Yuzu Tamaki

Yuzu was first diagnosed at 4½ years old with a very mild murmur June 2017. We caught it early with annual exams. No enlargement was observed, and her heart was still very strong. I was devastated it was early onset MVD, as that had a higher chance of progressing into heart failure much sooner. I did a lot of research about holistic approaches to delay the progression as much as possible. I added D-ribose, CoQ10, Omega 3, Vetri-Science Cardio Strength, Vetri-Science Cell Advance 880.

Fast forward 3 years, to June 2020. It was the first time her echocardiogram showed heart enlargement. I truly believe the supplements and raw diet kept the disease at bay for so long. Her echo 3 months prior to this appointment still showed no enlargement, but there was a sudden progression, most likely due to a ruptured chordae tendineae. She developed 3 jets, a prolapse and a mild tricuspid regurgitation. I was so glad I had Yuzu checked by a board-certified cardiologist every 3 months instead of the recommended 6 months. Yuzu was put on pimobendan for the first time. I contacted JASMINE at this point and although Yuzu was a possible candidate, we were suggested to wait another month to see if the medication would help shrink her heart a little bit.

1 month passed and Yuzu had another cardiologist appointment. The pimobendan did not help her heart decrease in size and JASMINE determined Yuzu will need surgery soon. She was stage B2 at this point and also developed a type of arrhythmia called premature atrial complexes. We were finally given the surgery date of March 2021.

Come February 2021, Covid-19 was still surging, and travel restrictions were in place. Japan was not letting any visitors in and unfortunately our surgery day got postponed to June 2021. Yuzu was coughing a lot more followed by gagging. Her heart kept getting bigger and we didn't know when she would go into heart failure. She was advanced B2, very close to C. Her heartbeat didn't sound like beats anymore, just a lot of whooshing and it was scary.

Around March 2021, we found out Japan started to issue special circumstance visas. I was lucky to be a child of a Japanese father, and with a lot of paperwork, I finally had my visa May of 2021.

June 2021, we were finally in Japan! We flew Delta and Yuzu as my emotional support animal (no longer allowed), she slept throughout the flight on my lap! She earned the Mile High Peepee Pad Club status as well 😂 Because of Covid, we had 2 weeks of mandatory quarantine in our accommodation with daily government app tracking and video calls. Yuzu on the other hand enjoyed every second of it because we were always together.

Our pre-op exam at JASMINE was our first day out of quarantine. Thorough exam was once again done on top of the complete exam done in the US. The echocardiogram confirmed how close she was to heart failure. It was a miracle we made it with dates being postponed and the hurdles in between.

June 21, surgery day was here. I kissed Yuzu on her cute little forehead and excitement and fear kicked in as JASMINE took her in to shave and prep for surgery. A few hours passed and received a call that surgery was successful without any complications and Yuzu was resting in ICU. I was dying to see her but was not able to see her until the next day.

Visitation the next day, Yuzu was still sleeping and was too weak to get up. I visited her every day and each day she looked much better. Her numbers steadily improved and on day 5 post-op, she was discharged. Echocardiogram showed minimal regurgitation and reduction in size within normal range! She was also off Pimobendan. She does not do well being apart from me, but JASMINE had the most wonderful care team that spoiled her to death!

The next week at home was difficult as Yuzu was feeling amazing. The hardest part was keeping her calm and keeping up with how well she was spoiled at JASMINE!

One week passed and we were at the post-op appointment. Echo showed a setback. Her inflammation numbers increased along with her regurgitation. Turned out she was moving too much but I was reassured, it will improve with stricter restrictions and adding pimobendan back to her routine. The plan was to stay on pimo for 3 months.

Another week passed and had our last post-op appointment before our flight home. Her numbers looked much better, and her regurgitation improved as well. We got cleared to fly on two days and were ecstatic.

