Digby
Adoption Status: Pending
Gender: Male
Breed: Mini Poodle
Age: DOB: 08/2024
Weight: 6.6 lbs
Dog Friendly: Yes
Cat Friendly: Unknown
Kid Friendly: Likely
House Trained: Doing great!
History and a note from her foster: Digby is a six month old 8 pound mini-poodle full of joy, love, and energy! He was born with a heart issue which was recently addressed with noninvasive heart surgery. He will be rechecked in May and hopefully granted the all clear from his remarkable heart surgeons at the U of MN. This surgery is the only surgery considered entirely curable! Due to the surgery and heart condition, his foster family has kept him calm and contained as best as possible - but his puppy-ness always shines through! Since being given the all clear for all types of activities recently, he has continued to blossom - able to jump off a couch, more interested in Home Depot adventures, and mastering the puppy pad! Digby loves snuggles, his foster siblings - both human and dog - and loves to play with toys alone and with others. His future forever family will be so lucky to have him. He will benefit from patience and exposure to all the new things the world has to offer now that he is on the road to full recovery!
PATENT DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS
The ductus arteriosus is a vessel that is open during fetal development. It’s purpose is related to the fact that oxygen is not obtained by the fetus breathing but is obtained through the mothers blood supply through the placenta and umbilical cord. At birth, this vessel should close, however, if it does not, it is called a persistently patent (open) ductus arteriosus (PDA for short). With this vessel open, extra blood flows into the pulmonary artery, vessels of the lungs, and back to the left side of the heart. This is called volume overload, and, consequently, the left side of the heart will enlarge over time to accommodate the extra volume. This leads to congestive heart failure if not treated. Most dogs with a PDA develop congestive heart failure before they are two years of age.
Cardiologists recommend surgical closure of these vessels as soon as it is possible. The procedure consists of specialized catheterization techniques involving an occlusion device inserted through the femoral artery (in the rear leg). Surgical closure of the PDA typically results in the reversal of much, if not all, of the secondary cardiac changes. In young dogs, reversal of the increase in left heart size has been shown to occur within a year after PDA occlusion. Most dogs enjoy a normal life span following PDA correction.
The prognosis is very good if catheterization is performed early. With prompt recognition and repair, there is a nearly 100% success rate. Unless there are complications from other heart defects, or heart failure has already developed, there is rarely a need for any future medicine or exercise limitations.
Digby will be available as a foster to adopt until he is able to be neutered following a medical check up after his heart surgery.
Adoption Fee: $750 + tax
Adoption Status: Is this dog available? Submitting an application is the best first step to learning if a dog is still available. There is a chance this dog could have a pending adoption when your application is submitted, however our team will offer approved applicants to be put on a waiting list for that dog. Additionally, we can make recommendations on other dogs that may be a match. Pending adoptions do not mean the adoption is finalized. Why did we implement this change? We implemented this update because, unfortunately, dogs were pending for applicants for several weeks and then the applicant would change their mind. This happens more often with puppies, as applications are submitted impulsivly more often for them. Our process is great because it takes a little time, so impulsive decisions fade. However it was unfortunate for the dogs, and the foster homes, as then the process needed to be re-started. By securing a wait-list we are able to move forward more quickly if a pending adoption falls through. This is a new process for us, so your feedback along the way is helpful! Thank you for supporting rescue and adoption!
