Curious Dog's Heart Stops for 17 Minutes After Pet Ingests Something From Owner's Nightstand (Exclusive)

Nelly, a 7-year-old dog, ingested three kinds of human medications before her heart stopped

NEED TO KNOW

• Nelly, a curious dog from Portland, Ore., ingested three months’ worth of three separate human medicines, and had to be rushed to an animal hospital
• After Nelly’s heart stopped, staff at DoveLewis 24/7 Animal Hospital tirelessly administered CPR for 17 minutes
• “Those 17 minutes were the longest of my career, but no one ever gave up,” Dr. Julia Supino, who treated Nelly, tells PEOPLE

A curious dog's misadventure could have ended in tragedy if it weren't for the healthcare heroes at her local veterinary hospital.

On Dec. 15, a playful Portland, Ore., dog named Nelly managed to get into one of her parents' nightstands, chewed open the bottles stored in the drawer, and ingested three different kinds of human medications. When her family came home, the dog was clearly in distress.

The "playful and energetic" 7-year-old canine was rushed to DoveLewis 24/7 Animal Hospital, where she vomited multiple times and lapsed into lethargy. An emergency team immediately assessed the severity of the situation. Dr. Julia Supino, one of the doctors who treated Nelly, tells PEOPLE the dog had ingested the prescription medications Lamictal, Remeron, and Auvelity, all in alarming doses.

"Altogether, she consumed about three months' worth of each," Supino tells PEOPLE. "The most concerning was the Lamictal, as Nelly had ingested nearly seven times the reported fatal dose."

Not long after Nelly arrived at the facility, her heart stopped, and Supino and the emergency medical staff mobilized quickly to start CPR. Luckily, Nelly developed a "shockable rhythm" — more common in humans than animals — which meant she could be treated with defibrillation.

Nelly put up an admirable fight, Supino tells PEOPLE, and her parents stood by her the whole time, cheering her on. Then, after a whopping 17 minutes, Nelly's heart started beating again.

"Those 17 minutes were the longest of my career, but no one ever gave up," Supino says. "When Nelly was revived, I felt an incredible rush of relief and pride. My team had worked tirelessly for all 17 minutes of her cardiac arrest, and we all cheered, with a few of us even shedding tears."

Despite Nelly's miraculous revival, the danger of the situation hadn't passed yet: Nelly was still "critically ill" and required intensive care to address both the medicine ingested and the cardiac arrest. The 7-year-old dog had to go through extensive bloodwork, chest X-rays, and fluid administration as part of her recovery, Supino says.

Throughout the entire ordeal, Nelly's "endearing, resilient personality" still shone through, Supino says. She was immensely popular with the hospital's entire staff, so much so that her "Certificate of Bravery," which Nelly received when she got to go home, was completely filled with "heartfelt" messages from the medical team, celebrating her strength.

"She was a model patient in the ICU, and everyone who worked with her quickly fell in love with her," Supino says. "She became something of a hospital celebrity."

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Supino says the best way to prevent an incident like Nelly's is to restrict access to any harmful substances. That means keeping medications totally out of an animal's reach — on a high shelf, or in a drawer that can't be easily opened — especially for animals who "counter-surf" or are especially curious.

Now, Nelly is back home with her family, and thankfully, she shows no lasting physical effects from the medical emergency.

"Her parents send updates and videos from time to time, showing her chasing balls and exploring every scent on her walks," Supino says. "She continues to remind everyone that she is truly a miracle dog."

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