Fast forward 3 months, Yuzu's follow-up appointment with her local cardiologist showed significant improvement. Her LA/Ao before surgery was 2.24, now it was 1.37. Her regurgitation decreased even more. We stuck with the plan to be on pimobendan for 3 months and now we were ready to try a full month off meds.

Her exam a month later (November, 2021) didn't give us good news. Her LA/Ao increased from 1.37 to 1.57 and her regurgitation slightly increased. JASMINE reviewed her records and concluded Yuzu needs pimobendan to help her little heart. Her activity level did increase as well after her 3-month recovery period and the sudden increase most likely added to it as a result.

It is now almost 7 months post-op as I write this, and Yuzu is still doing amazing! Yuzu celebrated her 9th birthday this January 17th! The pimobendan is truly a miracle drug that is keeping her heart the way we want it to be. She will have another exam in a month and we will be crossing our fingers for good news.

Thank you Mighty Hearts, everyone at the JASMINE clinic, and the whole Mighty Hearts MVD Community for helping us through this crazy journey. We are forever grateful!

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Breed: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Age at surgery: 8
Diagnosis: Stage B2
Surgery Date: June 21st, 2021
Hometown: Roseville, CA, United States
Owner: Rie Tamaki
Cardiologist: UC Davis, Dr Kaplan
Surgical Team: Dr. Masami Uechi & Team at,
Jasmine Cardiovascular Medical Center

Chloe Perry

Chloe Perry was 8.5 when she was diagnosed with a heart murmur by our local vet’s mobile echocardiogram machine, they determined she had mitral valve disease.  Our local vet said that a cardiology consult was unnecessary since the medical treatment is straight forward. Three weeks later I opted to get a cardiology consult with a well-known expert, Dr. George Kramer in Bohemia, Long Island, NY. Dr. Kramer informed me that Chloe’s heart was very large and verified she had MVD. Chloe also had severe pulmonary hypertension. He changed her medications accordingly. 

  On the second visit I asked him about the Mighty Hearts Project and Nate Estes. He said he was very familiar with the cause and had sent 17 dogs to Dr. Masami Uechi for mitral valve surgery in Japan. He said he would be totally supportive and help us get Chloe’s medical records reviewed by the JASMINE Clinic, I am glad I did.  I learned a ton of information from the Mighty Hearts MVD Community Facebook group.  I’m extremely grateful for the support I received from this group.

In February of 2021, Chloe’s condition rapidly deteriorated. She spent several days in Dr Kramer’s hospital with congestive heart failure. Although her pulmonary hypertension was under control the mitral valve disease worsened and her heart grew rapidly. Her LA:AO was 2.65 which is very large. Her trachea and bronchioles were getting crushed, and the coughing and panting were hard to manage. The Jasmine clinic gave us a surgery date of 7/6/21.

With a timeline in sight, Dr Kramer’s objective was to keep her stable to make it to Japan. He changed her diuretic to a stronger brand called Torsemide. After this change we had to carefully monitor her kidneys values.  With the assistance from the Mighty Hearts Project family, I was able to obtain a travel visa and maneuver through the newly established pandemic requirement rules for Japan.

The day came to finally travel to Japan. Dr. Kramer gave me emergency Lasix syringes and medication for the flight. Traveling solo to Japan and having to quarantine for 14 days wasn’t an easy task. My first text in Japan was from my wife and second from Dr Kramer requesting an update. He was very concerned that Chloe couldn’t hang on until surgery.

Dr. Sayaka Takeuchi was Chloe’s treating cardiologist in Japan. She was amazing and provided me daily updates while I was quarantined in my Airbnb apartment because of the Covid requirements. Dr. Takeuchi said that Chloe’s mitral valve was in extremely poor condition and her heart size may not shrink too much. Chloe had her surgery and remained in the hospital for 7 days and had the best cardiology care in the world.

