Golden Retriever Spends Days in ICU—Then Brother’s Visit Changes Everything

A dog recovering in the ICU after a heart attack received a special visitor, which immediately brightened his day and melted the hearts of viewers.

Owners Megha and Vijay Kaushik’s two dogs, Pablo and Rio, are inseparable. They rescued these two in India, but when the pandemic lockdowns hit, the dogs stayed with her parents until the couple could bring them to Canada with them in 2021.

They’ve been enjoying their new life in Canada, playing with each other and being excellent older siblings to the couple’s two children. But panic set in for the couple when Rio, the 8-year-old golden retriever, collapsed on July 6.

“He got seizures and his body got stiff,” Megha told Newsweek via email. “I tried to calm him down, but what I saw next was unexpected. His eyes went up, and he stopped breathing.”

Megha said she started performing CPR. After about 25 blows, Rio came back and screamed. That’s when they rushed him to the nearest emergency vet, where they revived him and referred him to Toronto Animal Health Partners. They did not expect him to have a chance to survive.

Rio stayed in the animal hospital’s ICU for six days and then two more days in aftercare. During those long, grueling days, Rio’s doggy brother, Pablo, was “grief-stricken,” along with the rest of the family. Megha said he quit eating.

When Rio finally regained consciousness, Megha decided to bring Pablo and the rest of the family for a visit, thinking it would rejuvenate everyone, including the two besties.

“That moment was pure emotion and happy at the same time,” she said.

She shared the dogs’ special reunion on her Instagram account, @kmegha.2012. The July 11 video shows Rio making an excited effort to sit up at the sight of his best friend. Thrilled, he couldn’t stop crying. The quick interaction kept his spirits high as he continued to fight.

Thankfully, Rio is back home, recovering “slowly and steadily.” About 10 days after his discharge, he began peeing on his own. Then, by day 25, he could get up on his own and move. His heart swelling is under control, and they continue to monitor his heartbeat.

Because the family did not have pet insurance, the bill came out to be about $25,000, but Megha said they were willing to save their boy at any cost.

Viewer Reactions

Saddened by the dog’s unfortunate health scare, viewers flooded the Instagram video with their hopes for him to get better, and their hearts melted seeing Rio become lively again.

“My god, this is so heartwarming and happy and sad at the same time,” wrote a viewer.

“Stay strong brother!” added another, while a third person chimed in: “Rio and Pablo are going to play together soon.”