Canine Near Death Experience

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

Poor old Barney.

Last night we hit the bed a little late after dining on take out Chinese food, Ben & Jerry's and watching our Valentines Day Redbox movie (The Help). We shuffled off to bed and soon fell heavily asleep in the stupor that cosuming 1200 + calories of premium ice cream can invoke.

We have our bed sleepers and our floor sleepers. The floor sleepers compromise the extremely elderly and those who have lost their visual and spatial perception. Tonight it was Bailey, Zoey and Barney Rubble. I always keep an ear open for one of them stirring in the night because they usually have little to no control over bowels and bladder and hubby is not pleased to be woken from the stench of fresh dog poop or to step in a puddle on his way to the bathroom in the night.

For some reason I woke...I don't remember hearing the jingle of a collar tag, but I looked down to see Zoey curled up in her bed and looked over to see Barney getting up from his. I quickly got up to grab him and put him outside in case he needed to potty, but just as I reached for him he collapsed, he just kind of slowly crumpled. I scooped him up and he was limp as a dish rag. He has a bad and easily felt heart murmur. You can't miss feeling the heavy thud-thud of his heart if you pick him up or hold him. The first thing I realized is the heartbeat was gone. Not a beat. I held his little limp body in my arms and hugged him close....thinking the old man had just died in my arms. It was then he inhaled raggedly and the little heart began to beat again. I set him down and he staggered and seemed disoriented, so i put him back in his bed and petted him until he went back to sleep.

This morning he woke up as normal and was fine, although he only ate about half of his breakfast and curled back up in his bed to sleep.

I wanted to ask him what it was like, but he didn't want to talk about it.

Poor old man.

Take care,
Lisa

[shaynapug]

Oh my! How scary!!! I'm so glad he's okay!

Nikki did that to me once! Got out of the van...coughed once and fell over! I picked up a limp dog and couldn't feel her heart! I did shake her a bit, I admit! She came back and was fine after that!

[Wonka & Nilla]

OMG, how scary! I'm so glad he seems ok this morning. Please give him a hug from me.

[Littlegirl]

Oh no! How scary. I was just going to post that I wanted to see more Barney Rubble pics and saw this....

I don't know how you do it Lisa. You always come across so calm in situations that I would totally crumble in. These guys are lucky to have someone as caring as you in their lives.

Sean

PS - The Help was a great movie wasn't it!

[6 Beautiful Pugs]

The Help was a wonderful movie!! I don't know why, but I thought it was a stupid comedy up until it won the Best Picture, so glad I saw it.

Take care,
Lisa

[Pat's Crew]

wow that was sure a close call for you Lisa
glad you were there for him
and sometimes we never know why we wake up when we do
glad he is feeling better this morning

[sugarskullz]

Its so sad when their time gets near isn't it? At least being rescued by you has made the last part of their life so much better!

[Wally 'n' Leto]

Poor Barney! If he had passed, he would have had the best end. There's many worse ways to go than have your heart stop like that. And he's known such love with you Lisa, just in the few days you've had him. I hope that he can enjoy a few more days, and when it is his time, he can just slip away in your arms.

[Cheryl7777]

Poor baby. I'm glad he is ok. Like the others have said I too hope he has a little more time of the soft life before he goes. He sure deserves it. I would have been a basket case and that would have been the end of sleep for me last night. I listened to the book and saw the movie of the "Help." Both were excellent.

[MuShu Mom]

Awww . . . isn't just like a mommy to wake in time for their babies! Heh, heh, I remember once awaking to hear my 2 year old daughter "start" to fall out of bed. (She had just graduated to a twin bed from her crib and I would keep a dining room chair turned around and pushed up against the bed till she learned not to roll out!) I leaped out of bed, made it to her room in about three large bounds and caught her before she hit the hardwood floor! It was hilarious and spectacular, actually! (This was back in the 70's, and in Germany, where there was no such thing as a side rail or mesh side rail appliance.)