My heart nearly stopped
 

At 4AM this morning, my partner came rushing down the stairs, with my darling little Becca, who was violently thrashing around for no apparent reason.

She was acting so wildly, it almost evaded me that she was not breathing, and her desperately flailing her legs didn't help any. She had been doing the "reverse Sneezing" for some time now (a couple years) and I just took a chance, leaned forward and puffed some air into her lungs.

She breathed out quickly, but that stopped as she thrashed more, and I gave her three more breaths before she started breathing on her own. The pressure from the Pulmonary Resuscitation expanded her Trachea sufficiently enough for regular air passage.

Though she was acting quite normally within fifteen or so minutes, I took her to the Vet anyway. They did a couple tests including a Fluro of her Trachea which showed a narrowing of it. The picture of that is being sent to a specialist as I write.

So, I've been called a "Hero" twice today, but...
I look at it as being blessed with the presence of mind, and expertise to have saved my little darling's life. Ha, I guess throughout about 40 years of working in Health Care, and having gone through the mandatory CPR Classes many many times, including the "Baby" resuscitation procedures paid off big time.

I am so glad you had the presence of mind and the training to save Becca. I am so happy everything turned out okay. Buster has these reverse breathing issues and I am always so anxious until we had get the normal breathing rhythm back. I think I will take your excellent advice and get CPR training. I am so glad Becca is okay you are her hero. Best wishes.

Terrifying ordeal! Thank goodness you knew and were able to do exactly what was needed. I am relieved for you that Becca is okay, and I'm glad you took her to the vet for testing.

So scary. So glad you were able to stay calm and think enough to help Becca.

Omg....My heart would have stopped too. I am a cardiovascular tech and being certified in ACLS & CPR, I would have done the same thing that you did. Being in the medical field you see so much but when it comes to your loved ones, humans or animals, you'd be surprised at how fast you react at the situation at hand. I am so glad to hear Becca is doing fine. I hope they find out soon what is wrong with her. I pray for you & Becca that she will be fine.

Thank all of you for your kind words.

Just knowing that one can puff a few breaths of air into our little guys to resolve that is of great comfort, BUT...

I'm still on pins and needles realizing that given where my guys take naps at, and how silently this occurs, that I might miss the event and not be able to react quickly enough, so...

My Vet said she would forward Fluoroscopy image to a Respiratory Specialist here, which will occur today. I'm considering further action to correct this problem, and am anxious to have the consult from the new Physician.

Though Becca is/seemingly back to her normal bossy self, I have not let her out of my sight for a moment. Thankfully I'm retired, and can ease my mind about her condition, but, I gotta get this fixed !!!

One more thing I'll add...
When the "event" occurred, both my Males and Navi (Female/Chi) were going totally nuts. Barking, running back and forth, just terribly upset in reaction to what was going on with their mate. One of those special events, which proves how connected the Pack is. :thumbup:

Oh no hope he is okay. If he has a collapse trachea there is meds he can be on to prevent that from happening again. Does he just do the reverse sneeze or does he cough a lot too? I had a dog with CT which was caused from an enlarged heart and he started to faint from it at 8 years old. Keep us updated please.

You saved her life! Plain and simple. Thank God you were home, she wasn't in another room alone in her crate and you knew what to do and did it. Your poor baby, I know she was scared to death - just being without air for a few seconds is so frightening. Now you've got to find out how to keep that from happening again. I hope the vet can get behind her condition and find some treatment to keep this from ever happening again.

The only other time I saw a dog as frantic as you described was when my tiny Jilly had gotten her collar up under her lower jaw and another time when she was choking to death. I always tell the story to help others if they should find themselves confronting a similar situation.

Late one evening in bed, I noticed Jilly thrashing wildly, going in circles with her head down and choking on what I found was a knotted end of a tiny rawhide chew bone stuck in her throat(she'd tried to swallow the whole end she'd chewed off) and that's exactly how she acted - wild and frantic as if she couldn't get air. When I grabbed her up, I could hear her straining to get air past the knot at her throat swelled around it. And I also partially breathed for her as I called the vet with one hand, found they were still in after 10:00 pm with another emergency(a miracle in itself!), got my robe on and drove her to the vet using one hand to drive and the other arm to hold her up and give her breaths all the way, praying at the top of my lungs for my girl. She went limp and I still breathed for her.

