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This little 4-mo Lab with incessant tachycardia got his Christmas wish and a new lease on life when Dr. Wright’s colleague flew to Portland, OR on his own dime to pick him up, adopted him. Dr. Wright’s team cured Lucky’s heart on Friday (6 days after his adoption)!       Arlo rose was living a completely normal life until one day she looked like she swallowed a balloon. I was terrified to find out what was wrong. She's only 10 months old and she is my world. I rushed her to PVSEC in Pittsburgh. It was labor day and they were the only emergency clinic near me taking patients, which was a blessing in disguise. When we got there it was packed but they quickly got Arlo in. After waiting about a half an hour they called us and told us that her stomach was full of fluid. The possible causes were not good. They said it was either cancer, an enlarged heart, a blood disease, or gi disease. They said she would need to stay over night to figure out what was going on and I quickly agreed.
I waited all day to hear what was going on with my best friend. The ER veterinarian finally called me close to 9 pm that night. She told me that Arlo was in heart failure and my stomach sank. She said that the right side of her heart was enlarged and had given up working and she was preparing me for the worst. She said she was stable right now and that a cardiologist would look at her in the morning. That had to be one of the worst nights of my life. I cried for hours. I gave myself the worst migraine I've ever had and I also got sick. I was so sad that my best friend could possibly die. It all came out of nowhere. She is my first dog and I was convinced I had done something wrong. I finally fell asleep due to pure exhaustion. The next morning the cardiologist called me and she seemed to be in good spirits. She talked to me about how Arlo was doing and she said they had her on medication to help her with her heart. She then began to talk to me about some things that could be causing this. She began with a talk about enlarged hearts in Great Danes. I had done my research before buying my dog so I knew about the common health risks, but they usually do not show up this young. She agreed with me on that but also said we could not rule it out. Then she told me about an article she read about accessory pathways causing similar problems in dogs. She said that that might be what was going on. Another cardiologist was going to look at Arlo the next morning and she said that she would talk to her about this option. The next morning I get a call from the new cardiologist and she goes over how Arlo is doing and what medication she is on. Then she starts going over about causes and she mentioned heart disease and then she paused. She got very excited when she started to tell me about the accessory pathway that the previous doctor had mentioned. This new cardiologist had had a previous pet that had actually had it and she said Arlo had very similar symptoms. With my approval she wanted to send Arlo's EKG and other testing to Dr. Wright to get her opinion. I quickly agreed. Within hours Dr. Wright answered back. She said that she was pretty positive this was what was going on. She mentioned that there was a test with lidocaine that could help her get a better grasp on if it was a pathway. I quickly agreed to the test and within hours I got the amazing news that they were 95% sure Arlo had this pathway. Even more amazing, Dr. Wright had an opening in her schedule about a week and a half later. I agreed to the surgery, but then I had the realization of how much it was going to cost. I had already spent thousands of dollars figuring out what was wrong, and the surgery was going to be a couple thousand more. I knew I needed help, so I reached out to friends and family and I made a go fund me. They have all helped out immensely but I am still far from my goal. I will do whatever it takes for my best friend to get this surgery, but any additional help I can get is welcomed. This is my GoFundMe site: https://www.gofundme.com/f/arlo039s-heart-surgery?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1. I also have a PayPal (cmariott@kent.edu) and a cash app (if you email me, I can share my number with you).  Jupiter watching swans passing by.What a smart boy! Jupiter knows the pump is a source of water as he and his owner, hike.Hello Dr Wright,
