Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Hernel Tocmo

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1778244047951shitzu1.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">A team of seven veterinary surgeons worked together to save Caesar. Courtesy: Bev Tecson-Cangayda</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>DAVAO CITY - An 8-year-old male Shih Tzu was brought back to life after flatlining during a critical surgery following a car accident on May 1, in what his owner and veterinary surgeons described as a miracle.</p><p>CCTV footage showed Caesar, who had been completely blind for months, being ran over by a car that was reversing out of a garage.</p><p> The dog was seen struggling in pain before falling into a nearby creek, an incident that quickly turned critical, according to his owner, Bev Cangayda, who was then spending the long weekend in Kidapawan City, Cotabato.</p><p> “When we found him, my heart broke. We didn’t waste a second. We carried him, cleaned him as best as we could, and rushed him to the clinic. The moment we got there, the news crushed us. His condition was very poor. They told us he might only have 48 hours,” Cangayda said in her social media post.</p><p> Determined to save him, they traveled to Davao City and brought Caesar to the Davao Emergency Veterinary Hospital.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2026/5/3/-pagmamalupit-sa-tuta-sa-legazpi-binatikos-ng-animal-advocates-0913"><strong>&#x27;Pagmamalupit&#x27; sa tuta sa Legazpi, binatikos ng animal advocates</strong></a></div><p>Dr. Ronald Lunar, a veterinary surgeon at the hospital, said Caesar sustained a diaphragmatic hernia after being hit by the vehicle.</p><p> He explained that the trauma caused a rupture in the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest and abdomen, requiring immediate surgery.</p><p> “Nate-tear yung diaphragm because of trauma. Ang diaphragm kasi is the strongest muscle of the body. At hindi yan basta-basta mababasag. But because nasagasaan siya, kaya nabasag siya. Yung kanyang liver, intestine, pumasok sa chest niya, kaya nahihirapan siyang huminga. Nagpu-purple siya, yung heart niya, hindi maka-pump ng maayos,” he told ABS-CBN News.</p><p> Lunar said the operation carried only about a 50% chance of survival.</p><p> “It’s a very, very critical surgery. From 1 to 10, around 8 ang kanyang level of difficulty ng surgery because we are dealing with lungs and the heart,” he said.</p><p> Despite the odds, Caesar showed signs of resilience.</p><p> “Strangely, everything seemed stable. He was holding on. He was still fighting despite the fact that the strongest muscle in his body was broken. We held on to that 50% like it was everything,” Cangayda said.</p><p>A team of seven veterinary surgeons worked together to save Caesar, repairing his abdomen while performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) due to his difficulty breathing and weak heartbeat.</p><p> “What happened to Ceasar is, he is physiologically dead on the table. So I just told Doc Eds, ‘Doc, I think it’s better that we just gonna close it, but continue the CPR until the owner will come, sabihin natin sa kanya, at siya ang magsabi na mag-stop ng CPR’,” Lunar said.</p><div> <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/11/25/19/dog-wounded-after-hacking-incident-in-cebu"><strong>Dog wounded after hacking incident in Cebu</strong></a></div><p>Despite continuous CPR, the team eventually prepared to stop resuscitation after Caesar flatlined on the ECG and showed no signs of breathing.</p><p> Cangayda said she was devastated, describing the moment as if her world had collapsed, but she continued to pray and held on to her faith.</p><p> Moments later, however, the surgical team witnessed something unexpected, Caesar’s heartbeat returned.</p><p> “When we tried to remove the ECG na. Tinatanggal na yung ET tube, then nag-start na konting hinga. At first, maybe because na effect lang ng epinephrine, effect lang ng pag-ambu bag natin. But we tried to resuscitate again, then bumalik yung heartbeat niya,” Lunar said.</p><p> “To be honest with you, I don’t know what happened. I think it’s miracle bakit siya bumalik, he came back to life,” he added.</p><p> Cangayda said she could not explain how Caesar survived, but expressed gratitude to God and to those who supported them, including those who extended financial help and prayers.</p><p> Veterinary surgeons said Caesar has been recovering well and was discharged from the hospital on Friday, May 8.</p><div> </div><div> </div>

<p>An 8-year-old male Shih Tzu was brought back to life after flatlining during a critical surgery following a car accident on May 1, in what his owner and veterinary surgeons described as a miracle.</p>

An 8-year-old male Shih Tzu was brought back to life after flatlining during a critical surgery following a car accident on May 1, in what his owner and veterinary surgeons described as a miracle.

'Miracle dog': 8-year-old Shih Tzu revived after flatlining in surgery following car accident

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'Miracle dog': 8-year-old Shih Tzu revived after flatlining in surgery following car accident

Hernel Tocmo,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 08, 2026 08:46 PM PHT

Read More:

Miracle

Dog

Critical

Car crash

Veterinary surgeons

Davao City

Kidapawan City

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