It was a very close call for a puppy that was taken to an animal hospital after he fell into a swimming pool in Fort Lauderdale.
Crews with Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue rushed 11-month-old Leo into an emergency room for pets, early Friday afternoon.
The canine had fallen into a murky pool behind a house on Vermont Avenue and nearly drowned.
Darling Merissaint told 7News she was watching Leo for a family member when she realized he’d fallen in the pool..
“I’m looking towards the pool, I noticed Leo, you know, floating in the water, and I panicked,” she said.
Merissaint then sprang into action.
“I grabbed a big stick and pulled him out, and I noticed that he was breathing really hard,” she said.
Merissaint called 911. Paramedics showed up at around 11:30 a.m. and put Leo on oxygen as they transported him to an emergency veterinarian, also in Fort Lauderdale.
Inside, doctors were waiting for the four-legged patient.
“Fortunately, the fire department did a great job of providing oxygen and support to Leo, and by the time he got here, he was pretty cold,” said Dr. Ignacio Casali, a veterinarian at the hospital.
Doctors worked to warm up Leo and get him stable.
The puppy is not quite out of the woods just yet. He might have swallowed some water that’s in his lungs. Veterinarians will take some X-rays and work to get that water out so he can make a full recovery.
“It’s a team effort that we’re doing, and hopefully we can get him to pull through,” said Casali. “It’s still a little early, but I’m trying to be hopeful.”
So is Merissaint, who’s just grateful firefighters were there to help.
“I was so scared that if I brought him by myself that he wouldn’t make it,” she said.
Leo will remain at the vet for a few days, where doctors are keeping a close eye on his lungs.
It is care that could get expensive, so Merissaint created a GoFundMe page for him. If you would like to make a donation, click here.