KayCee's Story

KayCee (Glenda while in rescue) was adopted a month ago to a wonderful home in New Mexico.  Problems soon developed and it was discovered that KayCee was suffering from a major right heart defect which is congenital. She has a
"significant" heart murmur that the new owner's vet noticed right away with her stethoscope and then upon xrays of her chest found her heart to be quite enlarged. In order to properly evaluate her situation the new owner had to have an ultrasound on her heart which was done this past Monday. KayCee has Pulmonary Stenosis (severe right heart thickening of the pulmonary valves). Her prognosis is poor, most likely heart failure to follow if surgery is not performed ASAP. What is even sadder is that this heart defects was passed on to all her pups she has given birth to. This dog should have never been bred for puppies, period - but tell that to a puppymill.  Please help KayCee get the help needed.  Westie Med has donated the funds to cover her surgery, but the owner still needs to get KayCee to Colorado State University.  We are hoping to raise approximately $800 to assist KayCee's new owner to get KayCee there and back home safely where she can spend the rest of her life as she should - loved and free from the nightmares of her past life in a puppymill! Thank you for any help you can give!

Sincerely,
Westie Rescue of Missouri

 

Update 11/14/03

Kaycee is staying in the hospital. I took her to the vets this morning and had to take her to a larger hospital so they could do an ultrasound on her heart. I had to take her there with an IV in her leg to keep the fluids going in her. The hospital Vet Dr is trying to get hold of Dr. Bright (Kaycee's surgeon in CO) because it is hard to tell what is happening with her. Her heart for some reason is enlarged more and she had very labored breathing and turning pale today. It isn't fluid around her heart as they first thought. It might be a blood clot that got loose but this is hard to tell. This was a thought by the other cardiologist specialist in Colorado that spoke to the Vet Dr here. They did another ultrasound on Kaycee today. In the meantime she has been put into an oxygenated cage to give her more oxygen. They did an EKG on her and that was normal. It is perplexing as to what is happening but if it is a blood clot then it could be bad. They are going to give her some low dose heparin injections for potential blood clots but they have to be very careful as it causes bleeding so they are being very cautious. Kaycee is stable for now. I have to go back to the hospital tonite to give them her medicine (Atenelol).

Today's visit: $700 + Additional estimate as high as $1000 for the next 24-48 hrs. Tomorrow will possibly be another $500. I wish I was still in Colorado. Private vets cost more than the hospital up there. That I am finding out.
I will certainly know more what is wrong by tomorrow when Dr.Bright gets in touch with the Dr here in ALbuquerque. She will most definetely want to know what is going on with Kaycee and have some ideas.
I thought Kaycee was over the hump but apparently not. It is almost 8pm here and I haven't gone home from work yet as I needed to catch up since I had to leave work this afternoon and tomorrow is my surgery.

Update 11/19/03

Kaycee came home tonight finally after 6 days in the hospital. She looks much better and is taking it very very easy. I have to keep her calm and not very active for awhile.
She is getting Heparin injections 3 times day for a few days along with taking Warfarin tablet (1/2 a day) and 1/2 baby aspirin per day along with her atenelol 2X day. Dr Bright said that until the area they did surgery on in the arteries (where they had to use 3 different size balloons) heals in about 3-4 weeks then bloodclots can develop. That is why she must be on the blood-thinning meds. And once a week, I believe, I will need to take her to my vet to have blood tests to determine her bleeding rate. So at least she is home, what an improvement. I was sitting on my lazyboy chair with my feet up (as I am supposed to be all the time) when my husband brought her home tonight and she sat on my lap for sometime. She seems pretty tired out and has been resting in her bed in a pen in the kitchen.  Her stitches from her heart surgery came out yesterday and that area looks so much better. Hematoma is gone.  My husband was shown how to give her the injections so he will do that for her (as I am recovering from foot surgery!). The hard part is keeping her from running around and keeping her separated from my other 2 dogs. I will let you know how Kaycee's doing little by little. But the doctors said she was doing very well so I am happy.
Regards,
Donna

Update 2/4/04

Happy New Year to all I thought you could use a current update on Kaycee in New Mexico. She is doing wonderful. She is extremely happy and active and you would never know this dog had heart surgery a few months ago. Although early last week she had me concerned by her breathing as it seemed a bit strained for a few days. I adjusted her blood thinner medication (the doctor had just increased her dose) so that it is now given 2 times a day instead of all at once in the morning. She hasn't had any problems since I made the change. Compared to when I first got Kaycee she use to have breathing problems that became so difficult for her. She was always panting as though she had just ran a race. Now she isn't breathing that way and I can see the difference the surgery has done for her. She is such a sweet, loving dog who has gotten sooo spoiled and loves the company of the other 2 dogs here at home. She enjoys sleeping on the bed with us at night and runs around the house like a maniac at times playing with my Cairn terrier. Kaycee goes to the vets for blood tests every other week for now, to monitor her bleeding rate since she is on blood thinners. She must take Wafarin (blood thinner) full tablet once a day as well as baby aspirin and atenelol for her blood pressure. Kaycee has made a marvelous adjustment to life here at home with us. Her house training is not quite 100% but she has made significant improvement. She occasionally pees submissively if you go to pick her up and she sometimes gets scared still. Other than that she has been very good in the house. She does have her normal routine in the morning and throughout the day along with the other dogs here. She has also become quite the watch dog along with the Cairn terrier. They make such a racket when someone comes to the door. It would be impossible for anyone to break into the house and no one would hear it! Well enough for now. Kaycee says hi and so do I.

Donna P.

 

A Very Sad Update, June 2004:

You can read KayCee's complete story at Westie Med: http://www.westiemed.com/stories/2003/kaycee/

This is not the kind of update I wanted to give all of you regarding Kaycee. Kaycee passed away sometime during the night of June 5th or Sunday morning June 6th. Unfortunately I will never know. We were returning from a weeklong trip to California and Kaycee was with our Cairn, Cosmo, at a boarding kennel at home. We stopped Saturday overnight in Phoenix before returning to Albuquerque on Sunday. I received a phone call from my sister-in-law that the kennel called her informing her about Kaycee at 6 a.m. Sunday and she immediately called me. Kaycee was doing wonderfully before we left for California, so I didn't have any hesitancy leaving. She had been well all this year with no health problems since her hospitalization last November, and I was so pleased with her recovery. So you can imagine how shocked I was to get this horrible news. There hasn't been a day that goes by that I don't constantly think about her and how sorry I am that I wasn't there with Kaycee. My Kaycee was an amazing Westie, and total love bug who had such a tremendous impact on my family and me for the short time we were together. She was only 2 1/2 yrs old and I felt she deserved more time to be with us in a happy place here but it wasn't meant to be. At least she got some quality time outside of the puppymill where she came from and left in September 2003. My Cosmo greatly misses her as well, and its obvious there is a void there. She will be greatly missed.

I want to thank WestieMed and all those who contribute to WestieMed for the amazing things they make happen with their love and generosity.

Kaycee's mom, Donna