Chloe was released from Jasmine, a few days later we had our final checkup before leaving Japan after spending 21 days in Japan.  After arriving back home we saw Dr. Kramer for her one-month post op visit. Dr. Kramer and his staff were so happy to see Chloe.  Dr. Kramer told me to discontinue several of her medications, Chloe’s regurgitation was mild, no more pulmonary hypertension and her LA:AO heart size was 1.4. The hardest part at home was keeping Chloe’s activity restricted for the 90 days of recovery. It is important after surgery to restrict activity as the heart heals. We see Dr. Kramer next month for a 3-month post op visit.

It’s a truly amazing experience that we took a dog to Japan in Stage D heart failure, panting, bluish tongue, at the end of her life and now she’s been given the gift of time. She is happy, frisky and like her old self again. We are extremely fortunate to have stumbled across the Mighty Hearts Project organization, to have consulted with Dr Kramer and are now able to share our journey!!! We hope many others will be able to receive this incredible medical care and successful outcome.

Brad & Chloe

Myself & Chloe with Dr. Kramer

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Breed: Cockapoo
Age: 10
Diagnosis: Stage D
Surgery Date: July 6th, 2021
Hometown: Long Island, New York, United States
Owner: Brad Perry
Cardiologist: Dr. George Kramer, Atlantic Coast Veterinary Specialist
Surgical Team: Dr. Masami Uechi & Team at, Jasmine Cardiovascular Medical Center

Snickers Kay

December 2019, I noticed our 11-year-old chihuahua was breathing very fast. I asked my fiancé James if this was normal, he quickly answered no. We immediately rushed Snickers to the nearest emergency veterinarian hospital. After multiple tests the doctor came and informed us that Snickers has mitral valve disease. My heart sank to the floor. I could not believe this was happening. She proceeded to tell us that his prognosis was approximately 8-10 months maximum to live. Unfortunately, I knew this fact all too well. You see, my first dog, Coco, also had this horrible disease and ultimately died from it.

James asked the doctor if there was anything or anyone that could help Snickers. We were desperate and willing to do anything to save him. She mentioned a doctor in Japan, but said it was very expensive and does not know anyone who ever followed through with it. As we left Snickers in the ER the tears streamed down my face. James looked at me and told me “I promise I’m going to save him.” I wanted to believe him, but I did not know how he was going to make that happen. That evening, when we got home, James searched google for hours. That is when he came across Mighty Hearts Project. We joined the Facebook MVD Community group and then received a call from a gentleman by the name of Nate Estes. Nate shared with us his personal experiences with Might Hearts. In that moment, I finally felt a huge sigh of relief, finally a glimmer of hope.

After Snickers came home, we took him to a to local veterinary cardiologist who recommended we take him off furosemide. Shortly after, Snickers quickly went into his second heart failure episode. As we sat waiting and praying that Snickers would stabilize, James did what he does best, more research. The more posts we read, the more we kept seeing the name Dr. Simon Swift in Gainesville, FL. This seemed to be where he was practicing, only a 4-hour drive from our home. On Christmas Day, we emailed Dr. Swift begging him for help because he could be Snickers last resort. Dr. Swift responded requesting us to bring him in to assess him. We waited until Snickers was once again discharged and drove to meet Dr. Swift, the man who would save his life.

I could write a novel about Dr. Swift...his demeanor, his presence, his empathy, his knowledge. Dr. Swift saved Snickers. I know what you’re thinking, Dr. Uechi saved Snickers, and he did. But Snickers would not have made it to Japan without Dr. Swift. The importance of a GREAT cardiologist was so evident. We went every 2 months to go see Dr. Swift for over a year. February 2020, we scheduled a call with Dr. Brockman and scheduled Snickers for surgery on May 28th. We were over the moon; we were going to save our baby. One week after our call we got the email the RVC was suspending their heart surgery program due to staffing. We were once again crushed but hopefully this would be temporary.

