10/29/24 – Please welcome Blue! Blue has been passed around between three homes over the last two years for various reasons before finally making his way to us. He came in with an upper respiratory infection. Once we get it cleared up we will more forward with surgery.
11/7/24 – Blue had surgery today and this did not go well. We where able to finish his neuter but had to wake him up quickly because his blood pressure dropped.
11/15/24 – Blue saw the cardiologist today for an echocardiogram. He has been diagnosed with a third-degree AV block, and they are recommending he get a pacemaker.
11/19/24 – Blue underwent general anesthesia for placement of an epicardial pacemaker. This permanent pacemaker was placed on the surface of Blue’s heart by entering the abdomen, chest (thoracic) cavity, and pericardium surrounding the heart through an abdominal incision and small incision through the diaphragm. The pacemaker generator containing the battery was placed under the internal musculature of his abdomen on the left side. Blue was woken up from anesthesia with no complication and monitored in ICU overnight in an oxygen cage. He has done well since his pacemaker implantation and the pacemaker is functioning properly at this time. Blue was transitioned to minimal amounts of treatments prior to the time of discharge as he was breathing comfortably, his pain was well tolerated and he was eating well on his own.
The type of pacemaker Blue has now provides a variable heart rate with an average of 60 beats per minute, which varies to adapt during physical activity. His pacemaker is currently set so that his heart may not get below 60 beats per minute. The life of the pacemaker battery depends on how much he needs to use the pacemaker. Blue needs a recheck in 3 months to test the pacemaker and determine if we can decrease the voltage thereby extending the battery life. We will likely be able to maximize the battery life at his 3-month recheck when we optimize the pacemaker’s settings. It takes about 3 months for the heart to completely heal after implantation and the settings of the pacemaker to be adjusted. The pacemaker should not override the ability of Blue’s heart to function normally on its own. If his intrinsic heart rate is appropriate, the pacemaker will simply listen in the background and only provide paced beats when needed. The pacemaker should work in conjunction with his heart, providing assistance if the heart rate is not high enough while letting his heart generate the beats if it is functioning normally.
He will see the cardiologist again in med February to have his pacemaker adjusted. At that time we hope he is cleared to have surgery. We think he would benefit from having his palate shortened and his nares widened.
2/17/25 – Blue had his pacemaker adjusted today and all went well!
2/20/25 – Blue had surgery today and all went well! He had his palate shortened and his nares widened. We started him on apoqeul to help with his allergies. He will need to see the cardiologist again in 6 months for a recheck and adjustment on his pacemaker but we expect him to live a long normal healthy life with no heart issues.
approximate age: 3
approximate weight: 25
likes dogs: he is not overly excited to share a home with his foster brother but they are learning to cohabitate with one another
likes cats: we have not seen him around cats
likes kids: he is ok with older kids that give him space and do not touch his food
food: Blue Buffalo Chicken and Rice (we are told he had an allergic reaction to fish in the past)
lifelong medications: perhaps allergy medication
Bully Bag Sponsors: Carol Robertelli, Tarasa Fiore
