From MyFoxBoston.com
BOSTON- A 7-year-old Jack Russell Terrier is recovering at home after a quick thinking surgeon from Angell Animal Medical Center performed CPR in the middle of a traffic jammed South Boston street.
Dr. Cara Blake, a surgical resident at Angell-Boston, was running errands on November 13 during her day off when traffic built up on South Boston’s William J. Day Boulevard. Dr. Blake’s usual course to South Boston included the interstate however today she had opted to use the local roads hoping for less traffic.
As she sat in her car, Dr. Blake began to see if she could view the cause of the growing row of cars.
The traffic jam resulted after the Jack Russell Terrier named Murphy sprung from his owner’s arms into the busy midday street and was instantly struck by a car. Luckily Dr. Blake was near the scene of the accident and seeing the dog laying limp and lifeless in the road immediately sprung into action.
Murphy’s owner ran to her home to alert the nearest veterinary clinic of the emergency as Dr. Blake assessed his condition.
“Murphy was bleeding from his forehead where he took the brunt of the impact from the car. I felt for any sign of a pulse and feeling none I began chest compressions coupled with breaths into Murphy’s nose,†Dr. Blake said. “I checked again and he still had no pulse. His gums were losing color and I knew that he was either going to make it or not in the next few moments.â€
Dr. Blake repeated CPR and when checking his pulse for the third time she felt a single, faint beat.
“It was one beat and he immediately stiffened his legs and back which is frequently a sign of an animal’s passing,” Dr. Blake added. “The next few seconds seemed like an eternity as I wished for a second beat. Then it came – thready and weak, but it was there.”
As Murphy’s pulse grew stronger he began to have abnormal eye movements and Dr. Blake knew that he required the full resources of an emergency veterinary clinic.
Murphy was rushed to Angell-Boston where he spent several days before returning home. The dog continues to rest at home under the watchful eye of his owner who is thankful for the quick actions of Dr. Blake.
“Dr. Blake was like an angel watching over Murphy,” the dog’s owner said. “He would have been gone if it was not for Cara. She was his guardian angel to be there at the right time.”
Murphy is a rescue dog, adopted by his owner several years ago after he survived being thrown out of a car in Weymouth.