Snickers 3rd heart failure episode happened on July 4th, 2020. This one was bad. Snickers was coughing up blood and they called us to come say our goodbyes. I begged the young doctor not to give up. I told him Snickers was going to have heart surgery and to do whatever he had to stabilize him. That’s where Dr. Tucker comes in. Dr. Tucker had been an emergency room veterinarian for over 20 years. When she heard the young doctor calling us to say there was nothing more that could be done, she took over. Dr. Tucker told us that this will be a slow process, but she believed we could get Snickers out of heart failure. Four days later, she did. At this time, we knew we could not continue to wait for RVC and started the 180-day Japanese quarantine. Only problem was we were in the middle of a pandemic. Japan was only allowing Japanese nationals. Snickers 4th heart failure episode happened when we tried to control his coughing. He was waking up in the middle of the night coughing and gasping for air. Our hearts broke knowing he wasn’t comfortable. He was prescribed prednisone by another doctor and immediately went into heart failure.

By this time we knew this pandemic was here to stay and we needed to think outside of the box if we were going to save Snickers. James joined a group on Facebook called ‘Return to Japan’ and messaged over 100 Japanese nationals asking if they would take Snickers from the states to Japan for three weeks. I’ll be honest, I think most people thought he was a crazy person. A man offering to pay for your flight, hotel, and compensation for taking his chihuahua to Japan for a lifesaving surgery? Hmm....I think I’ll pass. Enter Haruno. Haruno was a member of the group and had responded to another person’s question about the restrictions. James sent her a private message explaining our situation and she responded that she had a sister that lived in NY who was a Japanese national. She said she would speak to her sister and get back to us. Three days passed and James sent a message asking if she wanted any documentation to prove this was a legitimate trip. She asked us for email correspondence with Jasmine clinic. After she saw emails dating back to December 2019 she agreed on a zoom call with her, her sister Kotono, James and myself. After speaking for 10 minutes and explaining everything we asked Kotono to think about it and get back to us. The next morning, she agreed to take the lifesaving trip with Snickers from NYC to Japan.

The next 150 days was a series of what can go wrong will go wrong. From the wrong forms being submitted to Japanese Quarantine to having to sedate Snickers most of the day in order to preserve his health. We flew to NYC to meet a total stranger who was going to take our Snickers on a 14-hour flight to another country. We were terrified saying goodbye at the airport knowing this could be the last time we see Snickers alive. The difficult path continued to the last day when Japan announced that anyone flying from the states would need to take a 72-hour PCR test prior to getting on the flight. This news wouldn’t have been a big deal if it wasn’t announced as we were at the airport sending Snickers and Kotono off. We received a panicked call from Izu telling us that Kotono would be taken from the airport to a government hotel and separated from Snickers.

Oh no! Snickers would never survive this! But, by the grace of God with every roadblock was a path to success and Florida did not have this restriction go into effect until 3 days after the announcement, we were safe. Snickers had surgery at Jasmine Clinic on January 12th, 2021, with Dr. Uechi. We received the call from Sayaka that surgery went well, and Snickers was stable, thank God! Fast forward five months...Snickers murmur went from a grade 6 to grade 3, his heart shrunk to pre-disease size, his respiration is 12 bpm, and most importantly he gets to enjoy sprinting without coughing when he sees a squirrel he wants to chase.

If you told me back in December 2019 that we would find a stranger to take our chihuahua from the states to Japan for a lifesaving surgery in the middle of a pandemic. I would never have believed you. But none of this would have been possible without Nate, Dr. Swift, and Dr. Uechi. This experience showed me that miracles can happen and there is truly good in the world. Never give up, the path isn’t easy...it’s full of roadblocks. But the end result, man the end result is so beautiful I couldn’t even put it into words.

Lots of love from the Kay family.

A beautiful video of Snickers seeing mom and dad back in the US after surgery.

