- Title: PHILIPPINES: Hero dog back, her fighting spirit hailed
- Date: 8th June 2013
- Summary: MANILA, PHILIPPINES (JUNE 8, 2013) (REUTERS) DOG, KABANG SURROUNDED BY PHOTOGRAPHERS INSIDE VETERINARY CLINIC VETERINARIANS STANDING BESIDE KABANG VARIOUS OF VETERINARIAN WHO ACCOMPANIED KABANG TO U.S. ANTON LIM, CARRYING HER "TEAM KABANG" MEMBERS ANTON LIM, ED UNSON AND MONA CONSUNJI IN NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) VETERINARIAN AT ANIMAL HOUSE CLINIC, ED UNSON, SAYING: "That was such a big gaping hole for so long, and you can just imagine all the bacteria, the fungus, the flies, all the infectious diseases that would have stopped or killed Kabang. There were so many factors that could have killed her already." LIM PETTTING KABANG VARIOUS OF KABANG STANDING (SOUNDBITE) (English) VETERINARIAN AT ANIMAL HOUSE CLINIC, ED UNSON, SAYING: "Kabang as you know is just a sweetheart. Anytime, she is just genuine. When you look at her in the eyes, she just wants to fight, she wants to help. This is a journey of Kabang. She's here to come back to the Philippines, and we as Team Kabang, this is still the beginning." PHOTO OF KABANG AFTER THE ACCIDENT, WITH A CHILD, PROJECTED DURING NEWS CONFERENCE PHOTO OF SKULL MODEL OF KABANG'S INJURED FACE (SOUNDBITE) (English/Filipino) VETERINARIAN FROM ZAMBOANGA CITY, ANTON LIM, SAYING: "They really did their best, and their priority was not the form, was never aesthetic, but really the health and function. That was their focus." KABANG HELD ON LEASH BY HANDLER LIM SHOWING CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION GIVEN TO KABANG BY CITY OF WOODLAND LIM SHOWING CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION GIVEN BY CALIFORNIA STATE ASSEMBLY VARIOUS OF KABANG WEARING AMERICAN RED CROSS MEDAL (SOUNDBITE) (English/Filipino) VETERINARIAN FROM ZAMBOANGA CITY, ANTON LIM, SAYING: "This is a victory for all the dog lovers, not only here but worldwide." KABANG CARRIED BY LIM KABANG LEANING TOWARDS LIM'S CHEST
- Embargoed: 23rd June 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Philippines
- City:
- Country: Philippines
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVABODAKFQR1MZ6X458YYSQTDUX7
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: A dog hailed for saving the lives of two girls in the Philippines was brought home on Saturday (June 8) from California, where she received treatment for life-threatening injuries thanks to contributions from supporters worldwide.
The shepherd-mix Kabang lost his snout in December 2011, as he jumped in front of a speeding motorcycle that was on the verge of hitting two girls, in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.
One of the girls was the nine-year old daughter of Kabang's owner Rudy Bunggal, and the other was a three-year old cousin. Bunggal said Kabang had formed a bond with his daughter Dina, which had likely prompted her to save the girls.
The accident ripped off the entire top of Kabang's snout, including her nose and jaw, leaving a gaping wound that was vulnerable to infection, and veterinarians in the Philippines had limited expertise to treat the severity of her injuries.
"That was such a big gaping hole for so long, and you can just imagine all the bacteria, the fungus, the flies, all the infectious diseases that would have stopped or killed Kabang. There were so many factors that could have killed her already," one of Kabang's veterinarians, Ed Unson, said.
Her heroism moved thousands of supporters from at least 45 countries, who contributed to a fund through the private organization Care for Kabang, initiated by a nurse from Buffalo, New York, and animal lovers in the Philippines.
A 'Team Kabang' was formed, with the aim of finding the best care for the dog.
Donations reaching around 27,000 US dollars enabled Kabang's treatment in the University of California, Davis's veterinary medical teaching hospital.
Filipino veterinarian Ed Unson, who was with Kabang in U.C. Davis, said her incredible fighting spirit throughout her ordeal was simply moving.
"Kabang as you know is just a sweetheart. Anytime, she is just genuine. When you look at her in the eyes, she just wants to fight, she wants to help. This is a journey of Kabang. She's here to come back to the Philippines, and we as Team Kabang, this is still the beginning," Unson said.
Veterinarian Anton Lim, a Zamboanga resident and one of the first to attend to Kabang, accompanied her to the U.S. last October for the treatments and arrived with her back in Manila on Saturday morning.
He lauded the team of UC Davis veterinarians specialising in oncology, infectious diseases, dental, oral and soft-tissue surgery who treated Kabang.
Specialists discovered that she also had heartworm disease and a venereal tumor, a type of infectious cancer, which the diminutive mixed breed bravely faced.
In March, veterinary surgeons performed oral surgery to remove two of the dog's upper teeth and reconstruct one eyelid that had been damaged by the motorcycle.
Later in the month Kabang underwent a nearly five-hour maxillofacial surgery that first closed her facial wound with skin flaps brought forward from the top and sides of her head, and then reconstructed nasal openings by inserting stents in those passages that would allow permanent nostrils to form.
Lim said Kabang did not cry or show pain, and never lost her appetite, manifesting a unique will to survive.
With her salivary glands intact, she can eat on her own, preferring dog kibble and Hawaiian bread. She can still pant and bark, and her sense of smell remains functional.
But because only millimeters remained of Kabang's upper skull, the U.C. Davis veterinarians opted not to apply a prosthetic as it could snap away easily and require repeated doses of steroids that may compromise Kabang's health.
"They really did their best, and their priority was not the form, was never aesthetic, but really the health and function. That was their focus," Lim said.
Though she remains snoutless, her wound is sealed and protected against infection and Kabang is fully capable of an active life when she returns to her family in Zamboanga province.
Having acquired celebrity status by inspiring the world with her heroic deed and staying sweet and energetic despite her medical ailments, Kabang is being groomed to become a canine ambassador who will represent responsible pet ownership.
"This is a victory for all the dog lovers, not only here but worldwide," Lim said.
Several U.S. institutions including the American Red Cross, the Senate of California and the state assembly, honoured Kabang's heroism with certificates of recognition.
Kabang's family in Zamboanga province is awaiting her arrival on Sunday (June 9), where a motorcade is being planned to welcome the hero dog. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None