Lucky the puppy lived up to her name after vets performed life-saving surgery to give her a proper bum.
The five-month-old Bulldog was born with Atresia ani type 3, a rare congenital defect meaning she did not have an anus.
Her worried owners noticed she was struggling and took her to a vet who referred her to specialists at Linnaeus-owned West Midlands Veterinary Referrals (WMR), near Burton-on-Trent, Staffs.
This summer she underwent a complex operation to build her a new bottom from scratch.
Dr Chris Lancelott, who led Lucky’s treatment, said: “Lucky was, in fact, unluckily born with a congenital defect that meant she had no anus.
“It was a severe case of a condition we call an ‘Atresia ani type 3 and rectovaginal fistula’.
“In layman’s terms, I needed to create an anus, reposition the rectum and attach the bowel to this new anus.
“The surgery is challenging in these cases as type 3 atresia means the closed bowel is far away from where the anus should be.
“First, we removed the fistula (abnormal internal passageway) and then carefully dissected the rectum to mobilise it.”
Following the three-hour operation, Lucky then spent a week recovering and learning to relief herself.
Lucky has now returned to her home in Rugeley, Staffs., where she is continuing her convalescence.
Her owner Frances Silk said: “We realised within the first week of Lucky being born that she wasn’t ‘plumbed’ correctly and, as a result, she suffered from water infections and constipation.
“Our local vets suggested we try to get her to between eight and 12 weeks old, when she might be big enough to undergo an operation.
“After a thorough investigation and detailed discussions, we decided to go ahead with the operation to correct her issues.
“The operation went well and three months later, Lucky is slowly going from strength to strength.
“After months of being fed a liquid diet she is now able to eat kibble just like her mum.”
