PULLMAN, WA – A puppy rescued from a house fire last week is back with its family and expected to make a full recovery after days fighting to live on a ventilator at Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

Yuna, a 5-month-old pit bull mix recently adopted from the Whitman County Humane Society by Renae Shrum, Matt Vincenti and their daughter Ashlynn, suffered severe smoke inhalation in the Moscow fire and was rushed to WSU for continuous supplemental oxygen and around-the-clock emergency care.

“When I saw her on the ventilator, I was not sure if she was going to make it,” said Dr. Claudia Huerta, a veterinary resident in emergency and critical care who oversaw Yuna. “These are complicated cases that have a guarded prognosis, but each day she got stronger and stronger and her breathing continued to improve.”

Initially expected to be on a ventilator for at least a week or more, Yuna was breathing on her own in 48 hours and is already back to her curious, rambunctious, young self, to the surprise of Huerta, WSU veterinary staff, and her owners. She was discharged from the hospital on Sunday afternoon.

“I can’t thank the Moscow firefighters or the veterinarians or anyone who’s put in any sort of financial, emotional, or physical support for us enough; I’ll be thanking them for the rest of my life. Stuff can be dealt with and replaced, and our house can be rebuilt. I’m just grateful for the fact that I have my husband and my daughter and at least two of our animals,” Renae said.

Yuna was not the only animal affected by the fire. Two of the family cats, Jarvis and Zeppelin, died in the fire, while another, Daredevil, was treated for minor injuries at a local veterinary clinic.

The fire started due to a faulty furnace in the early morning hours on Feb. 16. Renae was awakened by multiple fire alarms to a dark and smoke-filled room.

“Numb and in shock,” she reached for her phone and moved into the garage. Away from the smoke, she dialed 911, but before she knew it, the house was completely filled with smoke.

“Looking back on it I am like, ‘why didn’t I grab (Yuna) and the cat, because they were right there,’ but at that moment we were just trying to figure out what the heck was going on,” Renae said. “You might have a contingency plan, but as soon as you get an emergency, everything goes out the window.”

While Renae, her husband and daughter managed to get out before city of Moscow volunteer firefighters arrived, Yuna was located in the basement by firefighters Aiden Koval and Ronan Hall, who were extinguishing the blaze.

“We started hearing some barking and that’s when we looked down the hall and saw her standing there,” Hall said.

Hall handed Yuna off to Luca Atencio, who carried her out of the home and to a medic who provided on-scene oxygen treatment before driving to WSU. Atencio said the lone cat survivor – Daredevil – was found on the catio, which provided the fresh air that kept him alive. Jarvis was also located and brought outside by firefighters but passed away in route to WSU.

Each of the responding firefighters – Atencio, Nick Canto, Hall, and Koval – are University of Idaho students volunteering at the department through UI’s Student Resident Firefighter Program.

“We’re all looking to do this as a career and it’s moments like this that make it all worth it,” Atencio said.

Following this incident, Moscow Fire Chief Brian Nickerson said the department is looking into the cost of having oxygen masks designed for pets installed on each truck for future situations like these.

Besides antibiotics to treat any possible lung injuries and antibiotic ointment to assess corneal ulcers that were caused in the fire, Yuna has made a full recovery, and she’s left a lasting impression on the veterinarians in WSU’s Intensive Care Unit.

“For me personally, this is my first successful mechanical ventilator patient and so it really gives me hope for future patients as well,” Huerta said.

While Yuna’s final veterinary bill is around $15,000, the family started a GoFundMe campaign to assist with the unforeseen cost; part of the bill will be covered by WSU’s Good Samaritan Fund – a donation fund established by veterinary students in the 1990s to help animals in need of care whose owners cannot afford treatment.