Breed: Chihuahua Age: 12 Diagnosis: Stage D Surgery Date: January 12th, 2021 Hometown: Boynton Beach, Florida, United States Owner: Jennifer and James Kay Primary Vet: Dr. Michele Tucker, VCA Cardiologist: Dr. Simon Swift
Surgical Team: Dr. Masami Uechi & Team at, Jasmine Cardiovascular Medical Center

Dumpling Yean

It all started when Dumpling, just turned ten years old. He was due for a full annual exam, I noted that he had a cough. My vet noticed a heart murmur that was never detected before (when we were living abroad in France), she referred me to the cardiologist for further diagnostics. July of 2019 Dumpling was sadly diagnosed with mitral valve heart disease. It was determined he was at stage B2. His left side of his heart was visibly enlarged. Immediately he had to start taking two different kinds of medicines, Vetmedin to keep his heart pumping more effectively, and Hydrocodone to help suppress his cough.

I discovered a group by the name of Mighty Hearts Project on Instagram where I learned of the cardiac surgery group in Japan led by Dr. Masami Uechi (Jasmine) where they have shown successful outcomes (>90% success rates) in dogs undergoing mitral valve repair for degenerative mitral valve disease. The surgery is a complete valve repair!

Immediately I began the preparations for Dumpling to get on the surgery waitlist, since this is a highly specialized surgery and only a few teams in the world perform it, all based off Dr. Uechi’s technique. Dumpling was deemed too early the first time we tried looking into surgery back in September of 2019, we were told to try again after another six months had passed by doing another echocardiogram. In the meantime, we started his 180-day quarantine to get into Japan.

April 2020, we did another echocardiogram and submitted the results to Dr. Takeuchi in Japan. This time, she said his heart has degenerated to a point where he was eligible for surgery. Unfortunately, she was right and on July 3rd Dumpling had his first check-in to the emergency room, due to congestive heart failure - his heart condition had slipped into stage C quickly! Time was of the essence. We had to get to Japan for his life-saving surgery right away.

Jasmine’s first opening was in the fall of 2020. We scheduled surgery around Thanksgiving/December of 2020, the first appointment we could get. In the meantime, the entire world was dealing with the Covid-19 Pandemic and travel bans, but I did not lose hope and thought things would open up for us.

In September the Japan Animal Quarantine Office granted him clearance to come into Tokyo after I submitted his Rabies Titer information after completing the 180-day waiting process. This was one hurdle completed but I was still not granted the temporary visa to get into the country yet. I went to the Japanese Consulate and submitting many documents for the visa, and it was denied in September, (they did not even want to submit it formally as it would mean I was banned from Japan for six months if rejected formally), as I am American and not a Japanese national. The rejection was a crushing blow and super stressful, we did not give up. I went back in the middle of October to apply again for a medical or tourist visa, unfortunately I was denied the visa and asked to retract my application again, cases of Covid-19 were too high and they couldn’t risk letting in any foreigners now. Of course, this blow was heartbreaking.

Due to the lack of a visa I had to reschedule Dumpling’s surgery from the week of Thanksgiving to January. For the next two months I checked with the Japanese Consulate with hope and diligence that they would accept my application and grant me the visa. I also had my Japanese friend call the Tokyo Visa office, and we tag teamed both of them from the USA and Japan offices to try to get them to accept my application, they finally did and granted me my visa in the final hour, week of Christmas! At the same time, I had to deal with the new legislation that took away the rights for ESA animals to travel in the cabin. Through much discussion and help with the great team at ANA, they decided to honor my original ESA pet in-cabin booking as it was made before the U.S. law took effect in January. Again, crisis averted. We did have a slight wait but no problems getting Dumpling’s forms for export with the USDA office.

On January 4th we were on our way to Japan. Upon check-in at LAX, the airline told me that my visa was no longer valid as new restrictions were placed on tourists due to the two new strains of COVID-19. I pleaded my case and after calling Japan she agreed to let us board on the condition that I sign a contract to see if I was denied entry to Japan and had to turn back, I would be responsible for all charges. When we landed that is when the nightmare began. Unexpected hurdle number two, apparently while I was in-flight Japan issued a new law that placed California on a new red list. The officer explained it was mandatory that I had to stay at a government hotel to self-quarantine, no exceptions, and pets were not allowed. No matter how much I tried to reason and plead it was no use this time...I was so sad realizing Dumpling and I had to be apart for two crucial weeks of pre and post surgery.

