Page 6 - Paws and Hooves - Autumn 2025

A second CELEBRATING

20 years of

chance life-saving care

See the back cover to learn how
your support has helped shape two
decades of the Cardiothoracic Service –
for Theia from specialist equipment to training
the next generation of veterinarians.

This year marks a fantastic milestone for the RVC Veterinary investigations revealed an atrioventricular septal
Cardiothoracic Service – providing twenty years of defect (AVSD), a rare and serious congenital condition.
pioneering open-heart surgery in dogs. Over the This meant there were holes between the atrial and
past two decades, the team has built a reputation as ventricular chambers of Theia’s heart, along with a defect
one of the leading centres in the world for advanced in her mitral heart valve, making it much harder for her
cardiothoracic care. Their work has helped many heart to pump blood around her body.
dogs live longer, healthier lives.
Her condition would have significantly limited her quality
One such patient is Theia, a young Australian shepherd of life and shortened her lifespan, but thanks to the RVC’s
cross husky, whose story showcases just how far canine cardiothoracic expertise, there was hope. Theia’s owner,
heart surgery has come. Julie-Eve, travelled all the way from France to the UK so
that Theia could receive the specialist care that only a few
Theia had always been full of life, a joyful, energetic
dog who loved to run, but at around the age of eighteen veterinary centres in the world can offer.
months, her owner noticed a change. Theia became The recommended treatment was open-heart surgery to
reluctant to run and started to slow down, a behaviour that repair the mitral valve and close the atrioventricular septal
was out of character for a husky mix. defects. This was a complex operation, that required a
cardiopulmonary bypass machine, a specialist piece of
Theia equipment which temporarily takes over the work of the
heart and lungs during surgery. This life-saving equipment
was a crucial part of the procedure – and was able to be
purchased thanks to your support.
Theia spent ten days in the RVC Small Animal Referrals
Hospital before returning home. Her recovery was carefully
managed over several months, with restricted exercise and
plenty of toys and games her owner created to keep her
mentally stimulated.
Today she’s back to her old self, running with her dog
friends and enjoying life with her family. Her quality of life
has dramatically improved, and her future now looks bright.

Julie-Eve, Theia’s owner:
Without the RVC, and

without the people who
donated, I could never

have given her this chance.
You didn’t just save her life

– you saved mine too.

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