A young dog who needed life-saving surgery to give her a proper anus when she was just ten weeks old has gone on to find a loving forever home.
People first noticed something was wrong with Malla the cockapoo when she was brought into Acorn Veterinary Surgery for her vaccinations.Upon realising the girl would be needing surgery to build her a new bottom, she was given over to the care of the practice.
Despite the fact that her unique birth defect was making her pretty uncomfortable, Malla was described as ‘a really bright and cute little thing’ by a vet who treated her.Clinical director and veterinary surgeon Rhiannon Mansell said: ‘We saw her when she came in with her litter for her vaccinations, and unfortunately she didn’t have a bottom and had instead been passing waste through a fistula, an abnormal hole.INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: The American Veterinary Dental Society states that 80% of Dogs and 70% of cats show signs of oral disease by age 3.
‘The condition is called atresia ani, and it’s very rare. It’s not something that we see every day.
‘She was very bloated and struggling to go to the toilet and was really uncomfortable, but otherwise a really bright and cute little thing.
‘We ended up signing her over to the practice and one of our advanced soft tissue surgeons, Nick Wheeldon, had a little look at her.INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: Having a dog in the house means more bacteria enters the home and gets inside the occupants (one study found “dog-related biodiversity” is especially high on pillowcases.) In turn, people with dogs seem to get ill less frequently and less severely than people with no pets.
‘We wanted to save her and find her a new home so we basically constructed her a new bottom so that she could pass stool.’
Now that Malla is well enough, she’s out of the vet’s care and settling into her new forever home with owner Barbara Beauchamp, 59. Barbara, from West Kirby, Merseyside, said: ‘She’s settled in really well, she’s a really lovely dog.
INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: Have you ever wondered why your dog curls up in a ball when they sleep? It’s actually an age-old instinct to keep themselves warm and to protect vital organs while they sleep.
‘When she first went to the vet, and they diagnosed her, the breeder didn’t want her anymore, so she was staying with different girls at the vet.
‘One of them is my neighbour, and when she found out I was looking to adopt a puppy, it worked out perfectly.
‘I was worried she would struggle a bit having moved around so much, but she’s been an absolute star.
‘She certainly keeps me young!’
Malla has to keep to a special diet, and may need another surgery when she gets older.
Barbara said: ‘She has a special dog food I buy from the vets that’s obviously easy to digest.INTERESTING FACT ABOUT YOUR PET: Have you ever wondered why your dog curls up in a ball when they sleep? It’s actually an age-old instinct to keep themselves warm and to protect vital organs while they sleep.
‘Otherwise it’s boiled chicken chopped up very small with rice.
‘She definitely can’t have anything from my plate, but maybe that’s a good thing.’
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