Health · Public Health & Disease · 1 hr ago
Family dog’s unusual behavior preceded baby’s diagnosis of a heart condition
Saraya, a family Doberman in the UK, stayed close to six-month-old Alexander and cried when his mother tried to move her away.
Hours later, Alexander became unsettled and listless, so his mother took him to hospital.
Doctors found his heart was beating 280 times a minute, a dangerously high rate.
Two days later, they diagnosed Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, which can cause a rapid heartbeat.
Medication lowered Alexander’s heart rate, and he spent two nights in hospital while doctors monitored him and ran tests.
Experts say dogs may react to changes in people’s scent or other signals, but Saraya had no formal training to detect a health problem.
The family says the dog’s behavior helped prompt the hospital visit, and doctors say this type of rapid heartbeat can be treated once identified.
Saraya, a family dog, stayed close to six-month-old Alexander and cried when his mother tried to move her away.
Hours later, Alexander became unsettled and lethargic, and his mother took him to hospital.
Doctors found that his heart was beating at 280 beats per minute, a dangerously high rate.
Two days later, he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
Doctors treated his rapid heartbeat with medication and monitored him in hospital for two nights.
- Who
- Alexander, a six-month-old baby, and Saraya, his family’s Doberman.
- What
- Doctors detected a heart rate of 280 beats per minute and later diagnosed Alexander with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
- When
- The dog’s unusual behavior happened one morning; Alexander’s symptoms appeared hours later. The diagnosis came two days after the elevated heart rate was detected.
- Where
- Royal Bournemouth Hospital, in the United Kingdom.
- Why
- The cause of Alexander’s heart condition is not stated. His mother said Saraya’s behavior alerted her that something might be wrong.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Saraya stayed close to Alexander and cried when his mother tried to move her away.
Alexander became unsettled and lethargic, and his mother took him to Royal Bournemouth Hospital.
Doctors detected a heart rate of 280 beats per minute and tried to lower it.
Doctors diagnosed Alexander with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
- Baby
- Alexander was six months old.
- Dog
- Saraya was the family’s Doberman.
- Heart rate
- 280 beats per minute.
- Hospital
- Royal Bournemouth Hospital, United Kingdom.
- Diagnosis
- Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, diagnosed two days after the elevated heart rate was detected.
What people are saying
It’s like running a marathon as fast as possible without ever stopping
I hadn’t even considered that he might have a heart problem
When the heart rate changes quickly, many different substances are released and dogs detect those odors coming from our breath and sweat