Dachshund Mix Puppy Undergoes Tricky Surgery For Rare Disorder

Meet cute 5-month-old red smooth piebald mix 'Panini' and her human Kim Heffington, who hail from San Dimas, California.   Poor Panini was born with a "peritoneopericardial diaphragmatic hernia," essentially a hole in her diaphragm that allows organs to move loosely in her body.  This condition is fatal if left untreated, as the heart can be suffocated by the shifting of other organs. 
Her team at San Dimas Animal Hospital, Manuhar Singh, left above, Chris Bory, right, and vet technician Arin Hodge, didn't feel comfortable doing the surgery to correct the ailment, and the only other facility who would take the case was UC Davis, but the cost proved prohibitive.  Excerpt from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune:

That left Bory and Singh to do the procedure themselves.
"For us, we wanted to save the life of the dog," Singh said.
They prepared by doing research on medical treatments, and Singh consulted a veterinarian in Carlsbad who had experience with PPDH.
The surgery took a little over half an hour, during which Singh moved Panini's liver back into its proper place and repaired the diaphragm wall.
After that, Panini spent a day in intensive care at East Valley Emergency Pet Clinic in Diamond Bar and then another week at San Dimas Animal Hospital for recovery.
"Everything went really smoothly," Singh said.
Bory added, "We feel confident now that we could do it again."

We're so glad to hear that Panini got another chance at life and is doing so well.  Read more about this little girl at the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.