That drive to the vet took an eternity in my mind but once I lay her on the vet exam table, she was awake, breathing a bit raggedly on her own again. The vet said that the swelling in her throat had obviously subsided some due to partial digestion from her saliva and from the adrenaline in her system from the near-death experience helping some of the swelling go down and the knot passed on down. He observed her overnight and she came home fine the next day. It was the scariest time I've ever had with a dog. No more rawhide chews for Jilly!

yorkietalkjilly,

YES, I didn't mention it, but I did run my finger down her throat to check for an obstruction. :thumbup:

AND, I visualized the possibility of having to take the same trip you took, save that I was mad that I had left the Truck (a Standard Shift) in the way of my Suburban (Auto-Trans) in the drive way. I don't know how I would have dealt with having to shift and resuscitate at the same time !

I'm kind of chuckling as I think of it right now, but at the time... uoo wow :eek:

Oh, that's the reason I won't own a stick shift and a have a child or a dog at the same time! You never know when you need that extra hand to keep somebody alive.

With little Jilly, I opened her mouth and saw that big knot filling up her throat opening and could not bring it out. I immediately started breathing in her nostrils gently as I grabbed the landline phone(all I had at the time), dialed with one hand and prayed the vet would answer. When he did and he found I couldn't get the knot out, he suggested I gently try to push in down. I did but it stayed stuck tight! I had the thought then that my Jilly might shortly die right there in the bedroom thanks to a knotted rawhide chew I had given her.

Back then, the nearest ER vet was across Dallas, about15 miles away, so vets covered their own emergencies but I feared Jilly didn't have the time for him to get to his office as he lived further from it than I did. Still, you can do more than you think with one arm while the other is busy holding a dog! Thank God for her own digestive enzymes in her saliva and adrenaline in her body and some extra air and she made it! Still, I'll never know how that air got down past that huge obstruction filling up her throat.

I'm so glad you acted and your baby made it and hope the vet can get things squared away so this never ever happens again.

Good to know my Biewer has a narrowing tracea too and has fits that ome and go. Your post may have just saved my dog's life in the future. Thanks for sharing info for others to learn from. Glad to hear she's better please keep us posted on her progress.

glad she is okay, how scarey

It has been so long since I have posted here. Since our darling little Becca crossed over the RB, every time I think of this forum, I think of her, and our continuing feeling of loss. Even now, tears are welling in my eyes, as those unforgettable moments of joy and sorrow return, thinking of her, and what a unique little Lady she was. She will live on in my heart.

In the years that have past, we have gotten our sweet Mistique (pics to follow) who is about one year old now. What a unique personality, laid back and easy going as she can be. She just loves my Adult Male Sneakers, and pesters him by licking his ears and beard every time she's around him. A practice which produced unintended results at her age. We only blinked, and Sneakers took advantage of that moment.

Now, we have 6 puppies from that encounter, totaling 12 dogs in the house ! :eek:

She had two males, and four females, and I am totally impressed with how she (at her young age) stepped up to the plate, and probably disserves a Mother of the Year award. I had to bring her food and water to the Crib for the first week. She wouldn't leave them but for a very brief potty brake, and then right back. Now, at the just over the three week period, we have six little Whoppers roaming around the Crib, and Misty is taking much more time for herself. (well disserved)

I had NOT intended for this to happen. But, it was my intent at some point, to have a pup from Snickers linage, then Spay. So, though earlier than expected, I have selected a chubby little female, which I have named Ishka (pics to follow). We already have two friends which have put in their wants for one of the other puppies, and I expect that the remaining three will be placed as we put the word out. I am not a Breeder, and fully intend to get control of this situation as soon as possible. :cool:

Anyway, I just thought I'd touch base with you guys, and let you know how much I missed visiting here.

Congrats on such a wonderful proud mom & babies. If you don't mind me asking what happened to Becca? I was reading your threads hopping everything worked out.

Every time I read this I get shaky and feel yours and your Bella's panic all over again. A flailing, out-of-control dog almost always has something stuck on it or worse - can't get its breath. A few life breaths can make the difference between life and death. Thank God for proactive owner/guardians!!!

yorkietalkjilly.
Thank you for your kind words.

Shicks,
At the onset of Becca's seizures, a mis-diagnosis was made, that being Epileptic in nature. That was incorrect, and the delay in proper treatment, cost my darling her life. In fact, when Becca was just a pup, about four years ago, she had an accident which disabled her sight in one eye. Though we didn't have a Necropsy done, we determined that the eye/tissue remaining in her eye socket became necrotic, and caused the seizures.

Needless to say, I have and will not ever let that Vet see any of my animals ever again. :mad: EVER!

ps Edit:
in my previous post I referred to "years".
actually it's been just over one.

Oh, no - heartbreaking!!!

I am sorry for the loss of your sweet Becca but I am happy to learn that you found a loving Mistique to help ease the pain. Congratulations on the new six pack we look forward to seeing pictures. Best wishes to you all.

