A family’s Doberman wouldn’t leave their baby alone and it may have saved the infant’s life. Kim Reynolds, from the British county of Somerset, says her dog was pacing, whining and licking the face of her son Alexander, aged 5 to 6 months, on September 3 – behavior that puzzled her until Alexander later began crying inconsolably, reports the Washington Post. Remembering Saraya’s agitation, Reynolds and his mother took little Alexander to the emergency room. “It bothered me,” Reynolds said of Saraya’s previous behavior, according to the Somerset County Gazette. “I didn’t understand why she was so needy and obsessive.”
Doctors found that the baby’s heart was beating at nearly 300 beats per minute and diagnosed him with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a congenital heart disease that can trigger dangerous arrhythmias. Reynolds says medical staff tried to “dunk” Alexander several times in ice water to try to lower his heart rate; When that didn’t work, they gave the baby medication intravenously, which ultimately helped sort things out.
Alexander spent two nights in the hospital and is now taking beta blockers; he might eventually need surgery, depending on the Washington Post. A pediatric cardiologist tells the newspaper that dogs sometimes detect medical problems first, probably by detecting changes in smell or sound. Reynolds attributes this case to Saraya and urges parents not to ignore their instincts. “Always trust your instincts,” she notes, telling the Gazette that Saraya also seemed to know when Alexander had recently contracted tonsillitis.
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