Owned by Kayla and Michael Carnes

When Mushroom (Roo) the German Shepherd was only two months old, she was diagnosed with a very loud heart murmur, so severe the murmur could be felt from outside of the chest. She had just been adopted by her new family when she was brought to the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital. During her examination, the Cardiology team discovered a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), a persistent vessel connecting two major blood vessels leading from the heart. If a PDA is left untreated, the majority of dogs develop congestive heart failure by the time they are 12 months old.

“They told us there was a strong chance she would die if she wasn’t treated and taken care of,” Roo’s mom, Kayla, shared.

Roo’s new owners only had her for 11 days when she underwent a procedure to repair her heart defect. Using a minimally invasive technique, doctors at the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital successfully closed the PDA and repaired Roo’s heart.

“The team at UGA absolutely blew us away with their love and compassion for Roo,” said Kayla. “We had a really hard time leaving her, but the team at UGA truly treated her like she was their very own dog.”

Once home, Roo was confined to strict crate rest with no physical activity for 4 long weeks. This meant no running, playing, or jumping … all the things puppies love to do! After the month of rest was up, Roo was able to fully resume all her normal puppy activities thanks to the life-saving procedure performed by her care team at the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Today, Roo’s heart is back to normal, and she is on track to live a long and healthy life with her new family!