Last Updated on May 9, 2023 by Pets Feed
They found her alone and amputated. The operation was made possible thanks to the money collected on the Internet.
It is the moving story of a true survivor. Monika, a stray dog in Russia, was able to walk again after having four titanium prostheses, a very rare, expensive operation that was funded entirely with money obtained through an online fundraiser.
Operated two weeks ago, Monika, the female dog with beige fur, seems tired and is still moving in fear. But walk.
Amputated and Abandoned: Monika’s Story
Monika was found dying in December 2020 in the town of Plastunóvskaya, Krasnodar, southwest Russia.
She had been abandoned and had all four legs amputated. “My neighbor called me and told me the animal was cold on the ground for 15 days and refused to eat,” Marina Gapich, an animal rights activist from Krasnodar, told local media.
“Nobody knows what happened to him, some volunteers believe that someone cut off his legs out of cruelty,” said Sergei Gorchkov, the 33-year-old veterinarian behind the feat at the “Best” clinic in Novosibirsk, Siberia.
Poor Monika, whose age is estimated between 2 and 4 years old, could have ended up like so many injured abandoned dogs: slaughtered or died in a slow and painful way.
Fortunately, a group of volunteers from Krasnodar mobilized for her.
Unprecedented surgery
Activist Gapich took Monika to the city’s veterinary clinic, where specialists fought for more than 10 days to keep her alive. The animal regained consciousness, but was in danger of being euthanized as it was believed to never walk again, RT reported.
“Luck and experience played a big role,” veterinarian Gorshkov said modestly in a dialogue with AFP.
This is the first time that he has performed an operation of this type on a dog, after having done it on a cat in 2019.
“The case was complicated,” admitted Gorshkov. “No one had done this type of prosthesis before. A CT scan showed that the animal’s bones were very deformed. Plus, Monika weighed a lot more than a cat. But we decided to take the risk,” he said. he added.
Alla Leonkina said that with a friend she took care of her for almost a year. “He was in terrible shape,” she said. They also created an online kitty to fund an operation for the animal.
In one month, the group raised more than 5,500 dollars, a significant sum in Russia.
Monika’s guardian angels also funded the creation of the prostheses, which were made with a 3D printer using a titanium nickel vanadium alloy.
One of the legs broke after placement, forcing the vet to make another attempt six months later.
Ten days after the operation, Monika managed to take her first steps. “It was a success. The female dog is already walking on her own and will soon resume her normal life,” said the vet. In addition, when the osseointegration process is complete, the dog will be ready to be discharged from the hospital.
What will happen to Monika?
Fortunately, the fate of this dog who fought so hard for her life is being followed by thousands of users on social media.
Among them is Kasey Carlin, a British activist who runs the “Maggie the Wonder Dog” Instagram account on the lives of disabled dogs. She assured that she was ready to take Monika to London to live with her in her house.
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