Chihuahua Brought Back to Life After Being Declared Dead

A 3-year-old Chihuahua in Chula Vista, California who died on the operating table was brought back to life by a veterinarian who refused to give up on her. Julietta died on Tuesday, but Dr. Juli Maher gave her a second chance at life.

Julietta was brought into the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility with a broken leg last week. Her tibia was severely fractured, and the staff believes she had been abused, according to local ABC News affiliate News 10. Following surgery, Julietta’s heart stopped and she reportedly started turning blue before she flatlined and was declared clinically dead by medical accounts.

Then Dr. Maher administered CPR and, with the help of Registered Veterinarian Technician Mark Manzon, who pumped air into the little pup’s lungs, Julietta was brought back to life. In her 27 years of operating on animals, Dr. Maher said she has never seen a dog in that condition come back to life the way Julietta did. “I was just amazed,” she told ABC News.

Julietta is still recovering from her leg surgery and is expected to be put up for adoption.

Approximately 2.7 million healthy and adoptable cats and dogs are euthanized every year (that’s close to one animal every 11 minutes) due to overpopulation in animal shelters. Humans interested in adopting an animal and saving a life can check local animal shelters. A list of several shelters in California can be found here.

Adelle Nazarian is on Twitter @AdelleNaz