By Robin Lyle
Journal & Press
Tracy Snell, of Greenwich, a volunteer with Our Best Friends Rescue, contacted us with a tale of close calls and miracles that center around an adorable labrador retriever puppy. A puppy that was about to be euthanized by his owners.
The puppy, Trapper, was suffering from a life-threatening medical condition known as PRAA. His esophagus was severely constricted, and he could not eat normally. PRAA refers to “persistent right aortic arch” in which the animal is born with the aorta wrapped tightly around the esophagus. This restriction makes it difficult to swallow food and often leads to vomiting and malnutrition. PRAA can cause further complications, such as pneumonia, if regurgitated food enters the dog’s airway.
A dog with PRAA can sometimes get the calories and nutrients it needs when fed small amounts very slowly from an upright position (like in a high chair). Unfortunately, this wasn’t a sufficient remedy in this case. When, despite their best efforts, Trapper became severely malnourished, the original owners decided that euthanasia would be kinder to the animal.
We contacted Snell to learn more about how Our Best Friends Rescue became aware of the situation and their efforts to help the puppy. This interview, conducted via email, is lightly edited for understanding.
Journal & Press: Tracy, tell us about your organization and how you first learned about Trapper?
Snell: I am a volunteer for Our Best Friends Rescue, which is headquartered on Long Island. We have several members in this region, especially in the Saratoga, Washington, Rensselaer, and Schenectady county area. Locally, OBFR regularly holds adoption events at places like the Tiashoke Farm Store and at Tractor Supply in the Greenwich area.
A friend of mine called us when her daughter, who works at a veterinary office [in Latham], brought home a chocolate labrador retriever puppy with a condition called “mega-esophagus.” The owners wanted to euthanize the puppy after the diagnosis, but my friend wanted to try to give him a chance. I asked her if he had PRAA. She forwarded me all his medical records, which confirmed this diagnosis.
Journal & Press: What led Our Best Friends Rescue (OBFR) to get involved?
Snell: Our rescue had a PRAA puppy seven years ago named Bridget. My amazing director, Pattie Lazarus, achieved a miracle with that pup. She was able to find a surgeon willing and a sponsor generous enough to support this surgery. She herself did the fostering. Bridget is still alive and well, and can be seen on Instagram @BridgetBonesDiary.
Journal & Press: Tell us about this puppy’s foster parent.
Snell: The prognosis for untreated PRAA in most cases is not good. The restriction on the esophagus by the blood vessels makes it difficult for food to even get to the stomach. So they must be fed very small amounts several times a day in an upright condition like a human baby, then kept there for at least 15 to 30 minutes after eating to minimize the chance of them vomiting the food back up. The dogs often regurgitate repeatedly, which can and does result in aspiration pneumonia, in which the food gets lodged in the lungs and can cause a fatal infection or worse.
I called my friend and frequent OBFR foster mom for the occasional labs that come through our rescue, and explained the situation. She is also a health care professional and knew exactly what care this pup would need. She said she’d foster him and drove straight over and picked him up. Her husband named him Trapper. Getting Trapper his new foster Mom was miracle #1.
Journal & Press: What procedures have been needed and how were they paid for?
Snell: Surgery to relieve the stricture caused by PRAA is possible, but it is very expensive, complicated and risky. It is open heart surgery, which means we need to find a veterinarian who can do the surgery…is willing to do the surgery…and can do it immediately. Veterinarians as a profession are already so overworked.
I explained to the foster Mom that the cost of the surgery, $4,000 to $8,000, combined with the urgency of having the operation soon, and the specialty of the necessary surgery would require additional miracles, just to give this pup a chance. We were very fortunate to get an anonymous donor for this initial big surgery. This was miracle #2.
When Trapper arrived at his foster home, he was dehydrated and malnourished. This was through no fault of his first family -- this is what PRAA does. So his new foster family drove him straight to the For Pets Sake Veterinary Hospital, that Saturday, for a day of IV hydration, anti-nausea meds and and many small feedings. This was to get him stabilized and ready for surgery. Many thanks to Dr. Kyra Haring and her staff at For Pets Sake for that care.
Then, I learned that OBFR’s amazing director got us a surgery appointment for the following Tuesday. This was miracle #3.
Journal & Press: Even with surgery lined up and paid for, Trapper was still not out of the woods. While his health was initially stabilized through the treatment he’d been given at For Pets Sake, each new day brought a further decline. As Snell tells it:
Snell: Even though he did okay that Saturday evening after the treatment, he had a tough Sunday with a lot of vomiting. His foster Mom began to fear that Tuesday might not come for him, that he might not survive until then. My director got involved again, and managed to get the appointment moved from Tuesday to Monday morning. Trapper was driven to Oceanside out on Long Island for the surgery – 187 miles from here. Another miracle… #4!
Journal & Press: What is the outlook for Trapper now?
Snell: Thankfully, the prognosis for “PRAA post-surgery dogs” is much better. So far, Trapper is thriving. He’s playing with the other dogs in the house and gaining weight…finally!
He needs four more surgical procedures called “balloon endoscopies” to stretch the area in his esophagus that was constricted so tightly before by the blood vessels. This will make it even easier for him to eat and keep his food down, and hopefully reduce vomiting episodes should they occur.
We head out again this week for the eight hour round trip for his first endoscopy. The follow-up balloon endoscopies will be $900 each, and he needs four. So we will be doing a lot of fundraising to hopefully cover those expenses. At this time, we are still seeking sponsorship for Trapper, and are planning some fundraising events in the future.
Update
Snell sent an update about her trip to Long Island with Trapper for the first of four balloon endoscopies he’ll need. The procedure will “stretch the esophagus where the veins had originally been essentially strangling it and to prevent scar tissue from reforming.” Tracy and the foster Mom left at 3:30 a.m. to drive the 4.5 hours to Oceanside. A delay at the vet’s resulted in a later return trip home than they expected. “Ultimately, we could not pick him back up until 7:00 p.m., and we had to stop to feed him on the way back. We finally arrived home well after midnight. So essentially it was a 21 hour day.” On this trip, they also picked up two more special needs dogs planning to “get acclimated, vaccinated, and provide some TLC while we look for their forever homes.”
We hear that “dog is man’s best friend”, but the saying could be reversed for Snell, Trapper and Our Best Friends Rescue.
More than just her time, Snell invests her heart in tending to homeless dogs and does not shy away from difficult cases. In the week since our last email, Snell took Trapper on another trip to Long Island for his second endoscopy.
Snell recommended this article for Journal readers wanting to learn more about PRAA: canine-megaesophagus.com/what-is-persistent-right-aortic-arch-praa.
Did you enjoy Trapper’s story?
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