Saturday, January 19, 2008

The pup with nine lives

I love dogs, I really do, so I feel guilty that I laughed at what this poor pup has been through.

Mango's first near-death experience occurred on Thanksgiving. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time: in the path of a pot of stuffing accidentally knocked off the kitchen counter as Dr. Joe Stapleton, an anesthesiologist, prepared his family's holiday turkey.

Mango quit breathing and her heart stopped.

As his wife, Roxanne, drove to an emergency veterinary clinic, Stapleton gave mouth-to-snout resuscitation and administered chest compressions. His quick work saved the fluffy 1-year-old.

Mouth to snout? A pot of stuffing? How absurd. But it wasn't over for the little thing.

Stopped short by a new gate the family had installed to keep their dogs out of the kitchen, Mango jumped.

Up, up, up she went before gravity took charge and Mango landed. On her head.

She flopped onto her side, unconscious.

The Stapletons knew what to do. As Roxanne drove again toward the emergency veterinary clinic, Joe started CPR. About halfway there, Mango came to. But she spent the night at the clinic on intravenous fluids, medicine and oxygen.

More mouth to snout? Now Mango has to wear a helmet after two life threatening head injuries. Poor Mango now has to go through life like Mike Myers' hypoglycemic character on SNL. I hope for her sake Mango's owner buys a mini defibrillator. But as tough as life has been for her, at least she isn't in the custody of PETA.

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