A DUNDEE man whose dog had its tongue ripped out in a horrific attack by a hawk has hailed his pet’s speedy recovery as a “miracle”.
Ian Farquhar’s Jack Russell Ollie was seriously injured in the attack in November when the bird of prey swooped on waste ground near Douglas.
Mr Farquhar (47) said: “He was in the vet’s for a week. They didn’t tell me at the time but the vet didn’t think that Ollie would pull through.
“They didn’t want me to worry but his injuries were so severe.
“The vet said he was shocked to see how fast Ollie has recovered. I think it’s a miracle.”
Ollie was rushed to see a vet following the attack and faced a difficult first few days.
Mr Farquhar said: “When we tried to feed him he wouldn’t be able to take it and he would choke.
“We thought if he wasn’t able to adapt we might have to put him down.”
Mr Farquhar, who is a gardener, said Ollie has now adapted well to eating and drinking without his tongue.
He said: “He puts his two front paws on my knee and climbs up and I put the food at the back of his throat for him to swallow. I have to cut the food into small pieces.
“I give him water through a syringe once a day. For a start, he would walk up to his water bowl and nudge it with his nose and then walk away a bit confused. That was horrible to watch.”
Mr Farquhar said that despite Ollie’s quick recovery, he would still not be able to lead a normal life.
He said: “Summer will be the test in case he overheats. We won’t be able to go hillwalking anymore. I used to climb the Munroes but we’ll have to sacrifice that, but at least Ollie is still here.”
Mr Farquhar said that his other dog Rocky seemed to know that Ollie needed a little extra help after the incident.
He said: “Rocky grooms him and licks his paws after they have been out. He must know that Ollie needs help because he didn’t do that before. It’s the cutest thing ever to see.”
Mr Farquhar said Ollie was still happy to go outside, despite what had happened to him.
He added: “He is a wee bit wary when there are birds flying over him. He is not as sure as he was. But if you didn’t know what had happened to him, you’d just think he was an ordinary wee dog.
“He is holding his weight well and everyone who knows him is amazed at how well he is doing. He is back to his friendly self after being at death’s door.”
gogston@thecourier.co.uk