Open-heart surgery is performed at CSU for a variety of congenital and acquired heart conditions in dogs. The Veterinary Health System’s heart team of six American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine board-certified medical cardiologists, including two interventional cardiologists and two American College of Veterinary Surgeons board-certified surgeons, reviews a case and discusses with your local cardiologist for potential candidacy.
Case review and scheduling
We are receiving referrals from cardiologists only. To submit a case for review, clients should follow our submission process:
- Find a local cardiologist. All open-heart surgery candidates require extensive diagnostic workups and follow up with a veterinarian who is specialized in veterinary cardiology (i.e. a board-certified veterinary cardiologist). Your veterinary cardiologist can help you determine the best treatment options for your pet’s heart disease.
- Request a consultation with our heart team. Your local cardiologist will need to complete the appointment and procedure inquiry form. Our heart team will discuss your pet’s condition as a group and provide options for therapy if available. Cases are selected for surgery based on an estimated likelihood of surviving surgery with a goal of restoring life expectancy or at least being strongly palliative. One of us will reach out to your cardiologist to discuss options for your pet. This process will take approximately two to three weeks.
- Discuss with our heart team. If surgery is a potential option for your pet and you are interested in moving forward with a procedure, we will contact you to discuss more detail about the procedure and expectations, and provide an opportunity for you to ask questions.
Case review may take up to two to three weeks. If your pet is a surgical candidate, we will schedule a preoperative appointment within a week before your surgery date for diagnostics and evaluation.
Costs
The estimate of total costs (preoperative workup, surgery, and postoperative care) for open-heart surgery is $35,000-40,000, depending on the procedure. An estimate will be provided at the time of scheduling.
Follow-up care
Dogs typically stay in Colorado about five to seven days after surgery. We will work with your local cardiologist for immediate postoperative care and will be involved in long-term care as needed.
Questions?
If you have questions about open-heart surgery, please email [email protected].