Helen Woodward Animal Center Orphan Puppy Recovers from State-of-the-Art Heart Surgery and Seeks His Happily-Ever-After…
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (May 29, 2019) – Last month, thanks to media interest, San Diego residents fell in love with a Helen Woodward Animal Center sweetheart who had been prepping for an innovative and intricate surgery to repair a rare and high grade heart murmur. Cowboy, the orphan puppy who has stolen the hearts of everyone he meets, is recovering beautifully and is almost ready to ride off into the sunset with his new forever family. The amazing little survivor will be an honorary guest at next week’s Center Spring Fling Gala and will go available for adoption on Sunday, June 9th.
Orphan pup Cowboy was one of a litter who, along with their mother, was rescued from Central California and arrived at Helen Woodward Animal in mid-October last year. The family of terrier-blends were healthy and ready for adoption by late Fall except for Cowboy whose heart had such an irregular rhythm that the vet techs could feel a distinct and loud rumble simply by placing their hands upon his tiny chest.
Center veterinarians diagnosed Cowboy with an extremely rare and high grade heart murmur that threatened to shorten his life. They prescribed Cowboy a medication called Atenolol to help take pressure off his heart and placed the puppy in the loving care of one of Helen Woodward Animal Center’s most dedicated fosters, then scheduled him for a complex surgery to be performed by expert veterinary cardiologists at the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Center extension.
On May 7th, Cowboy underwent the procedure that involved placing a deflated balloon into his heart valve and inflating it to open up the stricture and ease the flow of blood, to lower the pressure in his heart. The balloon used in Cowboy’s procedure had to be specially made for a dog of his small size. Dr. Ovalho, a board certified cardiologist with UC Davis extension in Sorrento Valley, performed the surgery.
HELP FUND MEDICAL CASES LIKE COWBOY’S
“Cowboy’s valve was thicker and harder than expected, causing a few challenges,” explained Dr. Ovalho, “but overall the surgery went very well and Cowboy’s heart valve is expanding well and decreasing the stricture.”
The heartthrob of a pup is scheduled for a follow up with Dr. Ovalho in three months. Although he will need to stay on Atenolol for the rest of his life, he is expected to live out a happy and healthy normal lifespan with his new family.
“Cowboy’s recovery has been incredible,” stated his foster Karen Vold. “He has such a zest for life and you can see how happy he is to bounce and play without feel exhausted by it. It touches me that so many people put so much time, effort and care into one puppy. I can tell you that he is definitely worth it.”
The final piece to any orphan pet’s ultimate happiness is its placement in a forever home. To help Cowboy find the happy ending he deserves, Helen Woodward Animal Center will begin taking applications for Cowboy’s adoption, on Sunday, June 9th.
Helen Woodward Animal Center is seeking a family that wants to give Cowboy love for a lifetime and is willing to keep up his bi-weekly dose of Atenolol. As a thank you to the family who welcomes to this special puppy into their lives, Blue Buffalo is providing his adopters a year supply of pet food and Petco is gifting the adopters with a special “Welcome Home” package, filled with a variety of treats and toys.
For questions, please contact Helen Woodward Animal Center’s Adoption Department at 858-756-4117, ext. 1, or Adoptions@animalcenter.org.
Cowboy will be meeting and greeting Helen Woodward Animal Center Spring Fling Gala Guests on Saturday, June 8th. On Sunday, June 9th, Cowboy hopes to ride off into the sunset with a family to call his very own.