'Miraculous' Find Saves Dog Moments Before Being Put Down

Tick paralysis is super rare; Ollie had it
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted May 25, 2016 6:59 PM CDT
'Miraculous' Find Saves Dog Moments Before Being Put Down
   (Shutterstock)

Ten-year-old Ollie was literally moments from death when his life was saved by an attentive veterinary student and a quick-thinking vet, Good Morning America reports. The sheltie had gone camping with his owner in Oregon last month only to become lethargic upon returning home. According to Fox News, Ollie couldn't walk and lost control of his bladder. He eventually became paralyzed. Ollie's regular vet couldn't figure out what was wrong, and his family decided to put him down on May 4. “We were at a complete loss,” owner Al Meteney tells Fox.

As veterinary student Neena Golden was comforting Ollie just moments before the procedure, she found a tick lodged behind his ear. Veterinarian Adam Stone diagnosed Ollie with tick paralysis. He'd never seen a case before. “It’s one of those things you learn about randomly in school—it’s on one slide during one presentation," he tells Fox. Ollie, now tick-free, was moving around and well on the way to recovery that very night. Meteney says it's "miraculous." (More uplifting news stories.)

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