Nathalia: Beautiful Abused Saluki Rescued from Qatar Gets Help

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Photos of Nathalia via ASHA: Alabama Sighthound Adoptions at Facebook

Saved from a life on the streets of Qatar and brought to the US by ASHA: Alabama Sighthound Adoptions, Nathalia the rescued Saluki has old fractures to her pelvis, left ulna, and right elbow. She is currently undergoing therapy to help strengthen her muscles prior to surgery to repair her right elbow, including water therapy. The other injuries are too old to benefit from surgery now.

ASHA writes: “When ASHA accepted Nathalia, we understood she had prior skeletal trauma. What we did not know was to what extent. Her right hip is shattered and her right front shoulder is broken with a fragment that has embedded into soft tissue. Amputation is not an option as the hip is not stable enough to help her balance. To add insult to injury, her body is riddled with “ballistic” metal objects identified as buckshot. During her spay, buckshot was removed from her womb. Nathalia is the sweetest, most loving dog. She is quick to give you a kiss and a cuddle. ASHA needs to raise 4 K in order to pay for Nathalia’s orthopedic repair.”

Alabama SightHound Adoption is a not-for-profit group specializing in the rescue, rehabilitation, and placement of sighthounds, primarily Salukis and Saluki mixes, that they bring to the U.S. from Qatar. ASHA works with dedicated volunteers throughout the world who help to free the dogs from lives where they are used for hunting and racing, then abandoned and left to die on the streets, or in the deserts, once their owners no longer have need for them.

ASHA is currently running an auction fundraiser for Nathalia’s medical expenses.

From the auction page: “Nathalia is one such dog, [abandoned and left to die]. She was brought to ASHA, knowing she had some orthopedic issues, but the full extent of her injuries was not known until she underwent comprehensive testing here in the U.S. Working together with the staff at the University of Florida’s School of Veterinary Medicine, it was discovered that Nathalia was riddled with buckshot, has a separated left elbow with embedded shrapnel, a crushed pelvis that has healed incorrectly (because she was never given medical care in Qatar while living on the streets), and a severely damaged left hip. Amputation is not an option due to the problems with her front leg. Last report from our veterinary contact at the school:

“”The right patella is damaged but not causing any issues. The left hip however is severely damaged. There is deviation of the colon to the right (she’s lucky she maintained function neurologically). There is also “ballistic” material throughout. Let me know if you have any questions. I talked with my ortho team today and they think $3 – 4,000 would be the ballpark (more than they thought yesterday after considering how involved it will be). They would reattach the triceps tendon to the bone, move the bone fragment down to where it’s supposed to be, apply a tension band to keep it in to place as well as some suture, then place an external fixator to keep the piece in place but also maintain range of motion. They would also clean out any soft tissue that is restricting the joint, such as fibrous scar tissue. She would be in the fixator for 5-8 weeks then it would be removed. There would be additional rads to make sure everything is healed well as well as physical therapy throughout and after.”

“Nathalia is relatively young, and though she experiences chronic pain, she has remained happy and loving, even after suffering this horrible abuse. We are dedicated to relieving her suffering and giving her true quality of life. This auction will be used to help us meet our goal of raising $4,000 for Nathalia’s surgery and rehabilitation. She is currently receiving water therapy in order to build her body back up in preparation for her surgeries.”
Nathalia is in foster care with intent to adopt.

ASHA’s Medical Auction for Nathalia is open for bidding and runs through Sunday, October 19. You can bid on some great items to help raise money for Nathalia’s medical care. If you choose not to bid, you can help by sharing the auction page at Facebook. There is a FB share button at the top of the auction page. Sharing this post will also help.

If you would like to make a monetary donation, ASHA’s PayPal address is ALsighthounds@gmail.com.

Nathalia in the pool:

A YouTube video shows Nathalia’s first time in the therapy pool for her water therapy sessions.