Upon arrival, Tommy’s echocardiogram confirmed that he was suffering from pulmonic stenosis. Dr. Gerard Laheney, Animal League America Supervising Veterinarian, explained, “Pulmonic stenosis means that the pulmonic valve, which is the vessel that connects the heart to the lungs, is narrowed. For Tommy, he actually has a fusion of that valve so it creates a lot of resistance and forces his heart to exert far more effort.”
Tommy wanted to explore his world, just like any puppy his age, but without treatment, he faced the looming threat of heart failure. Dr. Laheney outlined the next steps, saying, “Tommy will have a consultation to see if he’s a candidate for a balloon valvuloplasty, which is a procedure that inserts a balloon into the pulmonic valve to open it up so his heart won’t have to work as hard. If successful, it could prolong his life so he can have a more normal lifespan.”
Any procedure had to wait until Tommy grew a little bigger to have the best chance of success. Meanwhile, we needed to find a foster home for Tommy where he could be closely monitored to prevent overexertion. “It’s important for Tommy to interact with the world and be socialized,” noted Dr. Laheney, “but at the same time, we need to make sure he doesn’t get overly excited.”