I am so sorry about Becca. I too lost my precious little boy to GME just after his 7th birthday. These little guys do not deserve this. Vets need to be more I tune to Yorkie issues. Our babies are in a whole different league.
Happy you have more in your life now 😍

Thank all of you for your very kind words.

My new Mom Misty is very different from Becca. Not that I expected their personalities to be similar, nor am I trying to replace Becca. Becca was such a sweet girl that no Dog could ever replace her. Misty is very laid back, quite clingy and as stated, has demonstrated some spectacular nurturing toward the litter.

Ha, I may be overcompensating some though, since I am keeping one of Misty's female pups, and have named her "Ishka" (BD 8-5-15). I think she's going to be "Head of House" given how she is already pushing her weight around the crib. She was first born, and given my complete respect and love for her Sire, Snickers, I just had to have one from his lineage.

I realize now, that I should have come back to this Forum much sooner. Communicating with those who really understand the loss we feel is so helpful in one's recovery.

I have truly missed you all. :luvu:

Yes talk about personalities. My 2nd Yorkie is nothing like my first. My 1st little boy was so laid back, it was like sometimes he was in slow motion.
No jumping, always using his steps, and not going up the inside house steps. He would sit and just look up @ the steps till someone took him up.
Now, Ruger goes a 100 miles an hour. Won't use his steps, jumps like a Dang kangaroo. I have 2 baby gates on our steps.
He is soooo funny.
They keep us on our toes.
Welcome back
More stories please.

My heart almost stopped
 

Omg, I am having the same problems with my yorkie since she had her teeth cleaned in June 2015. One of her top tiny canines was removed and no stitch was put in. However, the hole was so small at the time and now I have Looked at it and it has doubled in width. I was a little upset when they took Roxie's tooth out as I could not see a cavity. But the vet reassured me there was one there the size of a pin. I will take that course.i was not aware of such a course. I just lost my mom at Christmas. She died in my arms and my father died the next day of a heart attack. My sister died on Easter Monday in a car accident it's been all too much too soon. I am also in healthcare. I suspect that they may have damaged Roxie's tracheal esphouphageal cords at the top when she was intubated. She is only four pounds.

When you blew the air into your dog did you breath into her mouth or nose or both gently? I am going to go to a different vet and have them do a similar test to my baby. She is my everything and if anything happened to her, I would die. Yes, you are a hero,,what amazes me is how they just bounce back so quickly!! God bless you! Thank you! Susan Marie and Roxie Rose

Lots can happen in a year. Sorry for the loss of Becca--it is always hard to loose one of our family. Would love to see photos from you.

Susan Marie,
Pulmonary Recessutation on one of our little ones, is just a small puff of air on their nose. Given their (usually diminutive) size, I hesitate in any kind of approach, and highly recommend you take a course in CPR for K9's.

scrapindee,
Still in morning, pics are hard to take at this point, soon though.

Thank all of you for your kind words.

I had wondered what in the world had happened to you....I missed seeing your avitar first of all, then put the pic with your "name/handle", and wondered what had happened to you. You have clearly had a very rough time.....so very sorry for your unfortunate, heart breaking misadventures over the last year. Praying for peace for your shattered soul and broken heart....

I'm so sorry for your losses :(...gosh, so much in such a short time.

I took the Pet CPR / First Aid through my local Red Cross Chapter, and it was excellent - so def check them for classes. Also though, see this:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...uture-use.html

Thank all of you, for your very kind words. :thumbs up

Ishka is about 9 weeks old now, and loves to chase after my Lab and Chihuahua, as they race across the yard. I think I mentioned she is one of six puppies that Misty had. We have decided to keep one more, and have named her "Frizzy". So now, we have five Yorkies, two Chi's, and one very big rambunctious Labrador. I have bruses on my chins to prove it. :rolleyes:

In early 2016, we plan to move out to our property (in the boonies) and that's where my Lab Kira will be most useful. I intend to have two fences around the house, where Kira can occupy the "outer" perimeter, which will let a nice large "inner" space for my little guys.

Many of the residents let their dogs run loose, and, I've seen some rather large Opossum, and Raccoons, so, I'll let Kira deal with them.

Didn't realize it was an old thread.

So glad your girl is ok. I had a similar experience today and in my post about it I stole your line about Doggy CPR. :)

It is SO important...it is by the grace of God I was able to function and resuscitate my girl....I want to be better prepared if I, Heaven forbid, need it again. I relied on my knowledge of people cpr but she is only 5 pounds...scary stuff.