9/9/21 – Please welcome Scout! Scout joins us from Cobb County Animal Control. He was picked up as a stray and was able to join the rescue when no one came looking for him. He was neutered at the shelter yesterday. He is heartworm positive and also has a heart murmur. We will get an ultrasound scheduled to see exactly what we are dealing with.
9/14/21 – Scout has his ultrasound today and it shows he has an enlarged heart, heartworm and evidence of pulmonic stenosis. We are going move forward with an EKG.
9/21/21 – Scouts upper respiratory infection has still not cleared up. We decided to do a culture today to will be switching medications to treat this.
10/1/21 – Scout has his full cardiology work up today. It has been confirmed that he pulmonic stenosis. Pulmonic stenosis is a congenital heart defect of the semilunar valve that is between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery (great vessel that takes blood to the lungs). The leaflets of this valve are thickened and/or partially fused together. His pulmonic valve pressure gradient measured at 110 mmHG (a dog with no heart issues measures at 20-30 mmHG). He will begin taking the medication Atenolol today to help control his heart rate and attempt to lower his pressure gradient.
He has lived his life to this point with no major issues that we are aware of. At this time in his life we are not certain if balloon valvuloplasty surgery is the best option, since we do not know his history or the progression of the issue. We are going to do our best to monitor and treat for the time being. We will start him on heart medication, atenolol, to help control his heart rate. We will recheck the ultrasound two months from the original one, around 11/14, to get measurements of his heart. If things look about the same, we will move forward with another EKG to check his pressure gradient levels. If his heart looks significantly worse, we will decide where to go from there.
Please send positive thoughts his way and we navigate this journey with him.
November 10, 2022 – Scout crossed over the rainbow bridge today. Please keep his foster family in your thoughts. Rest In Peace Scout
approximate age: 6
approximate weight: 60
likes dogs: we have not seen him around dogs
likes cats: we have not seen him around cats
likes kids: we have not see n him around kids
food: Taste Of The Wild, Pacific Stream
lifelong medications: Atenalol
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