Age 15 Corgi Suffers Seizure While at Groomer. Woman's Quick Thinking Save Dog's Life
When Juliana Harms dropped off her 15year-old corgi, Pia, at the groomers, she didn’t expect the day to go as it did. Pia had some liver issues, but she had been doing so well that Harms thought it was a good day to take her for a bath.
Soon after Harms dropped her pup off, the employees of Belly Rubs Dog Grooming noticed that Pia was acting abnormally.
“We’re all used to how the dogs act and we knew something was wrong,” said the owner, Kerry King.
Pia was limp; her heart-beat stopped and so had her breathing. They thought she was having a seizure.
Luckily, Emily Bauman was working that day. She is zoology student at Illinois State University and a volunteer at a local animal hospital.
Bauman began giving Pia CPR in an attempt to resuscitate her. “You do mouth-to-mouth by blowing air into their lungs through their nostrils. Then you do chest compressions as you would a human to get that heart rate back,” Bauman said.
Pia slowly responded and started breathing again! She eventually stood on her own as well.
Other staff members call Harms to let her know what was happening. She rushed back to Belly Rubs so she could take Pia to Highland Pet Hospital.
The doctor who treated Pia at Highland said that Bauman’s quick reaction definitely helped save Pia’s life.
Pia is doing well, but they are still not sure whether the episode was cardiac or neurological related.
“I’ve seen CPR given many times at the animal hospital, but that was the first time I did it on an animal. It was really instinctual. I knew what to do. It was the right place at the right time,” said Bauman.
Bauman is obviously pursuing the perfect career path. She said the events that unfolded with Pia have confirmed that.
“Every pet owner needs to be alert to what can occur unexpectedly. There is a way to provide life-saving actions when a pet is in trouble and that is CPR. Pet owners should also be alert to poison and how to immediately respond to a pet in need,” Harms warned.
Pia is now relaxing and taking it easy at home. Harms knows that everyone at Belly Rubs and Highland are the reason for that!
She even brought lunch and freshly-baked cookies for the staff at Belly Rubs in gratitude. Harms said, “It was definitely a crisis, but Pia is home with me. Pia is my heart.”
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