We rescued Toto when he was about 1-2 years old, Toto is the best chihuahua you’ll ever know. He doesn’t fit the stereotype of a chihuahua, he’s calm, kind, gentle, super clingy and he’s the sweetest boy. He’s a favorite patient according to his doctors. Toto was healthy for all of his life, but on July of 2018 he developed a cough. We didn’t think much of it, but after about a week or so he was still coughing, which is when we decided to take him to a doctor. He was treated for kennel cough first and after that did nothing to his cough. We decided to go back to the doctor’s clinic. After performing x-rays we found his heart was so enlarged that it was pressing on his trachea and that was causing the cough. We were told there wasn’t much we could do and the doctor said that heart medications are bad, so she sent him home with no prescriptions (this was a different doctor not Dr. Dauguette).

What the doctor told us didn’t sound right to me at all, which is when my inner Sherlock Holmes kicked in. I spent hours researching and came to the conclusion that Toto needed to see a cardiologist ASAP. It turns out Dr. Culwell, his current cardiologist is the only board certified cardiologist in the area. I scheduled the earliest appointment they could give us. On August 30th, 2018 the scariest thing happened. Toto had a syncope episode in the middle of the night. He cried out and peed the bed and was not responsive. He was rushed to the ER where they were able to stabilize him with oxygen and he was prescribed Pimobendan (Vetmedin), and diuretics.

In September, 2019 Toto was finally seen by a cardiologist, this is when we got the devastating news and all the details of his heart condition. Toto was officially diagnosed with degenerative valve disease severely affecting his mitral valve, he had developed pulmonary hypertension. The hypertension in the lungs is what caused his syncope episode. We asked the one question no one wants to ask. How long does my dog have to live? “6 to 18 months is his prognosis” said Dr. Culwell. This was a very sad day for me, I cried so much at the doctor’s office. It was very surreal because no one ever thinks this could happen to their beloved pet. Toto was prescribed additional medications to help with his condition: Enalapril, Sildenafil (for his pulmonary hypertension), Spironolactone, Pimobendan, and Furosemide.

I never lost hope after hearing my dog was dying and I’m so glad I didn’t because I continued to do my research and that’s when I found the wonderful Mighty Hearts Project MVD Community. I joined late September 2018 and quietly followed many cases of dogs who had the surgery in the UK as well as Japan, some were successful and others were not, and it was based on that we made the decision to go to Japan to Dr. Uechi who is the person who pioneered mitral valve repair on dogs and has the highest success rates to date.

Toto’s surgery was successful, but he continues to have some issue on the right side of his heart (Tricuspid Valve) this is what’s preventing him from coming off the Pimobendan, but other than that he is doing fantastic and we’re so happy he’s still with us and hope he can live many many more happy years next to us.

Breed: Chihuahua Age: 9-10 Diagnosis: Stage C Surgery Date: April 30th, 2019 Hometown: Dallas, TX Owner: Karen Ardila Primary Vet: Dr. Dauguette, Crossroads Animal Clinic Arlington, TX Cardiologist: Dr. Nicole Culwell, Medvet Dallas Surgical Team: Dr. Masami Uechi & Team at, Jasmine Cardiovascular Medical Center