Aria, pictured with owner Luke, is now fighting fit after her life-saving heart surgery at Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service, in Solihull.
Puppy Given Second Shot At Life Thanks To Willows
2 weeks ago 
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A puppy who was not expected to survive past the age of one has been given another shot at life thanks to surgery by cardiology specialists.
Sprocker Spaniel Aria was just three months old when owner Luke Shoer took her to Linnaeus-owned Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service in Solihull with an enlarged heart and Patent Ductus Arteriosus – an extra blood vessel around the heart.
If left untreated, the condition leads to heart failure and causes half of all affected dogs to die before they are a year old.
Owner Luke, who lives in Kent, said he was determined to give her a every chance at living a normal life.
He said: “I got Aria in May when she was just eight weeks old. I’d recently lost my elderly dog Briar to cancer and was in a really bad place, so Aria was helping me to heal and have a purpose again.
“When I took her for her vaccinations, the vet diagnosed a severe heart murmur.
“Vets said there was a surgery which could give her a shot at a normal life. I knew I couldn’t lose another dog and wouldn’t put her to sleep, so I researched online and then travelled to the Midlands to see the cardiology specialists at Willows.
“I’m so grateful to the team at Willows for saving Aria’s life, they did the most amazing job.”
The surgery was carried out by Willows’ RCVS and European specialists in small animal cardiology Fabio Sarcinella and Sid Sudunagunta, with the support of cardiology resident Sophie Goodrich.
Sophie said: “Patent Ductus Arteriosus is a connection between the two main arteries leaving the heart, which normally closes after birth, but sometimes remains open. This allows continuous shunting of blood between these vessels, which eventually results in heart failure.
“We carried out minimally invasive surgery on Aria, inserting catheters through an incision in her groin to block the blood flow.
“Aria recovered well and was discharged the next day. A repeat heart scan one month later confirmed her operation had been a complete success.
“She is now back to living her normal spaniel puppy life and shouldn’t be affected in the future.”
True to form, Luke said for him the hardest part was encouraging an excitable puppy to rest following the procedure.
He said: “She had to be on total rest, so no jumping or running or playing. But this puppy is like keeping the Tasmanian devil in a cage!
“We’d do it all again though. Aria is now six months old and because of the great job Willows did she can live a full, normal spaniel life.
“I just feel really grateful for the team at Willows and the support I had around me from friends and family.
“Aria helped save me from a dark place, then I saved her, too. That’s the really special thing about having a bond with a dog, you’ve got each other’s back when times get hard.”
Willows offers specialist services in anaesthesia and analgesia, cardiology, clinical nutrition, dermatology, diagnostic imaging, emergency and critical care, internal medicine, neurology, oncology, ophthalmology, orthopaedics, soft tissue surgery and spinal surgery.
To find out more about Willows’ wide range of specialist services, visit www.willows.uk.net or search for Willows Veterinary Centre and Referral Service on Facebook.
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