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Pooch's Pacemaker Gives Him New Life

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 15, 2008

LAND O' LAKES - He posed for the camera, leapt on the couch and ran to the door to meet his favorite human.

A month ago, Nike, an 11-year-old Chinese pug, looked to be at death's door. He had a history of heart problems but had never seemed so sluggish and often was short of breath.

His owners, Debbie and Tim Muldowney, took him to Suncoast Veterinary Care Center, where the family was referred to Alan Spier and Nicole Piscitelli at Florida Veterinary Specialists.

The news was bleak: Nike's heart was so enlarged that it practically filled his rib cage. The Muldowneys could take him home to live out his days in discomfort - or have a pacemaker implanted.

"Whoever heard of a pacemaker on a dog?" Debbie Muldowney said Thursday as Nike jumped into her lap.

Desperate to save their pet, the Muldowneys didn't hesitate. Nike received the pacemaker Jan. 20, and it wasn't long before he was bounding around their Suncoast Meadows home like a puppy.

"He's back to normal," Tim Muldowney said with a grin Thursday afternoon. "He was just, like, depressed before."

Geoff Fox

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