Rescue puppy with congenital heart defect finds home with WSU veterinarian

A poodle mix rescued from an Idaho hoarding case has recovered from a congenital heart defect. He has found a permanent home with a veterinarian at the Washington State University (WSU) College of Veterinary Medicine, according to a university news release.¹

The puppy, named Teedee, was 1 of 38 dogs and puppies removed this summer from a property in Benewah County, Idaho. During his first examination at the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Cassidy Cordon, DVM, detected a significant heart murmur. Teedee was then diagnosed with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). In this congenital defect, the ductus arteriosus fails to close after birth. That fetal blood vessel connects the aorta and the pulmonary artery.

Jenna Redheart, director of the Idaho Animal Rescue Network, cared for Teedee herself at first while the rescue arranged his treatment.

"We initially stuck him in medical foster, aka my house. You never would have known anything was wrong with him. He played and ran as hard as all his littermates. But we knew we needed a very specific medical foster because after the surgery he had to stay very still and quiet for 30 days. So, we got the word out and received a lot of responses," Redheart said.¹

One of those responses came from Laura Williams, DVM, a WSU veterinary pathologist who earned her DVM from the college in 2013. Williams had recently lost her 12-year-old dog, Duke, and she saw a resemblance right away.

"He looked so much like Duke. I felt like it was my calling to do it, a way to honor Duke. It felt right," Williams said.¹

Surgery and a quiet recovery

Community fundraising paid for Teedee's care. He had a minimally invasive procedure to correct the PDA at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital. Cardiology resident Sarah Bayles, DVM, performed it under the supervision of cardiologist Ryan Baumwart, DVM.

After the procedure, Teedee needed 30 days of strict rest. That was hard to enforce for an energetic puppy who had never shown outward signs of his condition.

"The hardest part was keeping him quiet. The next day, if I had let him, he would have been doing zoomies and circles all over," Williams said.¹

Williams started as Teedee's medical foster and ended up adopting him. He now shares her home with Lelu, her 5-year-old Dalmatian, and a cat.

"He's such a sweetheart. He loves people. He loves my other dog. He loves the cat. Everybody in the household has fallen in love with him," Williams said.¹

She credited both the rescue and her colleagues for Teedee's outcome. "I'm really thankful to the rescue for saving Teedee and his littermates. I'm also so glad the PDA was caught by our veterinarians and that we could get that fixed. He's been thriving ever since," she said.¹

For Redheart, the case shows how much it helps regional rescue groups to have a veterinary teaching hospital within reach.

"Having a facility like WSU nearby makes an enormous difference. We've had all kinds of cases there, and they've made life-changing differences for so many animals," Redheart said.¹

Reference

1. Rokyta D. Rescue puppy overcomes heart defect, finds forever home with WSU veterinarian. News release. Washington State University. October 5, 2026. Accessed October 5, 2026. https://news.wsu.edu/news/2026/10/05/rescue-puppy-overcomes-heart-defect-finds-forever-home-with-wsu-veterinarian/