More adventures of the Cast-Off Cocker Spaniels Excerpt: Blondie, a former puppy mill mom, was diagnosed with a serious heart problem at the age of seven. It wasn't really surprising that she had a bad heart, possibly the result of poor breeding or inbreeding. The vet didn't have much hope for her. He said Blondie would probably only live a few months up to a year with a leaky heart valve. Blondie showed no signs of having a heart problem. She wasn't coughing or getting tired easily. Since I wasn't ready to give up on her, I found a specialist in the area and scheduled a consultation for Blondie. I thought Blondie still had a lot of living to do and I wanted to do everything possible for her. The specialist prescribed several heart medications, including Vetmedin. This newer drug is very effective in the treatment of heart disease and has been proven to improve the quality of life. The drug has also greatly increased the life expectancy of dogs with heart disease. Follow the Cast-Off Cocker Spaniels as they deal with surgeries, grooming mishaps, seizures, and emergency room visits. Proceeds from the book are donated to cocker spaniel rescue.