Man visits Illinois animal hospital, suddenly becomes patient

NORTHFIELD, Ill. -- The staff at a Illinois veterinary office is trained to handle all kinds of medical emergencies for dogs, cats and other pets. But this week they used the same training to help save a human life.

A 59-year-old man and his family visited the BluePearl animal hospital Monday to check on their dog, a 12-year-old golden retriever admitted for complications due to a neurological disorder.

After meeting with a veterinarian, the man collapsed in the lobby. When staff members rushed to his side, he was unresponsive and they could not find a pulse, a news release from BluePearl said.

The staff and a bystander started CPR and called 911 as the vet the family had just met with also ran to the lobby and continued mouth-to-mouth, the news release said. At that point, the man regained consciousness.

The staff administered oxygen, placed ice packs around the man's body and cooled him with a wet washcloth, the release said. They brought out a machine designed to monitor animals' vital signs and used it to measure the man's blood oxygen levels.

An ambulance arrived and took the man to nearby Glenbrook Hospital, where he was released after several hours of care, the release said.