A dog abandoned on the streets of Goa, India, has made a miraculous recovery after falling victim to a brutal acid attack.
The young dog, nicknamed Bones by her rescuers, was left wondering the streets with half of her face burned away.
It is not known who carried out the cruel and seemingly unprovoked attack on the ‘trusting’ pup.
The dog was still trusting enough – despite the cruelty she had received – to allow vets to treat her with bandages and antibiotics
Bones is now fully recovered and looking for a new home in the Indian state of Goa
The acid had eaten away through her skin and tissue, creating a huge hole in her head exposing her skull.
With such a huge gaping wound, Bones faced a lingering death from infection.
However, villagers took pity on the sorry dog and alerted vets from a British-based charity WVS, who quickly came to the rescue.
WVS described the acid attack victim as ‘suffering from one of the extreme wounds we’ve ever seen’.
They managed to capture Bones and quickly gain her trust, allowing them to treat her with stitches, bandages, and antibiotics.
The dog is now happy, healthy and living with a WVS volunteer while waiting for someone to adopt her.
Bones has won over everybody she met, including villagers who rescued her, dog handlers, vets and dog walkers – all are overjoyed to see her make such a spectacular recovery
WVS Goa Clinical Director Dr. Karlette Anne Fernandes said: ‘From day one, despite the severe trauma, she let us bandage her face, without trouble, and she learnt to breathe through the mouth instead of her clogged nostrils.
‘This dog was destined to live, she was a fighter and she taught us how to fight to save lives.
‘Everyone from the villagers who rescued her, the dog handlers, the vets, the dog walkers, the visitors, everyone has been so overjoyed to see her make such a fantastic recovery.’
Dorset-based WVS has a rescue centre based in Goa, providing long-term clinical care for abandoned, abused and injured street dogs in and around the Indian state.
The centre also provides practical surgical training to Indian vets and local charity workers, promoting best practice techniques in animal welfare.
Vet Luke Gamble launched WVS from Cranborne, Dorset, in 2002 to combat animal suffering and now has long-term projects with animals of all sizes in places such as India, Thailand and Malawi.