KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A dog that was saved from a duplex fire later died from what veterinarians believe were effects from smoke inhalation.
As flames ripped through a duplex on North Bellaire Avenue in Kansas City Friday, a woman jumped from the second story to escape. Her dog stayed inside the house until firefighters could pull her to safety.
But when they found the dog, she wasn’t breathing. A firefighter placed an oxygen mask over her snout and patiently waited for her to breathe on her own again. Once oxygen filled her lungs and she started walking, firefighters brought the dog to the KC Pet Project.
“We lovingly refer to her as Cinderella since she came in covered in cinder and soot,” explained Tori Fugate at the animal shelter.
The veterinarian staff immediately noticed a problem. Cinderella wasn’t eating. The team x-rayed Cinderella and found a sewing needle in her stomach. Over the weekend, veterinarians performed emergency surgery to remove the needle.
“We don't know the circumstances [of how the needle got in there], but we're really fortunate that it didn't damage any internal organs,” Fugate explained.
She added it’s impossible to tell how long the needle had been in Cinderella’s stomach.
“Our Kansas City Fire Department really stepped it up another notch and saved her life,” Fugate praised.
Deputy Chief James Garrett said the fire department has three stations equipped with oxygen masks specifically designed for animal snouts. In Friday’s case, firefighters used a mask meant for humans to rescue Cinderella.
Paramedics took Cinderella’s owner to the hospital after she jumped from the burning duplex.
Unfortunately on Wednesday, KC Pet Project posted on its Facebook page that Cinderella had passed away. The post said the dog started having seizures that couldn't be controlled by medications.
Cinderella was rushed to BluePearl Animal Hospital, where doctors determined she couldn't be saved. Doctors said it's common for pets who receive a large amount of smoke inhalation to have brain damage, which can manifest 3-10 days after the incident. They believe that's what caused Cinderella's seizures.
"All of us at KC Pet Project are incredibly sad about her passing, but we want everyone to know we did our very best to save her," they said in the post.
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