Rescue dog makes remarkable recovery after having his nose blown off by a firework
A dog which lost his nose after thugs strapped fireworks to his jaw has made a remarkable recovery.
The one-year-old dog, named “Braveheart”, suffered life-threatening injuries and needed four surgeries after being found by an animal rescue charity in Sonora, Mexico.
Vets totally reconstructed his jaw and he was eventually sent to recover at the Saving Huey Foundation in California.
The charity, which is ran by Tracy Lystra, 44, agreed to pay for Braveheart's recovery and said that he is now happy and loves playing with his rescue pup friends.
Ms Lystra said: “I was contacted by someone in Mexico about Braveheart, they sent me a picture of him and my first instinct was to have the poor dog put down.
“I had never done any rescue in that area so was unsure of the vets out there but a friend told me about Dr.Briseno, who thought he could help.
“A new jaw was made for Braveheart, and he has four surgeries to rebuild his jaw.
READ MORE FROM YAHOO NEWS UK:
Boris Johnson Adopts Cute Puppy Dog in Crucial Brexit Week
Spanish city to force dog owners to rinse dog wee off the streets
Humans have shaped dogs’ brains through selective breeding, scientists say
“He ended up staying at the practice in Mexico for two months until he was healthy enough to make the 11-hour drive to us, he has been with us for two months now.
“Shortly after coming to us he had the tube removed from his nose and this seemed to alleviate a lot of discomforts.
“Vets here had no idea what it was, and we nearly lost him but he has made a remarkable recovery.”
Braveheart was found earlier this year, but it has been unclear as to what exactly caused the damage.
Tracy said: 'I do not know much about Braveheart's past, as is the case with the majority of our cases.
'In Braveheart's case his surgeon in Mexico as well as the hospital staff here in the U.S. agree that it appears as if he had explosives put in his mouth.
'Because of the damage it is believed that the explosive was more than likely a firecracker.'
Ms Lystra said that Braveheart is recovering very well and is a happy dog at her charity's sanctuary.
She said: 'Braveheart is an amazing boy who loves people and other animals, he still gets a little too excited when he meets new friends but he's learning not to jump.
'I would be lying if I said that late at night, I didn't have awful thoughts as to what I would do to the people who commit such crimes.
'I am able to take a lot of what I see and hide it from my emotions, but there are times it definitely catches up with me.'
Ms Lystra added: 'Many people see an animal in pain and either turn a blind eye to it or want to end the animals' life.
'While Saving Huey Foundation does not condone suffering, we do want to offer second chances to the lives that can sustain such an offering.'
