We had not done such an operation before in the years I had been here, and I understood the risks involved. We didn’t know if the surgery would work and it required special equipment that we did not have in our vet clinic at the shelter. The only other thing I knew about Eli was that the staff had already fallen in love with him.

Eli’s miraculous recovery could be described as nothing short of a ‘Christmas Miracle’. Just days before Christmas 2017, Eli came into our shelter. His family’s circumstances changed, and they could no longer care for him. During his incoming examination, our vets found something that worried them. 

It was something that would impact Eli’s life significantly in the future.

Eli was diagnosed with Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). Without intervention, Eli would be dead within the year due to heart failure. PDA is commonly caused by a genetic predisposition. Symptoms include rapid, irregular heartbeat, stunted growth, respiratory issues, coughing and more.

Surgery needed to be performed ASAP. The longer the operation was delayed, the higher the chance that Eli would have irreversible damage done to his heart. Our team knew that we needed help as we simply didn’t have the resources or facility that this type of surgery would require.

In stepped our friends from Canberra Veterinary Emergency Service (CVES) in Gungahlin.

They offered to help our RSPCA vets perform the surgery. Without them, Eli’s future was unclear. Fortunately, our joint team was able to close the hole in his heart that night. 

I finally met Eli for the first time the day after his surgery. He was in our vet clinic recovering with a cone around his neck and a drain system jutting out from his chest. You would never have guessed that he underwent surgery the night before and that our vets had to massage his heart back into rhythm before it would start again on its own.

We let him out of his cage, and he came to me with the the kind of energy that you would expect from a kelpie puppy – full of beans and kisses. 

Still, there was damage already. The defect he had during his crucial developmental stage meant that his heart did not develop ‘normally’ and it was too late to fix that completely. Nevertheless, Eli’s life expectancy is significantly longer than before, and he will now go on to live a happy life with the assistance of medication and the right owner.

Eli’s story is an excellent example of the miracles that can happen when we work together. We keep saying that it takes a community to care for these animals in need, and this story is a prime example. Without the help of CVES, Eli would have had a very short life.

Eli is now ready for adoption at RSPCA ACT. You would never know his medical history by watching him run circles around our volunteers in the training yard. Hopefully, it’s just a matter of time before he finds his forever home.

For more info about Eli, visit his adoption profile on www.adoptapet.com.au