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Puppy undergoes world-first combination surgery
Eleven-month-old Lottie was found to have a very loud heart murmur during a routine check-up at her local vets.

Eleven-year-old Lottie was born with several heart defects 

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has carried out a world-first combination surgery to repair a complex combination of heart defects in a dog.

Eleven-month-old labrador Lottie was found to have a very loud heart murmur during a routine check-up at her local vets. An ultrasound revealed that she had several congenital heart defects. Two were a malformation of her tricuspid valve and the other was a large defect of the common atrium.

Lottie was referred to the RVC’s cardiothoracic department for further analysis. Led by small animal surgeon professor Dan Brockman, the team is renowned for its cutting-edge surgeries, including a world-first treatment to save a dog with a malformed tricuspid valve.

Repair of the tricuspid valve has only been performed a few times and has never been carried out at the same time as the repair of a common atrium. Lottie’s owners decided to proceed with surgery to improve her quality of life.

The operation took place in July and Lottie has her heart stopped to perform the surgery. Circulation to the rest of the body was maintained with the use of a heart-lung machine operated by a perfusionist from Great Ormand Street Hospital.

Poppy Bristow, fellow in cardiothoracic surgery at the RVC, said: “Altogether 10 people were involved in her operation and many more for her care before and after surgery, including veterinary specialists, veterinary nurses and veterinary specialists-in-training from surgery, cardiology, anaesthesia and emergency and critical care, as well as Lottie’s referring cardiologist and her local veterinary practice.
 
“Lottie’s heart was stopped for an hour and a half, with the whole operation taking four hours. Her malformed tricuspid valve was released by cutting its abnormal attachments and artificial chords using Gore-Tex material were placed.

“Her single atrium was then divided into two using a large patch of Gore-Tex. Lottie has made a good recovery so far and was walking around and eating from the day after her surgery. She was discharged back to her owners after six days and has continued to thrive at home.”
 
Professor Brockman added: “In Lottie, we had a young energetic dog with such a serious and life-limiting heart condition, that we were desperate to try and help her. The repair was complex but incorporated a combination of surgical manoeuvres that we had done before.

“With careful pre-operative planning and using our previous experience, we were able to design and execute the surgical treatment. It is still ‘early days’ but the initial signs suggest that Lottie is going to enjoy an excellent quality of life, following this operation and, we all hope, a normal lifespan.”

Image (C) RVC

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VMG president joins House of Lords

News Story 1
 Miles Russell, president of the Veterinary Management Group (VMG), has been elected to the House of Lords as a crossbench hereditary peer.

He will join Lord Trees as a representative of the veterinary sector in the second chamber of the UK parliament.

Lord Russell said: "Those of us working in the animal health and veterinary sectors are only too aware of the importance of the work we do and the challenges we face.

"I will use my platform in the House of Lords to increase understanding of our sectors and to promote positive change." 

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Duchess of York stars in charity calendar

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The 12 images were taken by animal photographer Gerry Slade and include retired police dogs and horses, a former border force detector dog, and a retired fire investigation and urban search and rescue dog.

Sarah, Duchess of York, who is a patron of the charity, appears alongside retired police dog Jessie in the photograph for December.

So far this year, the charity has given more than 40,000 in grants to help former service animals with their veterinary care. After retirement, they receive no financial support from the Government and obtaining affordable insurance can be difficult.