Tiny pup's heart surgery at Beacon VetCare emergency centre

Tiny Birdie was born with a major heart condition called Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), which meant her blood flow didn’t reach her lungs and body correctly and she had a very loud heart murmur.

Her owners took her to Beacon VetCare, a new independent veterinary emergency and referral centre in Cornwall, at Summercourt. There, veterinary cardiologist Ollie Garrod diagnosed the condition with doppler ultrasound scan.

PDA is an extremely rare developmental condition, normally treated by heart specialists up country with a special stent procedure. However, at half the size of a newborn baby, Birdie was just too small for this, and so open chest surgery was deemed to be her only chance of survival.

Chihuahua Birdie needed heart surgery at 11 weeks old (Image: Beacon VetCare)

Beacon’s head of surgery and director, Colin Whiting, had previous experience with the procedure, but never as described in such a tiny puppy.

Specialist equipment was sourced and surgery was scheduled for Thursday this week, when Birdie’s owner Karen Pyne and her daughter Tracey Griffiths brought the pup back to Beacon for her surgical admission.

Mrs Pyne said: “We were so nervous, but the greeting from the ladies on the reception desk and the nursing team was so kind and positive – everyone seemed to know about Birdie coming in for her big op, and they really helped take our worries away.”

The team at Beacon VetCare with Birdie (Image: Beacon VetCare)

The anaesthesia and surgery teams at Beacon prepared very carefully – during the procedure experienced nurses Kathy and Katie had to breathe for her, whilst managing tiny volumes of intravenous fluids, pain relief and other medications, and keeping her small body supported and warm.

Colin was assisted by surgeon Sarah and theatre nurse Jenny for the procedure, which was slow and meticulous. Fine threads of surgical silk were passed around the tiny extra blood vessel above the heart, with work happening in between artificial breaths expanding Birdie’s lungs for her.

However, the vet team said that once closed, her heart murmur immediately resolved and her heart pacing became clear.

A tiny chest drain was then inserted, her chest wall closed, and skin sutures placed before transfer to recovery and some happy – not to mention relieved – phone calls to her owner.

Birdie in surgery (Image: Beacon VetCare)

Colin said: ‘I’ve been an orthopaedic, spinal and soft-tissue referral surgeon for 25years now; I’ve performed many thousands of operations in that time, and of course all patients/owners are special in their own ways.

“But for sheer complexity, patient size and the sheer emotion of being confronted with a tiny puppy unable to grow and thrive as they should, Birdie will certainly rest long in our memory.

“Even mid-operation, it was still possible to feel a strong sense of tight companionship within our team.

“Everyone has been detouring to recovery ward, or popping into the practice from days off to visit Birdie and check how she’s progressing.

Beacon VetCare opened at Summercourt two months ago (Image: Beacon VetCare)

“Thursday evening we had another urgent spinal surgery referral case too and we saw the same faces still here, finding any excuse to give her Birdie a nuzzle or a feed.”

The team is now looking forward to her expected discharge today (Saturday), although Colin added: “We’re all very keen to see her back for her check-ups too; she’s a little star.”

Karen's daughter Tracey told the Packet: "We're so thrilled with what they did. It was unbelievable." 

She said Birdie was already a special puppy, as she had been bought for mum Karen when her husband, Tracey's dad, died.

"We're thrilled to bits she's still with us," added Tracey. 

Beacon VetCare launched last September in Newquay, with the Summercourt practice opening two months ago, offering community care as well as advanced referral and emergency care. It now employs just over 30 staff, with more arriving soon.