Here's how Sowerby Bridge vets saved the life of Buddy the puppy

Little Buddy weighed less than a bag of sugar when his new owners Anne and her husband Simon first rescued him.
Head Vet Myles Holdsworth with BuddyHead Vet Myles Holdsworth with Buddy
Head Vet Myles Holdsworth with Buddy

He was behind his litter mates in size but made up for this in character and cuteness. Unfortunately an initial examination showed that he had been given a poor start in life.

Anne and Simon took Buddy to The Friendly Animal Clinic in Sowerby Bridge where he had a routine examination that all puppies and kittens have when they are taken to the vet.

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Read: Here's why shoppers in Brighouse will be able to park for free this ChristmasSadly, they found a loud heart murmur in the little pup, probably something he was born with, and advised Anne and Simon that Buddy may have a significant problem and that we would need to keep a close eye on him.

Myles and Cheryl Holdsworth performing the surgeryMyles and Cheryl Holdsworth performing the surgery
Myles and Cheryl Holdsworth performing the surgery

Over the next few weeks Buddy grew well and was bright and cheeky but as the clinic monitored the problem they discovered they were dealing with a PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus).

The Ducts Arteriosus is a normal and vital blood vessel by the heart allowing blood to carry oxygen from the mother's placenta around the body while skipping out the lungs as they are not being used yet.

However it should close at birth and in rare cases it doesn't and can remain open, which now means that far more blood goes in to the lungs circulation than should do and starts to cause heart overload and a loud murmur. The situation is always progressive and leads to heart failure, usually before in the first year unless it is corrected.

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Read: Young people are most at risk in a flood warning, Mytholmroyd case study revealsMary Roderick at The Friendly Animal Clinic said: "We discussed Buddy's situation with Anne and Simon in detail and the options available.

"We all knew Buddy needed surgery if he was gong to have a chance in life and it had to be sooner rather than later, before the heart became too damaged.

"A major and brave decision was to be made, and Anne and Simon decided that referral to a heart specialist was not something they could do, So at “The Friendly Animal Clinic” we decided that with the facilities we have and the staff we could offer open heart surgery to give Buddy a chance."

Head Vet Myles Holdsworth has undertaken training in this area, and knew that with the risks being assessed carefully he could undertake the surgery.

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Buddy was kept in for a couple of days before the procedure to help his heart perform better and let him fell comfortable.

Myles and Cheryl Holdsworth assisted by their qualified veterinary nurses performed the procedure which involved opening the chest, identifying the PDA and carefully freeing it up so that the sutures can be passed around to close it.

Read: Here is the winning Charity Christmas Carol from former Calderdale studentThe problems are that all this time the chest needs help to breath so ventilation had to be carried out manually by the anaesthetic nurse, which is a difficult job

The PDA is very delicate so a wrong move can cause bleeding that may deteriorate very quickly and be very difficult to stop.

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When they secured the sutures and closed his PDA successfully, his murmur disappeared straight away and Myles could soon make the phone call he wanted to make to the very anxious Anne and Simon.

Myles stayed up all night to monitor Buddy's recovery from the major surgery, and as the next day progressed it became clear Buddy was gong to make it just fine, he was dancing about and asking for food by tea time

Mary said: "All in all everyone at the Friendly Animal Clinic were delighted with the outcome and we are thrilled that we could give Buddy his chance in life, and give Anne and Simon a puppy we are sure they will spoil from now on."