Riggs Brown

Riggs was diagnosed at the age of 5 with the common early onset heart murmur seen in many cavaliers.  He was maintained on only Enalapril for 3 years and had echos done every 6 months.  He had slowly been having an increase in his heart size but nothing dramatic or that warranted further medication.  At the age of 8, Riggs started coughing and having increased respiratory rates. It took several attempts and different veterinarians and specialists to find the right medication combination at that time to help him because he was not responding to oral medications. It was discovered that due to his sensitive intestinal track and possible irritable bowel disease, he wasn't absorbing the oral diuretic called Furosemide. After a switch to injectable Furosemide, he became a new dog but still struggled with the need of frequent medication changes to keep him stable. Riggs was on a multitude of medications at overdose levels right before surgery and was eating an extremely low amount of food the month prior to surgery.  We don't believe he had much more time to live. We didn't have room to increase his medications so it was dire for him to have surgery at the time he did. 

Current Health:  Riggs went through surgery and recovery with flying colors.  He did not have ONE complication post op and is now doing incredible! He still has coughing most days but is off of many medications. He has too much energy and his mom has a hard time keeping him from running and jumping!  He is eating ravenously again like when he was younger too! His favorite things before heart failure are definitely back! We are beyond pleased with his surgery results.

Breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Age: 9
Diagnosis: Stage D
Surgery Date: March 12, 2018
Hometown: Rogers, Arkansas
Owner: Cory and Ashley Brown
Primary Vet: Leeth Harper, DVM, Village Pet Hospital
Cardiologist : Ryan Baumwart, DVM, DACVIM-Cardiology
Surgical Team: Dr. Masami Uechi & Team at, Jasmine Cardiovascular Medical Center