Little Thor, savaged by dogs, starts on road to recovery

Having been rescued with horrific injuries, this little Jack Russell Thor faces another hurdle today as his leg is amputated.

Savaged by dogs, and possibly used as dog bait in an illegal dog fight, little Thor has been through a terrible ordeal in the last few days.

He is having surgery today to amputate a badly wounded back leg, and is on high doses of pain relief after he was found distressed and wandering on a Co Cork road.

“He’s the worse case I’ve seen,” said vet Joanne Coughlan, while prepping Thor for surgery this morning in Ballincollig’s Riverview Veterinary Clinic.

“We get a lot of strays in, who have been hit by cars and so on, but I’ve never seen a dog as badly injured as Thor.”

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“It is feared he may have had the wounds and been in excruciating pain for almost a week before he was found covered in fleas and emaciated,” English reports.

Nonetheless, nervous little Thor - a Jack Russell between one and two years old - should recover from today’s amputation, and from his other injuries.

“Jack Russells in particular are very good at putting their weight onto their front legs, if there’s a problem with one of the back legs,” said Joanne. She said Thor should learn quickly to compensate for the loss of his leg.

She said Thor ate his dinner last night, and is “good as gold”.

“But he’s a little nervous, a little afraid,” she said. “He’s had injections, has a drip in his leg, is in an unfamiliar place and has never met any of us before. A lot of dogs who come in here would be nervous, but he’s more so than most.”

Once he’s through his surgery and is on the road to recovery, Thor (named after the Norse god) will need more care.

The Dog Action Welfare Group, which highlighted Thor’s injuries and is supporting his medical care, will step in again at that point to help find a home for Thor.

Update 3pm: Thor came through this morning's surgery very well and is currently recovering from anaesthetic, Joanne told us.