Diamonds, an adult crossbreed amputee, survived the worst fate imaginable after he was used as a bait dog in a dogfighting incident.
In November this year, The Cape of Good Hope SPCA Inspectorate was notified telephonically by a Good Samaritan who reported the ordeal.
“Luckily there was an SPCA vehicle in the vicinity that could respond to the call without delay. Inspectors reached Diamonds just in time for a life-saving intervention,” the SPCA said in a statement.
Outnumbered, he fought a valiant fight and managed to fend off his adversaries, the complete opposite outcome the dogfighters and owners of a pit bull fighting ring had expected.
When Diamonds survived the attacks, the owners of the pit bulls proceeded to physically break his remaining back leg, leaving him vulnerable and unable to move. Injured, defenceless and in excruciating pain, the bell rang for round two in a fight to the death.
He was intercepted by the SPCA inspectors in the nick of time.
On presentation and after hearing about Diamonds’ ordeal, “we were all heartbroken and emotional that this sweet and gentle dog had to suffer like this at the hands of human beings. He did not deserve this. We needed to do everything to help him”, the SPCA added.
Diamonds had bite wounds to his ears and the leg, with an open fracture of the tibia which exposed the bone. An open fracture meant that Diamonds was not a candidate for the bone planting kit recently acquired due to risk of infection.
“We sedated him, cleaned the wounds, and bandaged the leg to stabilise it to prevent further contamination. We started him on pain medication and antibiotics,” head veterinarian Dr Este Spies said.
Doctors geared up for orthopaedic surgery where a pin and external fixation was used to repair and stabilise the fracture. Surgery was successful, but doctors warn Diamonds has a long road to recovery ahead of him.
Dogfighting is still very much alive and well in Cape Town and cause irreparable physical and psychological harm to innocent animals.
Anyone who comes across any suspected act of animal cruelty should contact the Cape of Good Hope SPCA without delay by calling 021 700 4158/59 and 083 326 1604 after hours.
Those wanting to assist the teams in doing their life-saving work by donating finances can click here for further steps.
Also read: SPCA offers R15k reward for information on dog fighting
Pictures: Cape of Good Hope SPCA