Panda was in heart failure secondary to fluid accumulation within the sac around the heart. The squeeze of this fluid on the heart prevented the heart from filling properly and from pumping blood efficiently. This had led to the accumulation of fluid elsewhere in the body, including within the abdomen.
At West Midlands Veterinary Referrals, we removed the sac from around the heart so that the heart was no longer being squeezed.
Panda did very well after surgery with us at her owners chose to remove her from our premises on the evening of surgery just after a chest drain had been removed. Unfortunately, they refused to ever bring her back for a check up, but we understand that she did very well post-op.
As is often the case, this condition had arisen from a tumour within in the pericardial sac, so the long-term future is only cautiously optimistic.
9th October 2018