I had to pivot and quickly book Dumpling to be boarded at a friend’s vet in Tokyo and arrange him to be driven there alone with the Pet Taxi service, I was not allowed to go into Tokyo with him. The customs officers escorted me to my bus to go to the quarantine hotel after we separated at baggage claim. I was very sad and scared for Dumpling to be apart from me after such a long flight.

On January 7th I took Dumpling's pre-operative appointment via video from my quarantine hotel. Since we were apart, I had to make sure I was communicating with everyone on the ground (his pet taxi driver, his local vet boarding, and Jasmine) remotely. Mr. Izu, Dumpling's Pet Taxi driver kindly took a picture of the Jasmine building for me, and it is quite impressive, it’s a huge animal hospital! I met with Dr. Takeuchi over ZOOM and was so happy to see my little boy in the frame doing well. I took a little screenshot of Big D in the carrier, and he seemed content, he was grooming and burrowing in the blanket. Dumpling was tested for his blood work and overall heart check with x-rays and echocardiograms. He was cleared for his surgery in 5 days.

By January 10th the Japanese authorities surprised me by letting me out of the Quarantine hotel early, as I tested negative three times in a row. I had to sign an honor contract that let them track my whereabouts in Japan and had to report my temperature on a government APP daily for the rest of my two-week quarantine period, but was free to go to my AirBNB. I was thrilled to leave and was able to spend the 11th with Dumpling, a full day before his surgery. Last night I had Dumpling sleep with me and I cuddled with him, prayed, gave him a lot of soothing kisses and pep talks. He knew something big was coming up!

January 12th was his Heart Surgery Day. It was a hopeful, grateful, and nerve-wracking day. Mr. Izu picked up Dumpling at 6 am to take him on his solo ride to Jasmine (I was still in quarantine and was not allowed to go). He was so nice to help us take a picture together, as well as gave me a gift - a small calendar that had chihuahuas on it, just so kind! My heart hurt when I saw them drive off without me. Jasmine and I had a pre-surgery zoom where I met Dr. Uechi. We had a translated conversation together where he told me that Dumpling looked good for surgery. I thanked him and wished him good luck on the surgery.

After his 5 hour long surgery, I received communication from Jasmine. I was so anxious. He finished surgery and was now in the ICU. The surgery went well without any major complications. Bleeding was as expected for a cardiac surgery. Dumpling’s heart had 2 to 3 major chords that were broken and the rest were stretched. Today he has 7 new chords placed with goretex sutures. The goal of the new chords are to allow the leaflets to close better to reduce the regurgitation volume. It’s a miracle, a 1.5 year journey to get this done. I believe in science and the power it has to heal and save lives. I am beyond grateful for this blessing.

I was not allowed to see him during his week in ICU for recovery post surgery. The first three days were crucial to his recovery. Jasmine updated me a few times each day. He had anemia, low blood platelet count, and typical bruising. They tried to keep his inflammation down and stop blood clots from forming. I was also shocked to learn he had a partial seizure on the 15th. On the bright side he still had a hearty appetite and was strong enough to walk outside. Within that week his vitals all improved. The 19th was the big day. Time for Dumpling’s discharge from the Jasmine clinic and into my home (Air BNB) care. It was my first time seeing him post-surgery.

