The incredible moment a dog was reunited with her sick puppy in hospital after four days apart has left internet users fighting back tears.
Jenna, the 4-year-old Shiloh shepherd, welcomed a litter of six puppies in late June when they arrived a week early. Sadly, only one pup, named Eros, survived.
It was a devastating time for Jenna, for Mojo the dad, and of course for their owner, Heather. The problems continued when Eros was around a week old and Heather noticed that she was aspirating, meaning inhaled material like food, vomit, or regurgitation, was going into her lungs.
While Heather breeds the dogs for show and service purposes, she told Newsweek that they “are family” and she would do whatever it took to help Eros. She tried to prevent pneumonia, but the antibiotics weren’t successful and Eros had to be hospitalized at barely a few weeks old.
“She was in an oxygen tent with IV fluids and tube feeding, as well as powerful antibiotics,” Heather said. “Jenna was anxious at first, searching relentlessly day and night, only consoled by her puppy’s scent on stuffed animals. As time went on, she began to give up hope and became increasingly depressed.”
Eros was in hospital for six days, but Jenna was finally allowed to visit after four days.
That morning, Heather kept telling Jenna that they were going to “see the baby,” and the dog seemed to perk up. Heather firmly believes that Jenna understood what she was telling her.
When they finally arrived at the veterinary hospital and Eros was carried into the room, Jenna could hardly believe her eyes.
“It took almost a full second before she rushed forward and began covering the puppy in kisses. I bawled. It was a dream come true seeing them together again,” Heather said.
Heather shared the adorable footage of Jenna reuniting with Eros on her TikTok account (@kittytheshiloh) and it melted hearts. In just a matter of days, the clip has generated over 740,700 views and more than 60,600 likes at the time of writing.
Eros had to stay in hospital for a few extra days, and it was only after seeing her try to nurse from Jenna that attention turned towards swallowing disorders. Shortly after, Eros was diagnosed with cricopharyngeal achasia, a condition whereby the cricopharyngeus muscle (which controls food passing from the pharynx to the esophagus) fails to relax when swallowing. It can cause blockages or restrict food when swallowing.
Some vets recommended euthanasia because they couldn’t help Eros, but a pharyngeal dysphasia specialist at a university hospital “saved the day” and gave them optimism.
“Once we knew there was hope, there was no stopping us from saving her,” Heather told Newsweek.
Once she was strong enough, Eros had an esophageal feeding tube fitted. She is now fed from that four times a day, around the clock. Heather also changes her dressing twice a day, as well as administering antibiotics and pain medication. Eros must be supervised constantly and can’t have anything through her mouth, but she is doing great, nonetheless.
Since sharing Eros’s story online, Heather has been blown away by the overwhelmingly supportive response. So many people are rooting for Eros and following her journey as she shows how much fight she has within her.
“Shilohs are a uniquely gentle breed, and famously easy to train, but training her without food will be a struggle,” Heather said. “I’m her service human now. She needs someone who will wake up to a change of breathing patterns and watch every bite of food and sip of water she ever takes (once she can have those).
“Shilohs are heavily health tested, but this condition cannot be predicted since it isn’t genetic. Thankfully, it’s exceedingly rare, especially in puppies.”
Since going viral, the video of Jenna reuniting with her only surviving pup has gained over 800 comments on TikTok so far. Many social media users praised her maternal instincts and hailed the unshakeable bond between them.
One comment reads: “Oh please keep them together forever. I love them. Thank you for taking good care!”
Another TikTok user wrote: “this made me cry, I hope they have a lifetime together.”
While another person replied: “I’m so happy she got to see and snuggle her sweet baby.”
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to [email protected] and they could appear on our site.
The post Tears as Depressed Dog Finally Reunites With Her Sick Puppy in Hospital appeared first on Newsweek.
