Chuck is a 10 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel from Woburn, MA, right outside of Boston. Chuck was diagnosed when he was 6 years old with a heart murmur but did not require medication to control symptoms until the fall of 2016 when he began coughing frequently.
His X-Ray shows a very enlarged heart and is currently holding steady on medication at Stage C until his surgery date of May 23, 2017. We wish Chuck good health until his surgery date and a fast recovery! Updates on Chuck will be posted here.
Breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Age: 10 years old
Diagnosis: Stage C
Hometown: Woburn, MA
Owners: Holly and Mike Modafferi
Instagram: @Cav_King_Chuck
Cardiologist: Dr. Ivan Sosa, InTown Veterinary Group
Surgical Team: France, Drs. Masami Uechi, Sabine & Jean Hugues Bozon
Update from Chucks Mom Holly,
Sharing some happiness with this special group. Our Chuck turned 13 today. He had surgery with Dr Uechi in France in May of 2017. He is getting old, slowing down and dealing with some other non heart related health issues but he is a happy boy, loves his toys, his meals and still loves to swim at his favorite park. We will never regret our decision to risk taking him for surgery and enjoy every day with him. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Chuck update from his Mommy,
Today marks 3 years since this old warrior had mitral valve repair surgery. I’ll never forget walking around Versailles, scared out of our mind, waiting to find out if he made it. Then the first few scary days to see how his recovery went, followed by the immense relief that such a crazy gamble paid off. This guy had given us so many laughs, love, scares and attitude for over 13 years.
Some dogs are just so human it’s bizarre and he’s definitely in that category. He know what he wants and is crystal clear about letting you know and has nailed giving the stink eye when he doesn’t get it. When we took him to France three years ago to the only doctor on earth who could save him, it was just starting to become known as an option. Everyone thought we were crazy and at times we doubted ourselves. But clearly it was the right choice. Watching Chuck get old and struggle with old dog issues is hard, but I will never doubt we made the right decision.
He will be 14 this fall. He’s grouchy, he’s developed a non heart related neurological problem that has really slowed him down. But he is happy, still loves playing fetch, makes sure the whole household knows not to mess with his dinner and he farts when he coughs and looks around for who to blame it on. We don’t take any of the time the surgery afforded us for granted and will always be grateful to the doctors who saved him then and keep him going strong now. Masami Uechi Sjh Bozon Jh Bozon Iván Sosa Samper Thank you all for saving him for us! And a special thanks to Nate Estes for all of his help!