It was also the day that I was officially off the 14 day quarantine with the Japanese government. Seeing Jasmine in person was a wonderful moment - the crescendo of 1.5 years of hope and work towards Dumpling’s journey. It is brand new, big, and clean - a totally impressive new place where they do life saving work for dogs. The lobby was spacious and Covid-friendly. There were a few local Japanese patients, all little fur babies waiting patiently inside their carriers. Exactly as scheduled, Dr. Takeuchi opened the patient room door to welcome me. Dumpling was there and so shocked to see me. We had an amazing reunion where my little guy showered me with tons of kisses. He looked visibly tired and a little skinnier but all in all so good. He was ready to go home.

Her directions to me were clear, limited exercise and activity for the next three months. Feed him nutritious food (his appetite was hearty), and watch out for his heart and breathing. His vitals were improving and he was going to the bathroom regularly. He is down to one medication a day (blood thinner) instead of four. He had huge stitches and lots of deep colored bruises, but Sayaka told me it did not cause him pain. All good signs.

We did one last echo before his discharge and did not yet see his heart shrinking, she explained this process fluctuates in the next three months after surgery as his heart hopefully learns to be small again. Sayaka explained some dogs hearts never get small again, it depends on the muscle’s response and tissue reactivity. Because this was a repair, and not a replacement, the regurgitation will always be there a tiny bit. The heart will still continue to age, there are still the aortic and tricuspid valves that can leak, even if we repaired the main one, the mitral valve. We have added more years to Dumpling’s life and hopefully we won’t have to worry about the mitral valve ever again.

Friday January 23rd Dumpling had his last appointment at Jasmine. Dr. Takeuchi was able to remove the stitches that were on his neck and chest, his skin had healed nicely. Two thirds of his dark red bruising healed. She also did his bloodwork and another echocardiogram. Good news is that his anemia improved and his platelet counts were up. Bad news is that his heart size has not decreased yet, and she says it is because he is moving too much. Dumpling made a point to say hi to everyone in the staff, I think he knew he was thanking them and saying goodbye. So thankful for this incredible team at Jasmine Animal Hospital and Dr. Uechi and Dr. Takeuchi. They are such experts and so caring. Once I got their blessings and strict instructions (3 month recovery), we gave our kind goodbyes and I hope we never have to come back in Dumpling’s lifetime. Izu from the Pet Taxi drove us to the airport the very next day and we had a nice, uneventful flight on ANA back to Los Angeles, the crew was so nice to us. Our Japan journey was officially over and a success.

It is with gratitude and love that I can say Dumpling has recovered well from his surgery at Jasmine and is flourishing. His 12th birthday was spent on the beach in March. As we approach month five post-op, he had the green light from Jasmine and my cardiologist Dr. Emily Chapel to do 20 minute walks again and his heart has shrunk back down to the size of the beginning size of B2, which is quite significant for a brave boy his advanced age. He still has his coughing due to his collapsed trachea condition, (common in small dogs) but the coughs sound different than before the surgery, where it was due to his heart disease. He takes Vetmedin twice a day now to keep his heart pumping optimized, but no longer needs any other meds like Furosemide or Enalapril. He now has a bit of separation anxiety and is way more loving and close to me than before. I give him extra cuddles and kisses everyday, I am so thankful and really enjoy each day that is bestowed upon us. It’s such a gift from the amazing mitral valve surgery by the amazing Dr. Uechi, Dr. Takeuchi, and the wonderful team at Jasmine.

Dumpling and I LOVE you all and THANK you for supporting his surgical journey. He will forever have a place in his heart for you all and Japan in his little mighty heart.

If you have any questions about the surgery, Japan recommendations or need any support whatsoever please feel free to reach out to me on Facebook and IG.

Dr. Sayaka Takeuchi with Eva & Dumpling

Breed: Chihuahua Age: 11 Diagnosis: Stage C Surgery Date: January 12th, 2021 Hometown: Los Angeles, CA, United States Owner: Eva Yean Primary Vet: Dr. Jeff Werber Cardiologist: Dr. Emily Chapel, Access Specialty Animal Hospitals Surgical Team: Dr. Masami Uechi & Team at, Jasmine Cardiovascular Medical Center