Romeo

Find out about Romeo who has been our biggest fundraising challenge so far. Still very much a puppy, Romeo needed urgent specialist surgery. Every single penny counted to be able to help Romeo.

We are so truly blessed to have such amazing support and we thank each and everyone one of you - we could not do this without you xx

We will update the story of his progress and recovery here.

Kymm says..

...We were asked to help little Romeo who was found straying. He was immediately taken to the councils vet as it was clear he had a severe heart issue (you can see his heart beating hard and fast through his chest as well as feel it thumping (the vet likened it to the whirring of a washing machine)

The vet suspected a Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) which is a congenital condition. Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) is a vessel connecting the two major cardiac vessels (the aorta and the pulmonary artery) which should have closed at birth (its effects are like a ‘hole in the heart’). Uncorrected, a PDA leads to progressive heart enlargement and heart failure with lung congestion. If left untreated approximately 50% of dogs with a PDA die in the first year of life.

We were asked if we could help, knowing the outcome for him would be extremely expensive, and potentially heartbreaking as the surgery to correct the condition is specialist and risky.

I will be honest, I had to spend some time thinking carefully about could we realistically take on another welfare case, bringing us a huge vet bill when, like all other rescues, we are already on our knees.

But my heart rather than my head made the decision - I just knew we had to try to help him and give him the best chance of survival.

He is just a puppy, still with baby teeth. He hasn’t even had chance to experience life yet.

Romeo was brought to us that evening by the wonderful transport volunteers and he saw our vet the next day, and we decided the Royal Vet College would be the best place to have him referred to - not the cheapest but certainly the place who have the experts he so desperately needs.

He has now been scanned by the cardiologist at the Royal Vet College, and sadly the news is worse than we thought. Not only does he have a PDA, he also has Aortic Stenosis - one of the most common and serious valve disease problems. Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve opening. Aortic stenosis restricts the blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta and may also affect the pressure in the left atrium.

Together with the PDA this makes him not only more critical, but also more of a risk for surgery.

But without surgery, he will die. And we have to try….we cannot let him down like the person who obviously just dumped him like rubbish because of his condition.

The heart scan was £886.09, and we needed to fundraise for another approximate £4000 for his surgery. Only when his PDA has been fixed will we know what the prognosis for his aortic stenosis is.

Thanks to our supporters we have achieved our target!

We are so truly blessed to have such amazing support and we thank each and everyone one of you - we could not do this without you xx

Carry on scrolling to find out the progress Romeo is making...

Update - We are very pleased to report that Romeos surgery has been carried out…and he is recovering well!

The surgery was quite intense and took several hours but the PDA has been corrected and although we have the aortic stenosis to deal with going forward…part 1 of his surgery has gone to plan.

We would like to send the biggest thank you to everyone who has donated, and of course to the RVC who have yet again helped us with another tricky case (after saving Jaspers life last year)

We are now keeping everything crossed that his recovery continues to go well.

He’s a little fighter for sure

Well done Romeo - we've got you...

Romeo Recovering After His Surgery

Update - Our little Romeo is home

He has a long recovery ahead of him and needs strict rest and monitoring.

He will be back at the RVC for a repeat heart scan in 3 weeks to check his post op recovery and also to investigate his second issue which is the aortic stenosis.

Heartfelt thank you yet again to everyone who shared and donated…you make everything possible

Welcome Home Romeo!

Update - Romeo is recovering so well after his open heart surgery to fix a PDA

This boy is such a fighter, and every day reassures us of our decision to put him through such huge surgery. It's hard to keep him crated and quiet, which is what he needs for the next couple of weeks.

Thank you to everyone who donated, we couldn’t do what we do without you

Bathtime pamper for Romeo xx

Little Romeo is doing fantastically after his open heart surgery to fix a PDA

He’s had a little pamper this morning, and he’s raring to go but is on strict rest until his next heart scan in a few weeks.

Thank you again to everyone who always steps up to help dogs like Romeo the minute we need you

The Greatest News!

Thanks to everyone who donated, and the amazing cardiology team at the RVC - Romeos PDA surgery was a complete sucess. I took him back to the RVC on Thursday for his post op heart scan so they could see the results of first surgery, and evaluate his aortic stenosis and how serious this condition was.

Scores of 20 and below are mild, 20 - 50 moderate and 80 and over is severe. At his first scan his was in excess of 150 - it is now 20! Meaning he has no need for ongoing treatment, and that the aortic stenosis should have no impact on his life expectancy.

We are absolutely amazed and delighted to hear such good news.

This is only possible because of the help of our supporters. Romeo can now look forward to finding his furever home and living the good life he deserves.

We look forward to seeing the pictures of Romeo settled soon xxx

The end of a long road.

Romeo has found his furever home with a wonderful family. He's even got himself a friend with Dotty, another SEDR dog.

Six weeks ago Romeo's prognosis wasn't clear. Without the support and donations, Romeos story would have been very different.

Thanks to all of our supporters Romeo now has the best home and the life he deserves ahead of him.