A veterinarian at Guelph Animal Hospital has rescued a puppy that was attacked by a machete in St. Lucia.
Dr. Renee Fleming said five-month-old Gabriel was left on a remote beach after the attack two weeks ago.
Fleming returned with the pup to Guelph, Ont., on Sunday, and said he’s been doing well despite his injuries.
“We were in quite late last night (Sunday), he had a good night sleeping and he’s been here with my team. I don’t think he’s spent more than five minutes in his kennel, he’s been in everybody’s arms. He’s just such a sweetheart,” Fleming said.
Gabriel, a potcake dog, which is essentially a mixed breed, sustained severe injuries to his face and is missing most of his left lower jawbone.
She said it’s hard to imagine how someone could hurt something so innocent.
“To see something like this, it’s so hard not to feel the hurt and the fear that this puppy must have experienced, the pain they must have experienced. It’s really unfair,” said Fleming, who has worked for various charities over the past decade, including several spay and neuter medical projects in St. Lucia.
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Fleming first travelled to St. Lucia in 2016 with an organization called the Canadian Animal Assistance Team (CAAT) to conduct a spay/neuter project on the island. The initiative was organized by Helpaws (Help Animal Welfare in St. Lucia).
Fleming’s connection with the charitable organization led her back to St. Lucia, which was a two-day trip. Upon learning about the puppy’s journey, along with his need to be brought back to North America, Fleming said a Helpaws supporter donated money to fly her onto the island.
Fleming said the local medical staff offered humane euthanasia, but she said the dog would have a better chance at surviving in Canada or the United States, where more extensive diagnostics and treatments could be done.
“So, over the course of a few weeks we’ve tried to do some local stabilization on the island with the help of the local island veterinarians, and it became apparent that there was nothing that could be done locally,” she said.
Her trip back to the island allowed her to assess the dog’s injuries and ensure it was safe for him to make the journey to Canada.
Since returning to the hospital, Fleming said Gabriel is improving with sedation and anesthesia. X-rays were done on his head, jaw and teeth before he went into surgery on Tuesday.
The puppy currently has a feeding tube in place so staff can help with his nutrition until his weight is more stable. Gabriel will be in Fleming’s care until he’s stable for foster care.
“This little guy has been fortunate that the rescue was able to take him in and fundraise for his care, but definitely I think we can all do a little bit of a better job about education and being aware of what happens in terms of health and wellness,” she said.
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