Liberty Anne Eaton
Pet Profiles 2023
Libby’s primary vet detected a heart murmur in April of 2022 at her checkup and recommended an echocardiogram at that time. I was hesitant to have the echo because Libby seemed perfectly happy and healthy for a 9 year old dog, though she had definitely begun to slow down and tire more easily, which I attributed simply to aging. Looking back, I deeply regret not getting the echo sooner. Libby began coughing frequently and developed increased respiratory rate by September, at which point I scheduled the echo and we discovered she was stage B MVD with mild heart enlargement.
She was prescribed Vetmedin and Furosemide, which helped significantly, and Dr. Eason sent me some information about the Mighty Hearts community. By January 2023 she began having frequent episodes of labored breathing, multiple trips to ER, frequently needing to increase the Furosemide dose. At this point, I reached out to to DWR and RVC to start the scheduling process. I was told by both facilities that I could expect a surgery date between June and August and began working with DWR to make that happen. My Libby’s disease began advancing very quickly, unfortunately.
By March, she had progressed to late stage C or possibly early D as the furosemide could not keep up and we had to introduce another diuretic. Libby began having frequent syncope episodes and I feared we may not make it to June for surgery. She could no longer walk even a few blocks with me.
On April 6, I got the call from Craig at DWR that they had a cancellation for April 18 surgery date and that Dr. Eason had kept them apprised of Libby’s severe disease advancement. It was a long shot to get everything in order to get us to London from Seattle, WA in time, but we all know what great lengths we are willing to go to for our babies. Craig and Poppy were absolutely wonderful from the moment we landed in London. Libby’s heart had enlarged significantly even between the two weeks from our last scan in the US to when we got to London.
Poppy made me aware of the increased risks but still made me feel very comfortable with proceeding. Surgery day was so heart wrenching and stressful, but it was the best moment getting the call from Dr. Poppy that she was waking up and all went well, and I should be able to visit her the next day. I received update calls twice a day and was able to visit once a day every day until I got to take her back to our temporary apartment home in Cambridge. Naturally, Libby was very tired for many days, but by about 10 days post surgery, she had more skip in her step than pre-surgery.
Every day since has been better and better. She does still have a mild murmur on the other side of her heart and developed some pulmonary hypertension post surgery which has improved consistently over time. As I write this, we are 6 months post op and waiting to find out if we can come off the Vetmedin, which is the only remaining med she is on. Libby is back to walking and hiking 2-3 miles at a time with mom. She basically has the same energy levels she had when she was 6 or 7, just maybe a smidge less endurance.
The Mighty Hearts Community, Dr. Poppy, and Craig are just incredible. Every extra moment they gave me with my Libby is a miracle, and worth every penny 10-fold! I cannot stress enough to get your fur babies checked up regularly, do not procrastinate an echo if a murmur is detected, and do start the scheduling process asap if you receive an MVD diagnosis and surgery is an option for you.
