star Trek music, which is his favourite!

He's loved dearly by his mum and dad, Steve and Lucinda and his two nans. Everywhere he goes, he brings smiles to all who encounter him, and he loves to show us love by giving us lots of licks and cuddles, and snuggles.

Stanley at home:

Pictures of Stanley from family time and a couple of our hospital visits with him: