When Nancy first brought Ladybug home from our shelter, the little whippet mix would zoom around the house with so much energy she completely dazzled her new owner.
But immediately after her “zoomies,” Ladybug would collapse on the floor like someone had flipped a switch.
“I thought she was falling asleep from all that running around,” Nancy said. “I didn’t realize she was passing out.”
A trip to the vet resulted in another visit with a veterinary cardiologist who conducted a series of tests on Ladybug. An echocardiogram showed the little dog has severe right ventricular enlargement and pulmonic stenosis.
In other words, her heart is unable to properly pump blood because of a narrowed opening of her pulmonary artery. The irregular blood flow causes her to pass out. If untreated, Ladybug’s heart will continue to weaken and she will die.
Right now, Ladybug’s prognosis is “guarded.” Nancy makes sure she doesn’t exert herself and administers heart medications.
Before arriving at Where the Love Is Animal Shelter, Ladybug had been found on the side of a road with a broken leg and a bad case of mange. Nancy is now hoping that surgery will be able to repair the congenital condition for the dog she says she “can’t imagine not having in (my) life.”
