Exclusive:
Puppy Romeo is South East Dog Rescue’s ‘biggest fundraising challenge’ yet, as he has to raise £4,000 in just one week for urgent surgery to fix his ‘broken heart’ – without it, he will die
Image: Kymm White)
An adorable rescue pup with a hole in his heart is in desperate need of urgent surgery to save his life.
Romeo hasn’t even had a chance to find love or find his own family, and he already faces the great possibility of dying young.
Southeast Dog Rescue (SEDR) called it the charity’s ‘biggest fundraising challenge’ to date, as it needs to raise £4,000 in just one week to mend its ‘broken heart’.
Kymm White, founder of SEDR, knew it would be ‘extremely expensive and potentially heartbreaking’ to take the stray pup – but she refused to let him down like his previous owners.
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Image:
Kymm White)
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Image:
Kymm White)
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Kymm told the Mirror: “I had to spend some time thinking carefully about whether we could realistically take on another case on welfare, bringing us a huge vet bill when, like all the other rescues, we are already on our knees.
“But it was my heart rather than my head that made the decision. I just knew we had to try to help him and give him the best chance of survival.”
When stray pup Romeo was picked up from the street, vets feared his heart was beating extremely fast and hard in his chest.
Doctors suspected he had a serious heart condition known as persistent ductus arteriosus (PDA) – an opening between the two major blood vessels leading from the heart.
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Image:
Kymm White)
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Image:
Kymm White)
If left untreated, about half of dogs with PDA die of heart failure within the first year of life.
SEDR was approached to take in Romeo – and although he knew the surgery would be specialized and risky, Kymm couldn’t say no.
She referred Romeo to the Royal Vet College, where a cardiologist took a scan of his heart.
“Unfortunately the news is worse than we thought,” Kymm said. “Not only does he have PDA, but he also has aortic stenosis – one of the most common and serious heart valve problems.”
Aortic stenosis limits blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta and can also affect pressure in the left atrium.
Along with the PDA, this makes Romeo not only more critical, but also more at risk during surgery.
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Image:
Kymm White)
“But without surgery, he will die,” Kymm explained.
The dog charity is to raise around £4,000 for his operation – after the initial heart scan which cost £886 – to fix the hole in his heart.
Kymm hopes the kindness and generosity of strangers will save Romeo’s life.
She said: “He’s just a puppy, still with baby teeth. He’s happy and bouncy and has no idea how sick he is.
“He wants to run and play but gets tired very easily because of his condition.”
To donate to Romeo’s fundraiser, follow this website link to South East Dog Rescue for PayPal and bank transfer details.
Do you have a dog story for sale? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
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