The dog that won't die: 'Euthanized' Redford Rottweiler wakes prior to planned burial

[TitsMcGee]

Redford Township resident Matt Olivarez made the difficult decision on Saturday to euthanize his 10-year-old rottweiler.

Sunday, the dog sprang to life.

Olivarez told Fox 2 that Mia's significant hip problems and generally-poor health prompted him to put her down at the recommendation of veterinarians at Westcott Veterinary Care Center in Detroit.

Following the procedure, Olivarez took what he believed was the dog's dead body and placed it in his garage with plans to bury it the next day. But when he opened the door on Sunday, he found Mia alive alive.

"For her to just wake up the next morning is very crazy," Olivarez told The Detroit News. "I watch scary movies. It was like a scene from 'Pet Sematary.'"

He's got a point. It certainly doesn't sound like "Old Yeller." But while the dog's survival may sound like good news on the surface, Olivarez is left to wrestle with both philosophical and practical questions.

"What if I would have buried my dog alive?" he told WXYZ. "What if I would have cremated her and burned her alive? How do I explain to my kids I have to kill Mia twice?"

For now, the vet clinic has yet to publicly respond and Olivarez is feeding Mia by hand. He told The News she appears to be in severe pain, but he doesn't think he has the heart to euthanize her again.

I'd seriously be reporting the vet to whatever agency that regulates vets. And I'd be seriously traumatized. To have to make the decision to put you beloved pet down, to only find it still alive the next day...I'd be thinking zombie dog or "Pet Cemetery" too.

[StormKnight (1)]

I have seen the euthanasia agent for most animals. It is an IV overdose of pentobarbital in a solution concentration 2000mg/ml (not a typo, 2 GRAMS of drug per ml.) 1ml of the stuff IV is enough to put 10 people into a coma (medical concentration of the stuff is only 50mg/ml.) Average euthanasia dose is at least 10ml.

This vet sounds like he cut back the dose more than a little bit, or he used a wrong method.

[Fidget(+)]

I was a bit shocked when I read this. I couldn't imagine what the family went thru. When I put down my dog it was hard enough to see him take 5+ last desperate gasps for breath....but to actually have the dog come back...thats crazy.

[LadyKay]

I found an update to this story and it has a happy ending.

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2010/11/10/dnt.mi.dog.wakes.up.wdiv

[Destroit]

I found an update to this story and it has a happy ending.

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2010/11/10/dnt.mi.dog.wakes.up.wdiv

Awwww...I almost got all teary. I love news stories like this.

Awwww...I almost got all teary. I love news stories like this.

[TitsMcGee]

I heard about that yesterday on the news. I'm happy that she's going somewhere that she will live instead of being put down again.