Prayers Needed

[Murphy]

Just catching up.. I was happy to read the good news.

 

[TinaM]

wow this is so interesting. Not just dogs need second opinions -- humans too. I was curious if you had heard of a medication that can close the PDA without surgery. It is commonly used in preemie babies and allows them to avoid surgery. My daughter who just turned six was not a preemie so the medication was not an option for her. However we took her to a pediatric cardio who wanted to crack her chest at 4 months and said she would die of congestive heart failure without immediate surgery. We went for a second, third and fourth opinon as well. PDA's often resolve on their own by the time they are one year old Not sure about dogs. My daughter wound up having 2 coil occluders inserted when she was 2 years of age -- no congestive heart failure. She has been released from seeing a pediatric cardio and has no restrictions. On to lead a normal life. It is actually funny how much stamina she has. I think she will be a cross-country runner -- she loves to run and never gets tired. I am happy you got a second opinion and had a good result.

Tina

 

[Ginny]

Never read or was told about any medication to close a canine PDA. With pups, if the the vessel doesn't close in the first few days, the literature says it won't close. Without surgical intervention, 70% will die in the first year. There's usually symptoms such as coughing and exercise intolerance along with congestive heart failure.

 

[BluwaterNewfs]

I had a puppy with a PDA. I was never told of any medication either. The cardiologist told me that if they are closed by the time they are 9 weeks, they usually don't. He also told me the time we could wait to repair it depended on how bad it was. This puppy was had the coil occluder procedure at 4 1/2 months and has done fine since.

 

[dcamp2835]

Wow...just catching up on this now. So happy the procedure went well for baby Ameila.

 

[BoundlessNewfs]

I somehow missed this thread entirely. So glad to hear that surgery was successful for Amelia.

 

[Pipelineozzy]

The drug used to close a pda in human preemies is indomethacin. I was told about it by a pediatrician, but have never been able to find any reference for it in vet med.

http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab003481.html

 

[Ginny]

Thanks for the info. Cindy. Given the following, I'd opt for a surgical repair over either drug mentioned. More costly, but IMHO safer in the long run for a quick developing pup .

A patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) complicates the clinical course of preterm infants, increasing their risks of developing chronic lung disease (CLD), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Indomethacin is used as standard therapy to close a PDA, but is associated with reduced blood flow to the brain, kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. Ibuprofen, another cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, may be as effective as indomethacin, with fewer side effects.