Elsa was born in May 2022. She was purchased by a “breeder” from another “breeder”
for the sole purpose of producing puppies. In February 2023 she was taken for a routine
exam so she could be declared fit so that her owner could start breeding her. During the
exam, the veterinarian diagnosed a heart murmur. Her owner now considered her useless
and did not want to bother following up with a specialist. However, her owner did reach
out to a group in Kansas that helps dogs get to rescue to surrender her. This group
(Friends of Animals) reached out to us having worked with All About Paws in the past
knowing we will always help special needs dogs. We of course said yes, bring her to us.
We will absolutely help.
Elsa was transported to our rescue in St. Louis Missouri in early March. Not knowing the
exact extent of her heart issues, we immediately scheduled an appointment with a
cardiologist. During that appointment, Elsa was diagnosed with PDA (Patent Ductus
Arteriosus). This is a common congenital heart defect in dogs and basically means the
blood is not flowing how it should through the heart. For most dogs if this is not fixed it
can lead to cardiac heart failure- basically a death sentence. Elsa’s cardiologist felt
surgery needed to be performed soon so this can be avoided. She is currently on
Vetmedin until her scheduled surgery on April 10, 2023. Elsa has been an absolute
delight in her foster home and we believe she deserves the chance to live a full, happy,
and healthy life in a loving home.
After her surgery, Elsa will have several weeks of recovery and follow up before she can
be medically cleared and then we will need to finish our responsibility to her as a rescue
and have her spayed. Only then will we be able to start the search for her fur-ever home.
All About Paws is incredibly thankful to WestieMed for helping us help Elsa live her life
to the fullest.
All About Paws Rescue
St. Louis, Missouri
Update April 18, 2023:
Elsa’s surgery was delayed one week due to a sick doctor. Elsa arrived bright and early on April 17, 2023 at VSS for her rescheduled appointment with Dr. Marshall. We were notified several hours later that the surgery was a success. Elsa remained at VSS overnight for monitoring. Dr. Marshall informed All About Paws when we went to get her that Elsa was being a little naughty as she just wants to play play play. Of course we need to keep her calm and relaxed so she can heal. We are guessing foster mom is going to be jumping through hoops to make sure Elsa follows the rules. She will return to VSS in two week for suture removal.
Update May 13, 2023:
Elsa’s surgery and recovery were a complete success. Her surgeon gave the OK for her to have her spay surgery and the hunt for her fur-ever home began. Lots of folks were interested in Elsa and she got lots of wonderful applications. All About Paws received a fantastic application that checked all the boxes we wanted for Elsa and today she got her happily ever after. Elsa joins a family where she has two fantastic dads, Richard and Mike, and gets a Westie brother named Belin. Happy “Tails” Elsa. All About Paws sends their gratitude to WestieMed for helping us help Elsa.