Tipsy had her heart surgery on Jan 21st at the Austin Pets Alive medical clinic. We knew going into it that the procedure would be delicate and the outcome unknown but we owed it to Tipsy to have the procedure done. She is a young pup and needs a healthy heart.
Tipsy's PDA repair surgery lasted approximately 2 1/2 hours and ended with Tipsy receiving a blood transfusion and in critical care. Tipsy was stabilized and went into a medical foster home that night where she received constant care and attention. The next morning medical staff was happy to report that Tipsy had not only pulled through but was doing better than expected! She remained in medical foster Friday and Saturday where she continued to recover and gain her strength. By Sunday morning she was eating well and able to be weaned off most all of her medications. Sunday morning she was transferred to her regular foster home and her foster mom reports Tipsy is happy and acting like her normal self!
We are not sure if the PDA surgery was successful due to the size of the defect and will be performing another ultrasound of her heart in 3-4 weeks. We do know that her heart does appear to be beating more normally and she is recovering well!
We will continue to provide updates on Tipsy in the coming weeks!
Thank you for your support and kindness!
Beyond the typical heroics of our APA! clinic staff and the veterinarians that performed the lifesaving surgery, another hero emerged in Tipsy's story. In order for Tipsy to get the blood transfusion she needed during her surgery, one of our resident TLAC pups, Ackley was her hero. Ackley was the blood donor for Tipsy and gave the gift of life to another pup in need.
For Tipsy's surgery, Ackley was sedated for his blood donation and he provided a full unit of blood which is equivalent to 1/2 liter. The reason our vets chose Ackley over others as a blood donor is because he is a big, healthy boy who is heartworm negative. Ackley recovered quickly from the donation without any pain and was given canned food and lots of treats to compensate for his blood donation. If you are interested in adopting our resident hero dog - learn more about Ackley.
