SAVING SPICE To all our pet loving supporters and friends, we are hoping that you will help us to SAVE SPICE. Two weeks ago we rescued Spice (aka as Posh Spice) from Puerto Rico through All Sato Rescue. When our veterinarian examined her she was found to have an abnormal heart sound. So we immediately scheduled the first available EKG with a cardiologist and off she went.

The results are back and sadly Spice has a PDA – Patent Ductus Arteriosus, (PDA), the most common congenital heart defects in dogs.

Without treatment, 2/3 of affected puppies will die before reaching one year of age.

Spice is such a good girl. She doesn’t even know she has this condition… she’s an amazing soul. Big brown eyes, beautiful red and white fur and a two color nose that is beyond cute! She’s only about 3 months old and looks somewhat like a boxer/terrier/lab mix? She will cuddle on your lap and play with toys for hours. Spice deserves a LONG and happy, healthy life.

Saving Spice means a lot to us!
Coming all the way from Puerto Rico with her 3 siblings (all her siblings are healthy and had no issues AND THEY’VE ALL BEEN ADOPTED), where the cruelest fate is to be picked up by Animal Control or killed in the gas chambers are still used, SPICE has already beat the odds!

We have promised Spice that she wasn’t in jeopardy, and we are on a mission to save her. This fundraiser will pay for her surgery.

Time is important and we will schedule Spice to have the procedure done AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so she can have a better, well deserved quality life. Thankfully once Spice has this procedure it should take care of 100% of the problem and no further treatment will be needed although she might need to have a couple post-surgical rechecks to make sure she’s doing better…this one life saving heart surgery is the fastest way to save her life.

Our Shelter is very blessed and thankful to have a board certified surgeon at the Northboro VCA offer to do her surgery at a discount. Dr. Melissa Dudley is an AMAZING surgeon and has treated many of our special needs cases. She is a caring, compassionate veterinarian. We are priviledged to know her and our pets are very lucky to be treated by her. The staff at Northboro VCA has always been so wonderful to us. We KNOW Spice will be in excellent hands.

As of Friday, May 03, 2013, we are awaiting a surgery date and our fundraising is effective immediately. It will be on-going until we raise enough money to cover her surgery and anticipated follow up care.

Spice is currently being fostered by one of our amazing foster homes and she is living with 2 other dogs and cats too, so Spice is definitely being well socialized!

Once Spice recovers she will be looking for her FUREVER home, so if you are interested in adopting this amazing soul, who has already beat the odds in more ways than one… please stay tuned as we will be posting updates.

If you would like to help US save Spice, just click here to make a donation. In the comments section please send us a note that you are helping us SAVE SPICE. We will keep everyone posted on Spice’s progress over the days/weeks.

THANK YOU TO EVERYONE for taking the time to learn about Spice and to help US help save her life - Spice also says WOOF and thank you for helping me live the life I was meant to have…

There are several ways you can help us help Spice…

1. Donate through our secure online server by clicking here - in the NOTES/DEDICATION section please indicate SPICE’S HEART SURGERY FUND
2. Mail a donation to the shelter at:
   Animal Shelter Inc.
   C/O SPICE’s Heart Surgery
   17 Laurelwood Rd
   Sterling MA 01564
3. Call the shelter and donate using a Visa/MC or Discover for SPICE

From all of us at the shelter – and especially from Spice – THANK YOU TO EVERYONE for taking the time to learn about her and how you can help us save her life!

WHAT IS A DUCTUS ARTERIOSUS?
Everybody had a ductus arteriosus once when in the fetal. As a developing fetus, one depends on one’s umbilical circulation to supply oxygen. We still have a heart that pumps blood even in the fetal stage. The problem is that blood needs to bypass the non-functional lung and that is where the ductus arteriosus comes in.

The ductus arteriosus is a small channel connecting the pulmonary artery (which will one day carry blood to the lungs) and the aorta (which already carries blood to the rest of the body). Because the lung is developing, full of fluid, and generally not ready to do anything, blood vessels growing there have high resistance. In other words, it would take a lot of force from the heart to circulate blood there. Since there is a low resistance channel wide open, blood diverts there, by-passing the lungs, and circulating through the rest of the fetal body.

At birth, everything changes at the first breath. The lungs begin to exchange gases filling with air and the circulatory resistance drops. It then becomes easier for the blood to flow to the lung rather than through the ductus. The ductus closes within the first 3 days of life and is securely closed by day 7 to 10 of life. Blood now flows the way it is supposed to: from the right side of the heart to the lung to pick up oxygen then back to the left side of the heart to the body to deliver the oxygen.

In some cases, the ductus does not close. It remains open or “patent.” When the ductus stays open, blood from the aorta will want to flow, not to the body but to the low resistance ductus opening and into the pulmonary artery. This is called a left to right shunt and creates an assortment of problems. Read more.

Treatment for PDA involves surgical tying off of the ductus with a piece of suture or coil. If this can be accomplished, all the heart problems are reversible. FORTUNATELY, Spice is in this category and she can live a normal and healthy long life.

The 5th Annual Top Dog Photo Contest submission info and registration - get those photos submitted and your pooch might be the next TOP DOG – make sure you share with everyone you know whose got a TOP DOG!