Ugly critter ..... more info below. Hell of a story behind this.

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from the source ..... A dog whose snout was sliced off when he trying to save two young girls in the
Philippines was examined by veterinarians. The
mixed-breed dog, named Kabang, became an unlikely star in the Philippines after
she reportedly threw herself into the path of a speeding motorcycle just as it
was about to hit two young girls crossing a roadway in Zamboanga City.



The lunge, by all accounts, saved the lives of the
daughter and niece of Kabang's owner, but cost the dog her snout and upper jaw,
which was sheared off when she got tangled in the motorcycle's spokes. The
gruesome injury puts her in grave danger of developing an infection. At
minimum, the gaping wound must be closed, a delicate procedure that is beyond
the capability of veterinarians in the Philippines.



Kabang was brought to the William R. Pritchard
Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, at UC Davis, where a team of
veterinarians looked over her wounds.



"We are pleased with what we
discovered," said Frank Verstraete, one of the veterinary surgeons who
conducted an hour-long exam Thursday that included blood and urine tests.
"We are confident we can improve her condition going forward."



Verstraete and fellow surgeon Boaz Arzi said they
anticipate that Kabang will need at least two surgeries over the next six
weeks, one focusing on dental work and the other to close the gaping wound on
her face.



"Contrary to some rumors in the media,"
the hospital said in a statement, "there are no plans to fit Kabang with a
'prosthetic snout' or to replace her jaw."



The campaign to help Kabang was spearheaded by
Karen Kenngott, a longtime critical care nurse from Buffalo, N.Y., who
organized a fundraising campaign that raised more than $20,000 in donations
from 20 different countries, enough to pay for surgery, airfare, visas,
passports and a hotel stay for the dog and her handlers.



Kabang, referred to in newspapers in the
Philippines as the "hero dog," flew into Los Angeles International
Airport Monday night with Anton Lim, her local veterinarian. Her owner, Rudy
Bunggal, had to stay home apparently because he could not locate a valid birth
certificate and was unable to obtain a visa or passport.



Kabang's unprecedented journey actually began
nearly two years ago in a swamp near Zamboanga, when the 57-year-old Bunggal
found an abandoned puppy in a paddy field. He initially kept the dog with the
intention of fattening it up and feeding it to his family, a practice that is
not uncommon in the Philippines, but his daughter, Dina, 11, and niece,
Princess, 3, grew close to the dog, according to numerous published accounts.
They named her Kabang, which means "spotty" in their native Visayan
language, and the dog became very protective of the girls.



The motorcycle accident, which left Kabang
literally with half a face, touched hearts across the Philippines. Kenngott
heard about the dog's plight, which prompted her to start a website,
careforkabang.com, and opened Facebook and Twitter accounts. Her grassroots
campaign was helped by pet lovers' websites, many of which have considerable
followings in the Bay Area.



"It is a high-profile case for us," said
Rob Warren, the spokesman for Davis' veterinary hospital. "It is a
tremendous opportunity for everybody. I see it as a win-win all around."