PULLMAN, WA – As Ed Broberg fought for his life in a hospital bed during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was one reason he refused to give up — his dog, Umber.
“The only time I’ve been apart from her since the day I got her was the 11 days I spent in a hospital with COVID,” Broberg said. “I think the only reason I came out of that hospital was because I didn’t want her to think I abandoned her.”
That tight bond is what ultimately led Broberg to Washington State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital when Umber’s health began to fail. The 11‑year‑old Czech shepherd was collapsing without warning, the result of a dangerous heart condition. WSU’s cardiology team would perform a highly specialized procedure to implant a pacemaker, restoring her health and giving her more time with the person she has rarely been apart from since the day they met.
“We were able to get Ed more time with his best friend,” said Dr. Anna Golden, a veterinarian who is completing her cardiology residency at WSU. “Ed is the most compassionate, caring person, and his bond with Umber is unbelievable, so giving them more time together is a privilege.”
Ed is the most compassionate, caring person, and his bond with Umber is unbelievable, so giving them more time together is a privilege.
Dr. Anna Golden, veterinarian
Washington State University
Umber came into Broberg’s life in 2017 after her family was no longer able to care for her. Initially reluctant to give the dog a home, Broberg quickly fell in love with Umber, and the pair has been inseparable since.
“I think divine intervention happened,” he said. “I really feel she adopted me.”
Two years after Broberg’s battle with COVID, a veterinarian warned that Umber had a heart condition known as bradycardia that caused her heart to beat abnormally slowly. For some time Umber showed no symptoms of the condition, but then the collapses began.
“She started having episodes, maybe two or three, when she would just go down like a rock,” Broberg said.
Concerned, he brought her to WSU, where Golden diagnosed a third-degree atrioventricular block — a serious heart rhythm disorder that prevents electrical signals from properly traveling through the heart. As a result, Umber’s heart was beating too slowly to circulate enough blood through her body, causing the sudden collapses.
The solution, Golden told him, was a pacemaker.
To implement the device, Golden and her team — which included Dr. Katie Nadolny, a board certified and locum cardiologist; Dr. Sarah Bayles, a cardiology resident; and fourth-year student Jaclyn Iseman — placed a pacing lead through Umber’s jugular vein and into her right ventricle, connecting it to a small generator that regulates the heart’s rhythm and keeps it beating at a healthy rate.
Since the surgery this past fall, the difference has been dramatic.
“She’s doing very well with the pacemaker,” Golden said. “She’s not collapsing anymore, and she has her energy back. Most importantly, we’ve given them more time together.”
For Broberg, he is thankful for the commitment and dedication of Umber’s care team at WSU.
“She’s my family,” he said. “It’s a gift, a huge gift, and I can’t thank Dr. Golden, her team, and WSU enough for making it possible for her to be next to me right this minute.”
