An abandoned puppy found in a Hillside park will get a second chance at life but faces a future possibly without sight.
Six-week-old bulldog ‘Cherrie’ was found abandoned in a box at a park in Ashbury Grove early last month.
In severe pain and suffering a prolapsed eye, ulcers to her second eye and a severe worm infestation, Cherrie was handed in to a local vet who contacted Brimbank council, which then referred her to Second Chance Animal Rescue (SCAR) in Campbellfield.
This has been an all-too-familiar story for the shelter.
“We do help a number of council areas, but we do have quite a few animals being surrendered from the Brimbank area,” SCAR managing director Marisa Debattista said.
Cherrie underwent surgery to sew her eyelids shut to relieve pressure, and she may have the prolapsed eye removed when she is eight weeks old.
“At this stage her eyes are not causing her any pain so there is a chance that she may not need the eyes removed, but time will tell as she grows,” Ms Debattista said.
“If either eye seems to be causing her pain we will ensure they are removed so that she’s comfortable.
“Our specialists believe that she is not likely to have any vision in either eye; time will tell but it’s likely that she will be blind for life.”
Cherrie has been placed in a foster home with a veterinary nurse and is doing “extremely well”.
Ms Debattista said it was difficult to know what happened to the brave pup.
“We’ve seen this sort of thing happen in puppies when their mum has attacked them, litter-mates have caused damage to the eye or due to trauma inflicted by a person. She wasn’t abandoned for long as she was not malnourished or dehydrated – maybe a few hours to a day at most so she’s lucky to have been found so soon.”
