Vet saves dog-owner's life

Lizzie Bevis had a heart attack at Matthew Fry's vet clinic.

A UK-based New Zealand vet has been hailed a hero after saving the life of a woman who had just seen her mother's beloved dog put down.

The dog had been given a lethal injection at the Lincolnshire veterinary clinic that Matthew Fry works at when 30-year-old Lizzie Bevis had a heart attack.

Initially it was thought Bevis had fainted. But shortly after collapsing, she stopped breathing and started to turn blue.

The quick-thinking Fry - who comes from the Kapiti Coast - asked a nurse to give her oxygen and ring for emergency services.

The pair then gave Bevis life-saving CPR.

"Obviously, doing CPR on an animal is important, but with a person it's more emotional. The consequences of Lizzie not living are quite substantial. She's got two kids," Fry told the Herald on Sunday last night.

Bevis had suffered massive heart failure and was later told she was clinically dead for four minutes.

Paramedics rushed her to Lincolnshire Hospital where she was put into an induced coma for two days.

She was fitted with an internal defibrillator and diagnosed with a rare heart condition called Long QT syndrome, where stress can induce dangerously irregular heartbeats.

Bevis remembers nothing of the ordeal but has expressed her gratitude to those who saved her. For Fry and his staff it was in the form of a cake decorated by Bevis' children with the words: "Thank You".

Fry, who moved to the UK 20 years ago, couldn't believe the "media storm" the story had sparked. It had been reported widely in the United Kingdom, as well as the United States and even Hungary.

The label "hero" was an exaggeration, he said.

His kids might not think so.

Yesterday, Fry's daughters Rebecca, 16, and Jessica, 13, were wishing Saturday was a school day so they could enjoy their Dad's moment in the spotlight with their friends.

"They've been getting texts and things. They wish it was school time. They are really proud."