Burns, maggots, blood loss: Bhoiguda's unknown survivor fights for life

Hyderabad: The Bhoiguda fire accident of 23 March took the lives of 11 migrant workers and left two survivors. While one of the survivors, Prem Kumar, is still in the hospital, the second survivor is an 11-year-old dog.

The dog escaped the accident and was rescued by the Greater Hyderabad Municipality Corporation (GHMC) a day after the accident. Deputy director of GHMC Animal Birth Control (ABC) Sadguna assessed the animal's condition and said the dog had suffered burns near its legs. However, she said that the dog required further special treatment that is not available at the ABC centre.

"Apart from the burns, the dog also had a very deep maggot wound and blood loss," she added.

A few days after the dog started receiving treatment, a group of volunteers reached out to the GHMC and showed an interest in taking care of the dog. Vivek, Gowtham, and Vineela are the volunteers who are looking after the injured animal. The dog is currently staying in Vineela's house.

"The dog is also extremely dehydrated. It'll take at least six months for it to walk again," said Dr. Abhishek who is currently looking after the dog.

"The maggot wound near the lower abdominal part is a serious concern. A blood transfusion will help the dog become normal soon. If not, its condition might deteriorate," he said. Along with this, the dog also has spinal and kidney issues.

"The problem here is there are no government vet hospitals to treat such cases. The Narayanaguda specialty veterinary hospital is of no use even though all types of equipment are available. Because the technical staff is on leave, no x-ray and other vital checks can be done there. Private hospitals are expensive," Vineela said.

The volunteers mostly depend on NGO funds for treatment.

"It seems the dog was very friendly with the deceased workers who died in the fire. It slept with them and managed to escape from the window," Vivek said.