THE fortunes of rescue dog Molly took a turn for the worse when vets discovered she was suffering from a life-threatening heart condition.

But help was on hand when Lynwood vets in Verwood and Wimborne joined forces to perform complex surgery at no cost to her new relieved owner Dave Nuttall.

The three-year-old black poodle’s condition came to light after Dave, 70, who lives at Jessica Avenue, Verwood, took her to Verwood vet Frances Hunter for a vaccination.

Frances’s fears that Molly was suffering from a serious heart condition were confirmed by an ultrasound scan at the Wimborne surgery.

Internal medicine expert Duncan Reavell diagnosed a patent ductus arteriosus, caused when a foetal blood vessel fails to close off at birth, diverting blood away from the aorta and into the lungs.

Duncan said: “It is amazing that Molly had managed to survive and produce litters of puppies.

“However it was clear on the scan that her heart was deteriorating and she was starting to develop heart failure.”

Frances explained to Dave that without surgery, costing more than £2,000, Molly would die.

With Molly’s hopes of survival looking extremely bleak, Frances and Louis Rumbold decided to operate with the practice covering the costs.

Surgery was performed on April 10. Despite complications and Molly losing 100mls of blood in a few seconds, she pulled through the operation.

Molly has now been reunited with Dave and is back home recovering.

He said: “Molly is a beautiful little dog and they saved her life.

“I could never have afforded such a big vet’s bill and I am so grateful.”

Duncan said: “We are extremely pleased with the outcome.

“All credit needs to go to Frances and Louis for their fantastic skills and ability to keep clear heads under pressure and the dedicated nursing team led by Lisa Rhodes.

“Molly is a very special little dog and we are very proud of what we achieved.”