UPDATE On Kabang – Heroic dog who had nose ripped off saving two young girls from bike crash has treatment postponed after vets find tumour

Update on Kabang, this news is not good but vets are hopeful she will pull through. What an amazing dog, to lose half her face then suffer with a tumour & heartworm. I just hope this further set back will not lessen her zest for life. God bless her, my prayers & thoughts are with Kabang & the surgeons who everyone is looking to, to give this sweet girl her face back. 

A courageous dog who became an international hero after losing her nose saving two young girls, has had her muzzle-surgery postponed after it was discovered she needs chemo.

Kabang the dog won celebrity status when she jumped in front of a speeding motorcycle to save her owner’s young daughter and niece, but lost her upper jaw in the process.

After local veterinarians failed to help her, the dog was flown to the U.S. where her doctors now say she needs treatment for heart worm and chemotherapy before she can undergo facial reconstruction.

Helping a hero: Kabang’s facial surgery has been postponed after veterinarians at University of California at Davis discovered a vaginal tumour and heartworm

After the accident her owner was told by Filipino veterinarians he should put her down, but he refused.

Kabang’s plight reached Karen Kenngott, a critical care nurse from Buffalo, New York, who set up a charity campaign to help.

Care For Kabang raised over $20,000 from 22 countries to cover the costs of surgeries, visas and airfare.

She was flown to the University of California at Davis for specialist treatment to the wound on her face, where doctors discovered a tumour and the heartworm

The veterinarians are ‘cautiously optimistic’ that Kabang will make a full recovery and return to the Philippines, Dr. Jane Sykes of the University hospital said.

‘She’s a very sweet dog and everyone here became attached to her quite quickly,’ the director of the facility’s small animal clinic said.

‘We’re eager to help her get better.’

The horrific accident occurred in December 2011 when the daughter of Kabang’s owner, nine-year-old Dina Bunggal, and her cousin three-year old Princess Diansing, were playing with the dog in Zamboanga City, Philippines.

The girls were crossing a busy street when a motorcycle came speeding right towards them.

Eyewitnesses said that Kabang appeared out of nowhere and threw herself in front the vehicle just before it hit the two children.

Kabang’s face became tangled in the spokes of the bike’s wheel, and her entire upper jaw was torn off.

Kabang, who became a mother to six little puppies in April this year, had a rough start in life when Dina’s father Rudy found her abandoned in a rice paddy.

He brought the dog home to fatten her up and feed her to the family, but his daughter and niece convinced him to spare Kabang and keep her as a pet – a lucky move for both dog and family.

Once recovered from the chemotherapy and heartworm treatment, Kabang will undergo dental surgery and facial reconstruction.

Her veterinarians at U.C. at Davis have said there are no plans to give her a prosthetic nose to replace the one she lost.

Grateful dog: Kabang was found in a rice paddy as a puppy and was nearly killed for meat, but her owner’s daughter and niece pleaded for her life

News Link:- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2219013/Kabang-Heroic-dog-snout-ripped-saving-young-girls-bike-crash-arrives-California-medical-treatment.html#ixzz29fE36F00
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UC Davis examined Kabang this morning. Great news! They are confident they can help her. UC Davis VMTH has created a special section of their website devoted to Kabang. It will be continuously updated with the latest news on Kabang. Check it out:

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/vmth/small_animal/kabang/index.cfm

 

Kabang, The Hero Dog From The Philippines, Arrives At UC Davis

“I have prayed since the day I first saw Kabang in a News paper last year. I’m thrilled she is actually here & I can see the donation I made was & is being used for it’s intended purpose! Will keep up the prayers until kabang is ready to go back home, God bless her!”  

Almost a year ago, a dog named Kabang lost her snout and upper jaw when she leapt in front of a motorcycle to save two little girls in the Philippines.

Today veterinary specialists at the University of California, Davis, examined Kabang to determine what can be done to give her a better chance at a long and healthy life.

During the hour long, preliminary exam, veterinary surgeons Boaz Arzi and Frank Verstraete assessed Kabang’s overall condition and conducted blood and urine tests.“We are pleased with what we discovered today,” Verstraete said. “We are confident we can improve her condition going forward.”  Added Arzi: “Kabang has suffered catastrophic injuries to her face.

While we had consulted over photos and video, we were not able to make a proper determination of the care we would be able to offer Kabang until we examined her in person.”

To reduce the chance of infection and minimize stress for Kabang, the dog will not be available to the news media at this point. A written statement from the veterinary team, B-roll and Kabang’s arrival and initial examination at UC Davis will be available later today in an online press kit.

Verstraete and Arzi are members of the dentistry and oral surgery service faculty at UC Davis’ William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. The hospital has the most comprehensive dental and oral surgery service of any veterinary teaching hospital in the world, providing surgery for dogs, cats and other animal species.

Arzi and Verstraete are now consulting with Anton Mari H. Lim, Kabang’s veterinarian from the Philippines, to develop a treatment plan for Kabang.

Based on preliminary discussions, Arzi and Verstraete anticipate that Kabang will need at least two surgeries. The first likely would focus on dental work. The second would attempt to close the gaping wound on the dog’s face, protecting her from infection and improving her quality of life.

Kabang is expected to be at UC Davis for at least six weeks.

Contrary to some rumours in the media, there are no plans to fit Kabang with a “prosthetic snout” or to replace her jaw.

An independent, international donation campaign raised the money to bring Kabang and Lim to the United States for a consultation with veterinary reconstructive surgery specialists at UC Davis. Kabang and Lim landed at Los Angeles International Airport late Monday night and arrived in Davis on Tuesday.

The veterinary hospital’s website includes background information on Kabang’s story and will feature continual updates about her care and progress

News Link:–http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=10371

Face book page covering Kabangs story with lots of pictures :–https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151076693640509&set=a.10150995056590509.423972.512045508&type=1&theater

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• Life-saving surgery scheduled for heroic dog who saved children by jumping in path of motorcycle (preciousjules1985.wordpress.com)

 

Teen Arrested For Setting Cat On Fire In West Sacramento Park

WEST SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – An arrest has been made stemming from a disturbing case of animal cruelty earlier this month when a cat was set on fire at a West Sacramento park.

A stray cat found set on fire at a West Sacramento park was treated at UC Davis Veterinary School of Medicine but ultimately had to be euthanized. (courtesy: Yolo County Animal Services)

Police on Wednesday said they arrested a 17-year-old boy from West Sacramento for felony cruelty to animals. His name was not released because of his age.

On May 2, police received a report that a cat was on fire in Circle Park. Yolo County Animal Control officers responded and took the cat to UC Davis Veterinary Hospital for treatment, but the animal had to be euthanized because of the severity of the burns.

Doctors treating the cat determined that a possible accelerant was used.

There were no witnesses on scene and no one came forward with information, but a detective from the West Sacramento Police Department was able to establish leads that led to the arrest Wednesday morning, police said.

News Link:-http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/05/30/teen-arrested-for-burning-cat-in-west-sacramento-park/