Doctor flies down from Germany to Mumbai to help with dog's open heart surgery

MUMBAI: A small-breed canine, pet to a family from Juhu, recently underwent an unusual surgery for a life-threatening heart condition.
A German doctor was flown in to help with a team of veterinarians, and they have given Waffle, a four-year-old Maltese breed, a new lease of life.

The congenital defect allowed free flow of blood between the two main vessels of the heart-aorta and pulmonary artery-which had to be stopped. "If not, the condition could have proved fatal," said Dr Deepti Deshpande, consulting veterinary cardiologist and anaesthesiologist.
The family was advised a non-invasive surgery in the UK, but Covid put a spanner in the works. In India, it would have to be an open-heart surgery, which had a poor success rate. That's when Desphande got in touch with cardiac surgeon Dr Matthias Frank, who has performed such surgeries abroad.
Waffle, a tiny ball of fur, had come as a surprise gift to Juhu resident Rani Raj Wankawalla, who self-admittedly was "petrified" of dogs. When she first held him, albeit reluctantly, she felt an "unusual sound and vibration" in her palms. When they took Waffle to the doctor, the vet confirmed the medical condition.
The congenital heart defect, called patent ductus arteriosus, had to be corrected. "If not, the condition could have proved fatal," said Dr Deepti Deshpande, consulting veterinary cardiologist and anaesthesiologist. "The operation is tricky and administering of anaesthesia is a huge challenge."
The family was told that the only way to correct it was to take the dog for a surgery to the UK, where a non-invasive operation would be done. "If done in India, it would have to be an open-heart surgery... So far, such surgeries have seen little success in India," Dr Deshpande said, adding that Waffle's family was ready to take him abroad, but the Covid pandemic put a spanner in the works.
In recent times, the pet showed all the classic symptoms - he refused to go down for walks, was easily fatigued. That's when Dr Desphande got in touch with Dr Matthias Frank.
In India, this congenital medical condition is rare, say veterinarians, but is not uncommon abroad. The life-saving surgery, called surgical ligation of 'patent ductus artereosis', was performed four weeks ago at Dr Makarand Chousalkar's clinic, Top Dog Pets Clinic, Andheri, which has a ventilator and is equipped with a proper surgical setup. First, a 2D Echo test was done on the ultrasound machine to get a close peek into the heart condition with expert surgical assistance from Dr Barry Kalsy. Dr Deshpande handled the critical anaesthesia.
Now, four weeks after surgery, Waffle is back to full energy at his Juhu home, said Dr Chousalkar, who was part of the surgery. Soon after the operation, Waffle was a tad subdued. But he's back to his usual mischief, said Wankawalla, adding, "The excited woofs and romps around the home... We're glad to see Waffle full of life again."