Puppy love comes with a £1,100 bill! (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Puppy love comes with a £1,100 bill!

2:37pm Saturday 9th February 2008 in

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Love of their pet has caused a Bradford couple to splash out more than £1,000 on a life-saving heart operation for their puppy.

Stuart and Tracy Eakin decided to opt for the surgery after they discovered that their ten-month-old pup Kita had been born with a heart murmur, which could have killed her within a year.

They took the Yorkshire terrier and Jack Russell cross, to Yorkshire Vets in Thornbury, Bradford, where the delicate three-hour long high-risk operation was performed by vet Tamsin Humphrey.

Though the resulting £1,100 bill was no snip, the Eakins, of Birkenshaw, who have a daughter Heather, 13, and a son Fergus, 11, believe it was worth every penny.

Mr Eakin said: "We wanted a small dog, mainly because Heather had been asking for a puppy for a long time and she made up her name.

"When we took Kita for her first check-up, the vet said there was a definite heart murmur and they couldn't see what was causing it. We were absolutely gutted, you know it is serious when it involves the heart.

"The murmur showed no signs of disappearing when we took her to get chipped and we were given options by the vet. We decided to pay for the surgery. It is only money at the end of the day.

"The day of the surgery was a very long day. Kita is a very timid and gently dog and we were worried about her. We were all so relieved she is going to be okay.

"We need to keep her calm over the next week or so, she is quite excitable. To say she was only given 12 months to live and a ten per cent of chance of surviving the operation, we think she's a little miracle."

Miss Humphrey admitted the delicate procedure had been a "challenge" as it was the first time she had performed it.

She said: "I was a bit nervous, but excited as well. It was a challenge.

"The murmur stopped straight away, so from that point of view it was very satisfying to see it made such a difference. Most dogs with this problem would probably live for about a year, but now Kita should live a full life."