When you work in a hospital, your primary goal is to assist people who are suffering from various injuries or diseases. That is the case for those who work at the Hospital Agudo in Brazil. Those injuries and diseases can take many different forms, but this week, a specific type of treatment was required.
It wasn’t a broken bone or an infection that required attention, but rather a few broken hearts. As it turned out, they were up to the challenge.
Late last month, a local man was admitted to the hospital. They immediately began working on him, but it wasn’t long before they noticed that something was going on outside.
There were two dogs who chose to hang out near the entryway. Nobody knew why at first, and despite their best efforts, they refused to leave.
They were outside the entrance day and night for two weeks with the dog. They were, as it turned out, there for a reason.
The hospital staff discovered that the patient admitted the same day was the owner of those dogs. Princess and Scooby are the names of the two dogs. Princess belongs to the man in the hospital, but Scooby is a friend of hers who came to visit.
When veterinarian Maria Alice Altermann learned about these dogs, she thought they should be seen. Her friend worked as a nurse at the hospital they were ‘visiting’.
They got more than just a checkup, it turns out.
Princess and Scooby had been patiently waiting for the patient’s release. The hospital’s doctors determined that everyone would benefit from a visit. They were first taken to a groomer for preparation before being carried through the hospital corridors to their room.
For reasons of privacy, the patient’s identity has been withheld. However, when you see the reunion, you realize it was a wonderful thing.
“We took the carriers into the room and released the dogs,” Altermann explained. “The man began to exhale rapidly. We put his hand on Princess after the dogs climbed on the bed. And there she lay and remained.”
It wasn’t medicine, but it had an effect on everyone in the room.
“We are honored to be able to contribute to this important and special meeting,” Altermann wrote later. “It will undoubtedly reflect in the patient’s recovery and will soothe the distressed hearts of the dogs who had been missing him so much.”
The hospital staff is still caring for Princess and Scooby. When the man is well enough, they will be released with him.
“All of us on the Agudo Hospital Association staff are rooting for our patient’s recovery and that he returns home soon,” the hospital wrote, “so that Princess and her friend can alleviate their longing.”
