Leo is puppy that just wants to be in everyone’s business. He is full of energy! He likes all people and dogs…although he does like to test the boundaries with other dogs. Once a dog puts him in his place he accepts it. He loves to be outside with the big dogs. He is working on his house training. He is not a fan of the crate but he is learning to accept it. Leo is micro-chipped and vaccinated and will be altered prior to adoption. At Leo's last vet appointment it was discovered that he has a heart murmur. At this time we are not sure of the severity or the long term prognosis. We will update his bio as we learn more about his condition. UPDATE: Leo is scheduled to see a cardiologist on May 3rd. At that appointment we hope to learn more about his condition. If you would like to contribute towards Leo health care you can visit: https://www.gofundme.com/leos-heart-murmur-specialist-care. If you would like to fill out an application for Leo please visit: http://theshelteranimalproject.com/forms/dog-adoption-screening-form/ UPDATE MAY 3, 2017 Leo was seen at CARES today by a cardiologist. Unfortunately we do not have good news to report.
The echocardiogram showed that Leo has very severe congenital cardiac disease. He has subaortic (SAS)/aortic stenosis (SAS) as well as anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM). These together are causing a very severe obstruction to the outflow of the heart. The heart pumps the oxygenated blood out of the body through the aorta and there is an obstruction to this outflow. Systolic anterior motion of the mitral valve (SAM) is often considered a form of mitral valve dysplasia where the mitral valve gets in the way of the outflow of the heart. The outflow tract is narrow and the aortic valve is thickened with decreased movement of the valve leaflets. Severe SAS/AS have a very guarded long-term prognosis. The mitral valve changes could improve with beta blocker therapy, but with the other obstructions it is unclear how much that will improve his overall situation.
Dogs with these very severe obstructions can succumb to arrhythmias and heart disease early in life. Many succumb to this disease by age 3. They can have collapse episodes with exertion and many of these dogs are exercise intolerant. As he is very young, limiting exercise is not an issue yet but as he gets older his exertion should be limited.
Leo is being started on atenolol and will need to be rechecked in 3-4 months at the cardiologist.
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