Motz's Heartache

Motz, a dog in his senior years, got into a bit of a fighter with another dog. None of his wounds were too serious so after a clean-up his owner didn’t think too much more about them. He presented to the clinic a few days later because some of his wounds weren’t healing as expected and he had started to become unwell. He was admitted into the Blue Cross Veterinary Hospital for supportive care and antibiotics. Within a day he developed a quiet heart murmur that continued to worsen. We performed an echocardiogram (a cardiac ultrasound) which showed that he had a growth of bacteria (endocarditis) growing on one of the valves of his heart. The infection from his bites spread via his bloodstream, causing his heart to work less efficiently. Motz was promptly put onto intravenous antibiotics and some supportive heart medication to which he responded amazingly. Motz has made a good recovery and is back to enjoying his daily walks with his owner around their farm.