Dog who lost part of her nose at the hands of Chinese meat traders sending her to slaughter is adopted by UK owner who crowdfunds £4,500 for reconstructive surgery from Instagram fans
- The Belgian shepherd, called Angel, rescued in 2015 from Changchun, China
- Flown to England for adoption and is now owned by 25-year-old Hollie Cornes
- Hollie set up fundraiser to pay for corrective surgery before smashing target
A dog who lost part of her nose due to abuse at the hands of Chinese meat traders underwent life-changing facial reconstruction surgery after her owner crowdfunded £4,500 for treatment.
The Belgian shepherd, called Angel, was rescued in 2015 from Changchun, China, when activists seized a truckload of dogs destined for the slaughterhouse.
The six-year-old dog had emergency surgery in Beijing before the Rushton Dog Rescue flew her to England for adoption.
Hollie Cornes, 25, from Witney, Oxfordshire, who is now Angel's owner, later launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay for the pooch's facial reconstructive surgery which has largely been funded by the dog's 30,000 Instagram followers.
The Belgian shepherd, called Angel (pictured before surgery), was rescued in 2015 from Changchun, China, when activists seized a truckload of canines destined for the slaughterhouse
Owner Hollie Cornes said the procedure involved reconstructing Angel's face so her previously-exposed mouth is now protected and the hole she breathes through was made larger. Pictured: Before surgery (left) and after surgery (right)
Hollie said the rescuers attributed the pooch's 'horrific' facial injuries to the metal tools used by dog catchers to seize hold of pets and haul them unwillingly over walls.
Angel had largely learnt to cope with her injuries but the skin around her nose would frequently bleed and she often struggled to breathe. Hollie, who set up an Instagram page for Angel which now boasts more than 30,000 followers, decided to contact world-renowned vet specialists Fitzpatrick Referrals to see if they could help.
She was told she would need to fork out £2,500 to fund a CT scan to diagnose the severity of Angel's ailments.
Hollie Cornes, from Witney, Oxfordshire, who is now Angel's owner, has since launched a GoFundMe campaign to pay for the pooch's facial reconstructive surgery (pictured before surgery)
Angel (pictured left and right before surgery) had largely learnt to cope with her injuries but the skin around her nose would frequently bleed and she often struggled to breathe
But the sum was paid by one of Angel's generous social media followers and the results revealed her 'nose' was sealed with scar tissue and she only had a 2mm hole to breathe through.
Hollie, who describes Angel as the 'sweetest dog she's ever come across', then decided to launch a GoFundMe campaign to pay for the pooch's facial reconstructive surgery.
Hollie, who set the target at £4,500, said: 'We raised the money really quickly, which I never expected.
'Without the fundraising and her support system it wouldn't have been an option...
Hollie, who described Angel (pictured before surgery) as the 'sweetest dog she's ever come across', set up an Instagram page for Angel which now boasts more than 30,000 followers
The GoFundMe page hit the target in just four days and Angel underwent surgery (pictured) the following week
'She's got so many people that love and care about her [on social media] - it was only because of that that I thought it would be possible to raise that amount of money.
'We were told her initial CT scan would be £2,500 and one lady on Instagram sent the money straight away - which was incredible.
'I personally think this surgery has been life-changing for her.
'I didn't want to put her through any more stress and surgery - none of this was for aesthetic reasons, I loved the way she looked before - it was purely based on her quality of life.'
Hollie said that the injuries Angel had sustained whilst she was around two years old in China meant that she would hear her wake up in the night struggling to breathe.
She contacted oncology and soft tissue experts at Christmas time and a CT scan was booked for January 4 which revealed that extent of the internal damage.
Hollie said she wanted Angel (pictured after surgery) to have the operation to improve her quality of life rather than for aesthetic reasons
Hollie said: 'From looking at pictures of her she's got half a nose, which I always assumed was the side that she could breathe through because aesthetically that looks like the normal side.
'They found that behind her nose was completely sealed over with scar tissue, so she wasn't breathing through that side of the nose at all, but a 2mm hole the other side.
'As soon as we found out she was breathing through that tiny hole - it [surgery] was a no brainer.
The GoFundMe page hit the target in just four days and Angel underwent surgery the following week.
The military dog handler said the procedure involved reconstructing Angel's face so her previously-exposed mouth is now protected and the hole she breathes through was made larger.
Angel had a tough start in life as she was rescued from the dog meat trade and Hollie said she appeared in a video of dogs being transported to a slaughterhouse that went viral.
Hollie said: 'It just so happened that they'd [Rushton Dog Rescue] rescued this breed that I'd always wanted, I came across her and thought it was fate - I had to re-home this dog.
'I read more and looked at her pictures from before she was first rescued, and I suppose I wanted to bring this dog home even more to give her the life she'd never had.
'She ran straight up to us across the field, we bought our other dog with us and they got on straight away - as soon as I saw her I knew I had to take her home with me.
'She's the sweetest dog that I've ever come across - and I come across different dogs every day.'
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