A dedicated pet owner has flown his dog 3,500 miles for a lifesaving heart operation carried out by the world-renowned cardiology team here at Willows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pup\u2019s battle for survival began when a routine health check in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), turned into a life-or-death drama after the vet\u2019s examination discovered Snoob, an eight-month-old American Bully, had a strong heart murmur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Further investigations by a veterinary cardiologist in the UAE revealed the dog was suffering from a potentially fatal birth defect called pulmonic stenosis, which blocks blood flow from the heart into the lungs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite being thousands of miles from home, Snoob was referred to our industry-leading and internally-renowned cardiology team for expert care to treat his \u2018broken heart\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Owner Waddah Moseley, from Abu Dhabi, said: \u201cI\u2019d taken Snoob in from a family who didn\u2019t want him anymore and visited my local vets to update his vaccinations and have a health check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019d only had him a week, and suddenly I heard that he had a big heart murmur and, subsequently, a serious heart problem, so it was all quite a shock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019d bonded very well, though, so I was ready to do anything to make sure he came through all of this ok, even if it all seemed impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe cardiologist in Dubai said the pulmonary stenosis was treatable but only in the UK. He recommended Willows, saying they were the best in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA week later, we were there ready for Snoob\u2019s treatment to begin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our world-leading cardiology specialists, Joao Neves, Fabio Sacrinella and clinical director Jon Wray, combined to treat Snoob successfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joao explained: \u201cWhen Snoob arrived here, we performed an echocardiogram (heart scan) which confirmed the diagnosis of severe pulmonic stenosis, a serious narrowing of one of the valves that control blood flow from the right side of the heart into the lungs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a congenital disease, meaning that Snoob was born with it, and, unfortunately, there is no cure. However, there are some options to help improve or control the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMedical treatment with drugs called beta-blockers is usually employed to protect the heart muscle and reduce the occurrence of electrical instability \u2013 arrhythmias \u2013 and, possibly, sudden death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe chose a more definitive treatment to reduce the obstruction with a minimally-invasive procedure called balloon valvuloplasty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe made a very small skin incision in the neck and used one of Snoob\u2019s neck veins to advance a long catheter, with a deflated balloon on its tip, into the right side of the heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnce the balloon was at the level of the narrowed pulmonic valve, we inflated the balloon to stretch the valve open to reduce the obstruction and increase blood flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEverything went to plan, and the procedure proved a success. The catheter was then removed, and the skin incision, which was only a couple of centimetres long, was closed with four stitches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe improvement was almost immediate, and a post-operative heart scan confirmed a successful outcome, allowing Snoob to be discharged the next day with his recovery at home also very fast, as we expected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A delighted Waddah added: \u201cI used to think Snoob was a quiet, calm dog. I have two other dogs, and he was always the last off the sofa when it was time to go out \u2013 now he\u2019s the first! \u201cHe\u2019s much stronger, active and energetic and has developed a real personality of his own since the treatment. We can\u2019t thank Willows enough. We are so grateful. They were excellent.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"