British Woman's Dog Alerts Her to Infant's Life-Threatening Heart Condition
Kim Reynolds, a British woman, credits her Doberman, Saraya, with alerting her to a life-threatening heart condition in her 5-month-old son, Alexander. Saraya began acting unusually distressed around the baby, whining, pacing, and licking his face. Although Alexander initially appeared fine, he later started screaming and crying uncontrollably. Recalling Saraya's behavior, Reynolds and her mother took Alexander to emergency care, where doctors discovered his heart rate was dangerously high, exceeding 200 beats per minute. Alexander was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a congenital heart condition causing rapid heart palpitations. He is now on beta blockers, and doctors are monitoring his condition, with a potential future procedure to regulate his heart rate. Cardiologist Vassilios Bezzerides from Boston Children's Hospital noted that such conditions can be subtle in infants and that dogs have been known to detect medical problems.
