Devo is a fun-loving, 11-year-old Whippet who lives with his mom Tiffany in Tampa, Florida.
During a routine appointment, Devo’s family veterinarian shared some concerning news with Tiffany:
Devo had a heart murmur.
“I wanted to get a second opinion, and my family vet encouraged me to do so,” said Tiffany. So, she scheduled a consultation with Dr. Alan Spier, a board-certified veterinary cardiologist at BluePearl Pet Hospital in Tampa.
“Devo was referred for an arrhythmia. It was our job to determine, ‘What is it? How bad is it? What do we need to do about it?’” said Dr. Spier.
To gather more information about Devo’s heart, Dr. Spier ordered a 24-hour holter monitor, which records heart rhythm and rate and reports the data.
Dr. Spier and his team outfitted Devo with his new monitor, adorned with the sweetest decoration.
“They drew a little heart on the wrap where the monitor was,” said Tiffany. “It was super cute.”
The heart was a fitting touch, because Devo quickly captured the hearts of the entire cardiology team.
“When we first saw Devo, I knew that he was loved by his owner. We wanted to show him that same love,” said Alexandra Putney, a certified veterinary technician on Devo’s care team.
After 24 hours of monitoring, Dr. Spier had the information needed to make a diagnosis.
“He certainly had enough arrhythmias for us to consider treatment,” said Dr. Spier. “After a conversation with Tiffany, we decided that maybe Devo didn’t need to be treated and that we would just periodically watch him and get him in for a recheck.”
Some heart arrhythmia cases are considered borderline where some owners elect to treat and others prefer to monitor. Tiffany decided this option was right for Devo’s quality of life and specific heart condition.
Having a diagnosis and a plan helped set Tiffany’s worries at ease.
“I feel like taking him to BluePearl and having him meet with the cardiologist made me feel less worried,” said Tiffany. “He has a really good chance to continue to have a good, comfortable, happy life. That was what I wanted. I know he’s 11 but I would like him to live to be 15.”
