Must is an 18-month-old White Swiss Shepherd Dog. I’m a veterinary assistant and I work in a veterinary clinic. I adopted him when he was 5 months old. You might say I actually saved his life... At the age of 4 months, Must was brought to see the vet for the second time with a heart murmur. On that occasion, Dr Koel did some additional tests and detected severe pulmonary stenosis, which greatly reduces life expectancy. Because of the complications associated with pulmonary stenosis, Must’s first owners didn’t want to keep him. So the woman who bred him decided to take him back and do an exchange. She contacted us for further information about his condition. The dog had no symptoms so we advised her to find relaxed owners who would give Must an easy, comfortable life. The breeder didn’t have the space to keep him, so she decided to find a new family for him as soon as possible. After thinking it over at the weekend, we met up with the breeder to review the situation. Before the meeting, Dr Koel told me Must’s story and I was so moved I decided to adopt him if he was still available. And that’s how I became Must’s happy new owner in April 2017. The first objective was for him to reach his first birthday: mission accomplished! Now we’re thinking why not aim for his second birthday? Must isn’t in any pain at the moment, touch wood. It’s a tricky business trying to channel his energy, as he loves to play and be active. So he has a strict schedule: games in the morning for no more than 15 minutes and he can also play in the evening if he’s not too tired. He’s also on a strict diet, as we have to keep his weight under control. Obesity would only exacerbate his condition. At the moment we take him for a long walk every weekend – about 3 or 4 km of moderate exercise. We’ll gradually increase the distance over the next few months, up to a maximum of 10 km. The only treatment he has is Cardio Supp ^TM, which he’s been on since May 2017. He has no problem taking the tablets – well, when he wants to and only if I give them to him! Cardio Supp ^TM keeps his heart muscles in good shape. His condition hasn’t got any worse since he started the treatment. I give him 2 tablets daily and he weighs 34 kg.