A Sweet Dog Who Lost His Front Paws to a Vicious Attack Is Able to Walk Again With Prosthetics

A really sweet young dog named Cola took his first steps after he was viciously attacked with a sword by a neighbor in Samutprakarn, Thailand whose work shoes and helmet Cola chewed. The heinous attacker sliced of Cola’s front paws and part of his front legs, leaving the 1-year old dog in pain and unable to walk. Luckily, the Phuket animal rescue group Soi Dog Foundation stepped in to save Cola and fit him with these prosthetics that allow him to walk, run and even prance along the beach.

Cola had both his front legs hacked off with a sword in a vicious attack. His crime had been to chew the next door neighbour’s shoes. Losing a lot of blood and in agonising pain, Cola was in need of urgent specialist treatment if he was to survive. Support from people like you meant we could transfer him to a private clinic in Bangkok, where once stabilised, he underwent surgery. Luckily Cola survived and once recovered, was fitted with prosthetic limbs which allowed him to run and walk once more. Thanks to people just like YOU, thousands of animals like Cola have been rescued to date, but many more need help.

Cola was eventually adopted by SDF co-founder Gill Dalley who lost both her legs below the knee to a bad case of septicemia that developed after she rescuing a dog from a flooded field.

In September of 2004, Gill Dalley was attempting to bring a tranquillized stray into the clinic for treatment. They had tranquillized the dog and it had escaped into a flooded buffalo field. She knew she could not leave the dog there and waded through the water to save it. Shortly afterward, Gill became ill and her legs began to ache and turn a bluish-gray. She had developed septicemia, infected by an unknown organism in the flooded field she had carried the dog through. Doctors treating her realised the only way to save her life was to amputate both her legs below the knee.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.