Nicaraguan dog to be flown to Ottawa for snout-saving surgery (graphic)
Nicaraguan dog to be flown to Ottawa for snout-saving surgery
by Liam Casey, The Canadian Press
Posted Oct 7, 2015 1:57 pm EDT
Last Updated Oct 7, 2015 at 3:40 pm EDT
An Ottawa veterinarian is preparing to fly in a dog from Nicaragua to perform snout-saving surgery.
Graham Thatcher was first tipped to Tyson’s plight on Instagram when a stranger shared a video of the dog’s deep gash and asked for help.
The wound is so deep that the beagle mix’s mouth and nasal cavity are visible through the gash.
“It’s an animal that’s suffering,” said Thatcher in an interview.
“It’s not going to be able to get the care that it needs there, and somebody asked me for help and that’s what we want to do.”
Thatcher said Tyson was wounded accidentally when his owner was clearing brush in the jungle with a machete about a year ago.
He said he worked with Paso Pacifico, an environmental conservation organization that bought the land where Tyson lives with his Nicaraguan family. Thatcher said the company got help from a local vet, who said the dog should be euthanized.
The family, Thatcher and the organization disagreed, and they’ve been working for several months to get the dog’s vaccinations and papers in order to travel to Canada.
Once everything was set, Thatcher’s wife, Andrea White, bought a plane ticket with United Airlines and made arrangements to fly the dog to Houston from Managua in Nicaragua. She was set to leave for Nicaragua last Saturday.
“At the very last minute, United Airlines in Nicaragua said ‘no, you can’t take this dog,'” Thatcher said.
The surgery was put on hold after United refused to fly Tyson because the dog’s injury was too severe.
So White didn’t bother flying down and, instead, the couple went public with their story.
Soon after, the airline reversed course and a spokesman said they are paying for a flight for either Thatcher or White to fly with the wounded hound to Houston.
More:
http://www.citynews.ca/2015/10/07/nicaraguan-dog-to-be-flown-to-ottawa-for-snout-saving-surgery/
Best wishes for this innocent doggie and those who love and hope to help him.
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