Melvin came to Lucky Dog with his three siblings from Florence, South Carolina. His cute blonde brothers and sister got adopted quickly, but, like many black lab puppies, Melvin was overlooked. His foster mom was fine with that -- Melvin is a special boy and she likes having him around.
However, Melvin seemed to have a problem. Every time he ate, he would throw up! His very smart foster mom slowed down his eating by putting the food in a cupcake pan. This seemed to help Melvin, but we thought a vet visit was warranted. So, we consulted with our vet Dr. Smith at Hayfield Animal Hospital who agreed that we should send him to see Dr. Dondi at Southpaws. And, we're glad we did.
It turns out that Melvin was not throwing up, but regurgitating. (An important difference). X-rays and a fluoroscopy revealed a problem with his esophagus caused by a Persistent Right Aortic Arch. In very simplified terms, Melvin didn't develop quite right in his mother's womb. As we understand it, puppy embryos go throug various stages of development. At one stage, the embryo has six loops or arches of blood vessels arising from the heart, very similar to the definitive gills seen in fish. As the embryo matures towards birth, these arches slowly disappear. Sometimes, however, there’s a mistake, and one of the arches sticks around. Although the arch usually does not affect blood flow to organs or compromise either the heart or blood pressure, it can partially or completely encircle the puppy's esphagus. This is what happened to poor little Melvin.
So, Melvin needs surgery to determine whether the arch is not involved in blood flow and whether it can be safely removed, thereby allowing his esophagus to operate normally. As you might expect, this is not an inexpensive surgery!!
Melvin needs your help to get this lifesaving surgery! Please consider donating today!
