An unpleasant encounter happened in Arizona last month – a small Chihuahua puppy collided with a huge Cholla cactus.
The meeting turned the puppy into a cactus. The whole face and body of the dog was covered with spines.
The baby, who was barely five months old, was very lucky – he caught the eye of a kind person who could not walk past a dog in trouble.
The good Samaritan handed over the wounded puppy, who was named Charlie, into the care of the local animal control service.
They turned to volunteers who paid for Chihuahua treatment at the Second Chance Animal Hospital for help.
Finally the puppy received the necessary help! He was given a sedative to relieve pain, and then they began to remove the spines one by one.
The operation was very difficult, because the cholla spines were all over the tiny body (the puppy weighed only 5 pounds) – in the mouth, near the eyes, in the paws.
After the procedure, the puppy was left under observation for another two days – in case the doctors missed a piece of a spine and the wound began to become inflamed, or if an infection got under the dog’s skin with a cactus.
As soon as the doctors were convinced that Charlie was safe, he was sent to the family for temporary housing. After all, for such a baby to be alone in a clinic would be a lot of stress.
Here the baby was provided with all the necessary postoperative care. And the staff made sure that Cholla Charlie did not get bored.
The temporary owner called him “the wiggliest, happiest and the most adorable five-month-old baby you can imagine.”
The doctors found out that the puppy happily escaped all the troubles that await street puppies. He was absolutely healthy.
And lucky Charlie was ready to go to a new home. All that remained was to find reliable hands. He was sent to the Adoption Center.
A couple of hours and the adorable dog is already going to a new house near the shelter, in Scottsdale.
He is a very lucky puppy. He survived on the street, did not get sick, met the right person in time, who asked for help, easily underwent the operation and very quickly went to a loving family.