It is a little over 2 weeks since the ablation. I would like to pass along a few items I am learning about Jupiter. I am now convinced Jupiter had not lived a full life until now. I asked my Vets why jupiter would go a day or day and a half without any interest in food. I asked if it is possible to walk him to much. I would put food in front if his nose and he would look at the food before he ate. I am convinced he has improved stamina, sense of smell, he is more alert to his surrounds. Today we hikes and he started chasing small birds he sees. He always notices movement but now he is interested and has energy to chase fir long periods of time. I put his food in his bowl and it disappears. I sit at the table to eat and he now sides beneath the table. His appetite his now that of a lab. When we hike, his nose is to the ground as he follows his nose to move about the woods. His play is fairly hard and a little tougher. Which I am controlling. He never met strangers by jumping to their abdomen but he does so now. I will work in that. I have been extremely pleased to see him act like a lab. Everyone who sees him notice how different he is and in great ways. Jupiter sleeps the entire night. He previously woke up 3 to 4 times a night to go out and sit on the deck. Or he would lay in the wood floor. Now he sleeps next to me. Then crawls on me to keep me in bed longer. He puts his front legs across my neck or chest. He gets up when he is ready. With this COVID 19, we get up to hike when he is ready. No rush these days. He took a swim the other day. He never jumps into the water. This remains the one trait he has that is un-lab like. I sent two videos. One show Jupiter knowing the pump is a source of water as we hike. The second is Jupiter watching swans passing by. May 8 Dr Fauske will put the Holter on him. Thank you again. I tell his story two or more times a day as people we meet hiking ask. People are amazed at what you do to help these puppies. Mike  “Bear”, Surgery Date Jan. 8/2020Here’s a pic of Bear. He was just 6 months when we did the surgery. The first 6 months of his life were hell. Now he gets to have a life and be the lab he was always mean to be!
 Raven is an 11-month old Labrador pup who had a 2-month history of intermittent vomiting, not eating, and not wanting to play. She even refused to chase her frisbee, one of her favorite games. Her owner noticed a fast heart rate. As she is a young Labrador Retriever, a breed known to nibble on things they should not, Raven even had an abdominal exploratory looking for a foreign body prior to going to her referral veterinarian. Dr. Betts recognizes that the problem was with Raven’s heart and recommended she travel from Manistee, Michigan to Cincinnati, Ohio to have a special procedure known as radio frequency catheter ablation. This cured Raven of her abnormal rhythm, so she won’t have her high heart rate again!
Brecon is now an adorable, active 2-year-old Welsh Springer Spaniel, who loves life and his 7-month-old baby brother, Rowan. When he came to us in December 2017, however, he had an incessant rapid heart rhythm arising from his left upper heart chamber that was preventing him from being a happy, healthy puppy. Through the diligent work of the ablation team, Brecon had a successful left atrial tachycardia ablation 1.5 years ago and has a healthy heart! Wonderful Gage is now an 8.5-year-old Deutsch Laanghaar, who had a successful accessory pathway ablation 5 years ago. The accessory pathway is an extra electrical connection that caused his heart rate to race at 375 bpm. Radiofrequency energy was targeted to his accessory pathway, which eliminated this problem. Gage could therefore go on to be the awesome sporting dog he was meant to be! Milo just celebrated his 8th birthday! This handsome Labrador had an extra electrical connection in his heart, known as an accessory pathway. This accessory pathway would often cause Milo’s heart rate to be too high resulting in weakening of his heart muscle, resulting in congestive heart failure. We were able to successfully ablate the problematic accessory pathway when Milo presented to us at the age of 4 years, giving him a new lease on life! Sansa came all the way from Argentina because her heart would race and make her breathe rapidly. She had poor heart muscle function. Her one month post-ablation echocardiogram and Holter monitor were last week, and the results were excellent! Sansa had return of her heart muscle function to normal now that her accessory pathway was ablated. Dr. Wright, Today is Wiglaf’s sixth birthday (born 3-31-13)! This is all thanks to you and your team! He is my perfect dog, other than enjoying barking a little too much. Please tell everyone in your office we said hello and thank you. I hope all is well with you and your family. Best wishes, Gabi K. (and Wiglaf) Dan and I have a very active family of 3 Bernese mountain dogs. We hike 6-10 miles regularly, we travel all over the country together, and we seek out local pup friendly attractions during the week. There is never a dull moment in our home. I will not forget the day that my girls and I were on a hike when something just didn’t seem right. We were not even a mile in when Zoe, my eldest at 6 years old, seemed exhausted. I thought it was the heat, unusual since we used to live on the west coast and she has experienced heat in the past. Regardless, for her safety and my concern we turned back and returned home.
