Shot dog a miracle survivor
Published: July 14, 2006
She was shot between the eyes and left to suffer for days _ but Bonnie the dog has miraculously survived.
However, she is not out of the woods yet _ she may need an operation and will need a new home if she is to stay alive.
The four-year-old stray dog was found cowering at the end of a driveway in Kumi Kumi Rd in the lower Kaimai Range this week, covered in blood.
Now she needs a new home and possibly an operation _ the money for which the SPCA doesn’t have.
It is not known who owns the dog _ named Bonnie by staff at Tauranga’s Barkes Corner Vet Hospital.
All that is known is that she’s an incredible survivor.
The residents of the house in Kumi Kumi Rd who found Bonnie early on Tuesday evening, phoned dog control who quickly dispatched the SPCA animal ambulance. The dog had no collar or indications of registration.
“She’s uncomfortable alright,” veterinarian and clinic owner Scott Raleigh said, giving Bonnie a pat.
“But she doesn’t complain at all. She’s eating and drinking well. She’s been a really lucky dog, really lucky.”
Mr Raleigh suspects Bonnie’s injuries were caused by a .22 rifle; the bullet missed her brain by only 20mm.
“The bullet has gone down through the top of the nose, through the hard palate, through the centre of the tongue and out between the bones of the lower jaw.”
It also appears she may have been hit a second time, as the dog has another injury on her right shoulder.
“There are tiny fragments of lead in her head, indicating it’s gone all the way down,” Mr Raleigh said.
Bonnie’s nose is inflamed and full of mucus, making it difficult for her to breathe properly.
“We’re not sure how much nasal damage has been done and whether it’s affected sensitive tissues. We’re not 100 per cent sure she’ll come through but she’s eating and drinking and seems to be a lot better today.”
Mr Raleigh said it was also possible the bullet may have torn Bonnie’s saliva duct. He said she had been suffering with her injuries for at least two or three days.
“They (the injuries) weren’t brand new. The lesion in her tongue had already started to heal, as had the hole in her hard palate.”
Mr Raleigh is trying conventional medicine but says if that doesn’t work she will need surgery, which the SPCA says it can’t really afford. It relies solely on the financial support of the public for funding. Last year vet bills cost the branch $55,961.
“They’ve got a budget. Any surgery involving the nasal cavity is major surgery,” Mr Raleigh said.
“At this stage it’s completely fair to try antibiotics and anti-inflamatories. I don’t know what’s going to happen with the saliva duct though. There’s a significant chance that with conservative treatment given over the next 10-14 days, she’ll be able to breathe easily,” Mr Raleigh said.
“She’s a very good natured dog and put up with everything that was done to her.”
The circumstances around Bonnie’s attack is unknown but Tauranga SPCA manager Matt Franklin said he has his suspicions.
“My guess is being a rural area, a farmer may have seen her worrying stock and has taken it upon himself to shoot her.
“[But] even if a person shoots a dog they have legal responsibilities to make sure it dies humanely … There is no excuse for cruelty to an animal. It’s amazing that this dog is even alive. It’s not often that the SPCA deal with animals that have been shot in this way and left alive,” he said.
Mr Raleigh added: “(Bonnie) may have been feeding directly front on, it (the bullet) has gone right down the mid-line. Two centimetres up and it would have killed her. It would have been all over.”
Mr Franklin said anyone who ill-treats an animal is liable upon summary conviction to a term of imprisonment or a maximum fine of $25,000, or both.
He said the SPCA would be conducting an investigation into Bonnie’s injuries and, while a prosecution case can run into the thousands of dollars, it did not deter the society from pursuing any person that ill-treats an animal.
He said Barkes Corner Vet Hospital had been good to the SPCA and to Bonnie, which apart the injuries, is in good condition, although slightly underweight.
“Tauranga SPCA would be very interested in hearing from anybody who may recognise this dog so that we can reunite her with her owner and/or identify the person who shot her and left her for dead.”
“If she can survive being shot two times she deserves to live. We are going to do all we can to see that she recovers, is rehabilitated, and ends up in a loving home,” Mr Franklin said.
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