Adorable Wiglaf the Chocolate Labrador

My chocolate Labrador Retriever, Wiglaf, was an adorable puppy with a sparkle in his eye and I was in love with him from the start.  But he was not what I had expected based on all the stories I'd heard and books I'd read.  He could be mischievous at times but he wasn't terribly active and he slept even more than usual.  I thought I hit the puppy jackpot!  But it was not until a problem with his digestion, I thought, had taken us to his Veterinarian for countless visits and tests, that he was ultimately diagnosed with Supraventricular Tachycardia (his heartbeat was once measured at 400 beats per minute).  I was assured this was not fatal and that we could control it with medication.  So we started out with drugs readily available at the neighborhood pharmacy.  At the same time we were referred to the CVCA: Cardiac Care for Pets in northern Virginia, where they reviewed his tests and ordered new ones.  In the cacophony of medical terms and prognoses, one of the cardiologists there suggested that Wiglaf might be a good candidate to undergo a procedure by Dr. Kathy Wright in Ohio.  I couldn't imagine putting Wiglaf through a surgical procedure so I committed to administering his meds, three times a day, indefinitely.  As a young dog (he was diagnosed just after his second birthday), I really had not considered the magnitude of this obligation but I committed to his regimen.  Immediately, the medication worked very well, until the three month mark when his old symptoms returned.  Once again his appetite disappeared, he had difficulty breathing at times, he became lethargic and didn't want to be around anyone.  Quite simply, he became very un-Lab-like.  Then with a tweak of his meds, he would be back to his old self.  But four such episodes of decline convinced me that we could not go on this way.  I contacted CVCA to learn more about Dr. Wright and the procedure.
 
Luckily, Dr. Wright agreed that Wiglaf was a candidate for the cardiac ablation procedure she performed along with her team in Cincinnati.  My father had offered to help with the fees so I would not have to worry about that.  My mother and I drove Wiglaf over to Cincinnati and dropped him off at the Medical Center for tests.  The following day he underwent his Ablation and he responded beautifully.  A member of the team called to report that he had done very well.  A huge relief.  The next morning when they called to say he was ready to go home, I asked, hesitantly, "how is he doing, does he feel okay?"  She responded, "Oh my goodness, he's walking around begging for food!"  My Labrador Retriever was back.  I still marvel at the complexity of the procedure and yet the immediacy of his complete cure.  No longer did he require any heart medication and other than a few sutures, he was without pain and feeling fine.  His subsequent follow up appointments have all been very positive.  I feel indebted to Dr. Wright and her team for saving my best friend.  Wiglaf has become much more active, his bark is ferocious and can be quite intimidating but he is playful and loves to cuddle.  In fact, I still think that with Wiglaf, I hit the jackpot!
​
​- Submitted by Gabi K.

Wig in action this week.