Toddler mauled by dog undergoes successful plastic surgery

A two-year-old boy mauled by a dog in Accra has undergone a successful surgery, Dr. Hope Glover Addy, a Pediatric Surgeon at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, said on Monday.

Dr Addy said plastic surgery had been performed at the anus, the affected part, and the stool diverted to the abdomen to allow for smooth passage.

The two-year-old boy was attacked by a mixed shepherd breed dog last Monday night and got part of his anus and the flesh around that area as well as the private part chopped off, leaving the toddler in critical condition.

The mother had left him in a baby cot to use the washroom when the incident happened.

Dr Addy said despite the success of the first surgery, the chances of survival of the toddler would depend on the final surgery, which was yet to be performed.

He said: “The boy is injured, part of the anus and the skin around the place have been chopped off so, we have diverted the stool from the anus to the abdomen.

“If the place clears up, we will remove the plastic surgery to see what we can do, whether to patch up the raw area, then after that we can think of subsequent surgeries…bringing another vault back to the anus.

“If he does not get any overwhelming infection, the place will heal normally…and with the anus, there are some muscles that enable one to control the passage of stools. If we test again and we realise that the muscles are not working very well, it means the child may not be able to control the amount of stool that would come out of the anus, so he will just be walking, and the stool will just be coming out, unless we find out other procedures to help him not to soil himself,” he explained.

The paediatric surgeon said the injuries were severe, requiring intensive treatment, with a significant financial burden on the parents.