When Steve and Sally Williams took their eight-week-old miniature dachshund cross Jack Russell terrier to Chaseview Veterinary Clinic they were expecting a routine healthcheck and vaccination appointment.

However what happened next was anything but routine. Bisto was found to be small for his age and had a very loud continuous heart murmur. A heart murmur occurs when there is abnormal blood flow in the heart and without treatment Bisto would have gone into heart failure and died at a very young age.

The only treatment is surgery, which is normally carried out by a specialist cardiac surgeon, not in general practice, and vets in general practice would normally recommend referral. However, in this case referral was not an option. Bisto's prognosis was hopeless without surgery so Veterinary Surgeons Kate Kerry and Anna Martin decided, in consultation with the owners to attempt it. Kate and Anna were confident that they would not compromise the welfare of the puppy as without the operation he would die very soon.

Anna diagnosed the condition and assisted Kate who performed the surgery. This involved opening the chest and sealing an artery. The surgery is very delicate and extremely high risk as fatal bleeding can occur during surgery. At the same time nurses were on hand monitoring anaesthesia and also providing artificial ventilation for the puppy which has to be done when the chest is opened up.

The surgery proved to be a great success. The murmur stopped as soon as the ligatures were tied. Bisto's first response when he awoke from the anaesthetic was to wag his tail. His heart function has become normal and he is recovering very well. In the first three days after the operation he has already gained 250g in body weight.

He is behaving as if nothing has happened and is a very happy, waggy puppy.

Helen Bigmore, one of the veterinary nurses at Chaseview said:?"Bisto is a real success story.