82% of homeless people say their dog is their best friend, so when something happens to their dog it can be an incredibly distressing time.
Thankfully for Gulbar Hussain, his four-year-old Staffie up to her name after an accident.
Lucky had been crossing the street near Portobello Road, London, with her owner, when all of a sudden a car had appeared from nowhere, running poor Lucky down.
Gulbar Hussain, said, “It all happened so fast. I had managed to get out of the way, but Lucky had no chance. The car didn’t even stop and quickly sped off.”
“Who would do something like that? Hit a poor defenceless dog and leave them there to die. I was terrified. I’ve had Lucky since she was a puppy and she has always been by my side. The thought of not having her here scared the life out of me.”
After the incident Lucky was given pain relief, but when her owner realised she still wasn’t bearing any weight on her hind right leg, X-rays were taken at RSPCA Putney during out of hours.
Lucky was later taken to The Mayhew Animal Home where their Vet Team discovered that the poorly pooch had broken her hind right leg and fractured her pelvis. She was in a lot of pain and could hardly move.
The Mayhew’s Vet, Áine Maguire, said, “Poor Lucky seemed to suffer more from separation anxiety from being apart from her owner and would constantly cry for him.”
“We performed a femoral head and neck excision on her hind right leg, which is a procedure used to treat painful hip conditions. The surgery was successful and Lucky recovered well from the procedure. She had to be completely rested for a couple of weeks so that her fractured pelvis had time to heal.”
Lucky’s condition was monitored closely over the next three weeks and slowly she began to put weight on her leg again. Thankfully after receiving medical treatment and lots of rest, Lucky was allowed to continue her recovery with her owner, and was soon showing off her affectionate and loyal side.
Animal Welfare Officer, Tania Mazzoni, said, “It is extremely clear that Lucky is very important to Gulbar and vice versa. When Lucky had to stay with us for three weeks to recover, Gulbar would visit constantly and bring in food for Lucky – they were inseparable!”
“She was extremely lucky not to be more seriously hurt. She isn’t just Lucky by name, but Lucky by nature too.”
“A dog is often a homeless person’s only companion and they create this incredible bond. Lucky and Gulbar would be lost without each other and that’s why it is so important we try and keep them together.”
“The Mayhew strives to tackle the companion animal welfare crisis from every possible angle. We are proactive and innovative, working to help animals and their carers by running outreach community initiatives.”
In this particular case, the charity covered all of the veterinary costs for Lucky as her owner was in a vulnerable situation, and they also provided a collapsible cage and physio tips so that Lucky could continue her recovery once she had been reunited with her owner.
The Mayhew’s Animal Welfare Officers visit homeless hostels and drop in centres including Thames Reach, Broadway Homeless Hostel and Drop in Centre, Spitalfields Crypt Trust and St Mungo’s, as part of their community-based outreach projects to help vulnerable people in crisis situations.
Support and advice is offered for homeless dog owners including free general health checks and micro-chipping, plus they are encouraged to book in their dogs for free neutering, vaccinations and a general health check with a Mayhew vet. If their pets have any sickness or injury, they will be taken back to the Community Vet Clinic for free treatment.
Find out more about The Mayhew Animal Home by visiting their website.
