"Our dog fell through the ice," a man told us. "She's shivering. What should we do?"
We gave him directions and our team prepared for their arrival. Grit, a 2 year old Labrador Retriever, arrived, cold, wet, and non-responsive. Her temperature was below 80 degrees Fahrenheit (a dog's normal temperature is between 101 and 102.5) and her blood sugar was very low. As we worked to warm her up, she began seizuring.
Grit's adventure had actually started sometime after noon on Christmas Day, when she came up missing. After two and a half hours of searching, her owners found her in cold--but fairly shallow--water. She had fallen through the ice and couldn't get out. It took the entire family another thirty minutes to rescue her.
Once an intravenous catheter was in place, she was given dextrose to bring her blood sugar back to normal and stop the seizures. She was dried off, covered in blankets fresh from the dryer, and given warmed fluids.
Grit regained consciousness quickly and her body temperature rose steadily over the next few hours. Once she started giving kisses to her nurses, we knew she was well on the road to recovery. She was discharged from Animal Emergency Care the next day with only a few bruises to remind her owners of their ordeal.
We consider ourselves truly fortunate to have witnessed a miracle this Christmas.
Veterinary Medicine at it's best!
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