Newmarket DWR Veterinary Specialists shocked by Halesworth cockerpoo Elmo’s racing heart

A dog who faced a cardiac arrest caused by his heartbeat racing out of control is beating a path to recovery after vets at Six Mile Bottom use a rare shock tactic to save his life.

Elmo, a six-year-old cockerpoo, was rushed to Linnaeus-owned DWR Veterinary Specialists where a team of cardiology and emergency and critical care vets and nurses were on hand to treat him.

At one point, Elmo’s heartbeat had raced to an extraordinary 340bpm, caused by a very fast cardiac arrhythmia, which is life threatening if the heart cannot be returned to its normal rhythm.

Usually, medication can do the job but Elmo was not responding, so quick-thinking vets decided to anaesthetise Elmo and give him an electric shock to reset his heart and allow it to go back into a normal sinus cardiac rhythm.

Alice Le Gal, consultant in emergency and critical care at DWR Veterinary Specialists, who was supported by emergency and critical care resident Katie Gane, said: “The longer Elmo was having an abnormal rhythm the more likely he was to have a cardiac arrest.

“Thankfully, after the first shock was applied Elmo’s heart went back into a much slower more normal rhythm. He was woken up and continued on anti-arrhythmics in hospital for a few days.”

Elmo’s owner Becky Munting, who lives near Halesworth, in Suffolk, said: “It was a complete surprise when we first found out what was wrong with Elmo. He was a very happy, healthy and fit dog and the previous evening had been his normal happy self.

“Despite their best efforts, the vets were struggling to stabilise Elmo’s heart using medical treatment, so the last option was to give him an electric shock to try and shock his heart back to a normal rhythm under a general anaesthetic. It was high-risk.”