Three much loved family pets are still living full and active lives with their owners thanks to the ground breaking work carried out by Vet Kate Kerry at Chase View Vets in Ross-on-Wye.

A nine-week-old Springer Spaniel puppy called Starsky is the most recent of the trio to be operated on at his own vets. He came to Chaseview for his first puppy vaccination and health check. On examination Kate found a heart murmur called a PDA (Patent Ductus Arteriosus).

This is a life threatening congenital condition that will progress to heart failure and death within a year if left untreated. The heart defect is a blood vessel that is needed in the foetal stage of life but should seal off at birth. In this pup's case the vessel did not seal off. The only treatment is surgical which involves identifying and sealing off the vessel. It is complex and risky surgery that is usually done at cardiology referral centres but it has now been performed three times at Chase View Vets.

For the full report, see it in this week's Ross Gazette