Meet Alfie:



Alfie is a Golden Retriever puppy who is arriving in foster with me today. Alfie is in great need of help, as he is very sick with a rare and complicated heart defect.

Alfie urgently needs further treatment & surgery at Liverpool University, at a cost of £3000. This needs to happen in the next 4 weeks to give him any decent chance of survival.

More information on Alfie and full details of his condition can be found on his blog at www.alfiesheart.co.uk - this blog is updated daily if anyone wants to keep up to track with Alfie's progress, and includes details on how to donate or help in other ways.

Please have a look & a read, and if you can please please crosspost Alfie's Heart to other forums, your own websites, and forward to dog -loving friends.

Thank you
Em

I have cross-posted to Lab Forums for you.

Alfie has arrived and what a little sweetheart he is! He is gentle, affectionate and he loves people. He is getting along great with my three dogs, especially Bean.

Here are some photos taken tonight, he's a little soggy as it is raining buckets outside.









There are a few developments. Most importantly, we have had to book Alfie in for angiography via Liverpool Vet School on 22nd July. So we need £1000 by Monday 21st July when I will be taking Alfie to Liverpool - that's 9 days away. Our current total is £200, so we really need to spread Alfie's message. We will then ned to continue our efforts to raise the other £2000 as quickly as possible.

Thank you - every £1 really does help and will be publicly thanked on the site. Alfie's blog just updated with new pics, news and more thank you's for all his internet friends: www.alfiesheart.co.uk



Don't forget other ways you can help too:
http://alfiesheart.co.uk/?page_id=5
^ including codes to put the link on your own sites!

Alfie spent half a day at the groomers yesterday, being spoilt and pampered and well looked after. He was as good as gold and had fun, and now looks, feels and smells divine!





We are now looking forward but very anxious about our long long journey to Liverpool on Monday. I am extremely attached to Alfie now and love him dearly, it will be tough saying goodbye and leaving him there, and coming back home to Newcastle without him. We’re going to be driving for 8+ hours so it’ll be a long day for us both. He’s one tough cookie and I really hope he’ll be okay, thankfully his breeder and previous owner have done a great job socialising him and nothing fazes him, so at least he’s unlikely to be frightened much.

Good luck for Monday, Alfie and your doing a fantastic job, Emma xx

Good Luch Alfie.
Keep us posted Emma on Alfies progess.

I have some good news for you all.

Alfie's day went well yesterday. The angiography showed that the extra chamber in Alfie's heart was functional and taking blood in. The vets went ahead and put a hole in this chamber to connect it with the right atrium, and then used a balloon catheter to widen this connection. It was all done via catheters and instruments in his groin, so I am relieved he did not need to have open heart surgery. After the surgery was performed, blood appeared to flow around his heart "normally".

They made the decision to wake Alfie up after this without doing anything to the double chambered right atrium, as they felt that a) this is not causing a life threatening obstruction at the moment, and Alfie had been under anaesthetic long enough - 4 hours.

He recovered well and was returned to Liverpool Small Animal Hospital last night for hospitalisation. I cannot describe how grateful I am to these vets, particularly Dr Jo Dukes-McEwan and Mike Martin. Without their expertise, generosity and care this would not have been possible.

There are still a few risks - Alfie will need to stay on heart medication for the timebeing and will need to be closely monitored for complications. There is also the risk of renal failure caused by the angiography contrast, but he is being cared for well.

The best news is - I may be able to bring him home tomorrow!

(and we've raised the amount we need!)

Glad to hear the surgery went well - he looks like a gorgeous pup. Hope he continues to recover well,

Fantastic news Em. he couldn't be coming home to a better place.

That is fantastic news. Glad to hear that he is doing well and monies have been raised. Well done to you.

Alfie won a rosette at NESSR's show yesterday - BEST RESCUE DOG *beams proudly* Did anyone here see us?


(photo courtesy of Brian Young Photography)

He is doing REALLY well - and we're meeting up with local TV crew tomorrow!

We did! And I managed a quick fuss before my boys got too jealous.

Read today's blog update!
www.alfiesheart.co.uk

yep i seen him, and was one of the judges that did Best in show, he looks absolutely fantastic, and just a typical bouncy little pup now