Over the next week Zoe was fatigued and her appetite decreased. She would only eat soft food or chicken and she was resting far more than usual. She would still perk up when I came home and occasionally at other times when she heard someone outside. She wasn’t able to tolerate hikes or even short bursts of energy in the yard with her sisters. My family, friends and coworkers all stated, “she must be getting old” but I knew something was wrong. I immediately contacted our primary vet. She obtained labs and x-rays. Zoe’s liver enzymes were slightly elevated. My heart sank and all I could think was “this is it, she has cancer”. Our vet recommended that we go to the local emergency department in Pittsburgh, Pa. I took Zoe right away. I braced myself and waited for the news. It never came. Instead the staff rushed Zoe back and reported that her heart rate was extremely fast. Over the next 2 days Zoe was admitted to the ICU where, numerous tests were completed to rule out the cause of her tachycardia. Everything came back negative. The Cardiologist stated that Zoe had an abnormal heart rhythm known as atrial tachycardia. Zoe would need to take medications and be closely monitored. These medications would need to be taken every 12 hours. I am a travel nurse; I knew that this would be nearly impossible without help. I asked if there were any other options. This is when I was informed that there is a Cardiologist in Cincinnati that could perform an ablation, a potentially curative procedure that could bring Zoe back to her former self. Dan and I spoke with Dr. Wright on the phone who was very patient and understanding. She took the time to explain the details of the procedure and, what to expect before and after. She sent me articles and information via email. After reading up on the procedure and speaking to her directly I felt confident that the ablation was the best decision for my Zoe. We set out on the 10-hour round trip journey. On arrival to Med Vet the staff was incredible. The check in process was seamless. Dr. Wright and staff calmed my fears and anxiety. They were so reassuring and understanding. I left Zoe in their expert care and to date. This was the best decision I have ever made for her. The procedure was successful. Dr. Wright and Zoe’s nurse kept me updated throughout the entire process. Zoe is home. She is playful, she snuggles with her sisters, she is eating well, and she is back to hiking and exploring. Dr. Wright and staff saved Zoe’s life. It has been over a month and her follow up results showed that Zoe remains cured, medication free, and with a normal heart rhythm. Dr. Wright gave us our life back and, we are not just able to live as before but better. Zoe is better. There is no amount of gratitude that will ever express my feelings towards all those involved in Zoe’s care. We know we won’t have Zoe forever, but due to a successful ablation, we will have her a little longer, She will be happy and healthy for a little longer. Thank you for saving my best friend. Very Respectfully, Amber R Kendra MBA, MSN and Dr. Daniel Shpilsky  This is a little note about our experience with our black lab puppy.
Around the beginning of Dec at her 7 month birthday, I came home to find our puppy very sick, vomiting and no looking well at all. She wouldn’t move and upon picking her up I felt her heartbeat was very strong and rapid. We took her to our local animal hospital and her heart rate was over 300 bpm. She saw a heart specialist who prescribed some strong human heart rhythm medication. The medicine was given 3 times a day and in two weeks time she had to be brought back to the ER to get her rhythm down. We took her to two different heart specialists and both agreed on her diagnosis. Both specialists informed us of Dr Kathy Wright at Medvet in Ohio and that if there was any hope on our Rose living more than a year this was the place to go. We packed our Van and left on a 900 mile drive to meet who we would now know as an Angel. Probably one of the most caring Doctors we have met. She took our little Rose and performed a miracle. After her heart surgery our puppy had been taken off all her medications and three weeks later is running around enjoying being a healthy puppy! We cannot thank the folks at Medvet enough, especially Dr Wright ! She is not one in a million.....she is 1 in a billion ! Dean Carlton |
Owners of Dr. Wright's patientsWe are all owners of pets with tachycardia's/heart rates that were much too fast. Dr. Wright and her team saved our dogs with their minimally invasive ablation surgery. Archives
December 2020
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