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KIRKLAND, Wash. -- If it weren't for her strength and her owner's quick thinking, Abby may not have survived the harrowing experience.
The 4-year-old German shorthaired pointer was impaled through the heart with a stick while playing catch with a ball in the woods.
"She just started crying," said owner Adam Becker. "I went over there and saw a hole in her chest, about four inches."
Becker saw that the stick was actually in Abby's heart, pulling it to one side.
"And I put my shirt on her and carried her out," he said.
Small animal surgeon Kristin Kirkby later explained the stick had punctured Abby's heart in two places. Had anyone removed the stick without professional experience, she said, Abby most likely would have died.
"My heart has never beat as fast in surgery as it did in that one," Kirkby said.
The surgeon had to carefully stitch up the dog's heart while an assistant removed the stick.
Abby's now on the mend, but she's not quite the same girl just yet. She's still being monitored at the vet's office, and Becker doesn't like leaving her side.
"I'm afraid for when we leave. I don't want her to be sad," Becker said. "I think she's going to be good, though. She's going to be alright."
Her heart beats give Becker hope that Abby will soon be her old playful self again.
Abby began taking her heart medication on Thursday. Her owner hopes to have her up and outside on Friday.
The 4-year-old German shorthaired pointer was impaled through the heart with a stick while playing catch with a ball in the woods.
"She just started crying," said owner Adam Becker. "I went over there and saw a hole in her chest, about four inches."
Becker saw that the stick was actually in Abby's heart, pulling it to one side.
"And I put my shirt on her and carried her out," he said.
Small animal surgeon Kristin Kirkby later explained the stick had punctured Abby's heart in two places. Had anyone removed the stick without professional experience, she said, Abby most likely would have died.
"My heart has never beat as fast in surgery as it did in that one," Kirkby said.
The surgeon had to carefully stitch up the dog's heart while an assistant removed the stick.
Abby's now on the mend, but she's not quite the same girl just yet. She's still being monitored at the vet's office, and Becker doesn't like leaving her side.
"I'm afraid for when we leave. I don't want her to be sad," Becker said. "I think she's going to be good, though. She's going to be alright."
Her heart beats give Becker hope that Abby will soon be her old playful self again.
Abby began taking her heart medication on Thursday. Her owner hopes to have her up and outside on Friday.