Watch CBS News

Charlestown Dog Saved After Fall Through Ice Called 'Christmas Miracle'

ACTON (CBS) - Veterinarians at the Animal Emergency Care Center are calling it a Christmas miracle.

A call came in around 4:30 p.m. on December 25 that a 2-year-old Labrador Retriever named Grit had fallen through the ice in Harvard and was cold, wet and unresponsive.

The dog had gone missing around noon that day and was found in frigid, shallow water more than two hours later.

The owners say she fell through the ice and couldn't get out. It took the family 30 minutes to rescue her.

At the center, they discovered Grit's blood sugar was very low and so was her temperature - just 80 degrees. A dog's normal temperature is between 101 and 102.5 .

Then, as the team worked to warm her, she began seizing.

Veterinarians were able to give the dog medicine to bring her blood sugar up and stop the seizures. They also dried her off with warm blankets and gave her warm fluids.

Later that evening, Grit regained consciousness and her temperature rose steadily.

Animal Emergency Care workers say once she started giving "kisses" to the nurses, they knew she was on the road to recovery.

The next day, Grit got to go home to her family with just a few bruises to remind her owners of the Christmas ordeal and what some are calling a miraculous recovery.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.