DURBAN - Four-legged crime-fighter Max has made a full recovery after surviving an allergy that almost cut short his career.
Until winter 2016, Max was an invaluable member of the SAPS Shongweni K9 Unit. He and his handler, Constable Zwelithini Kumalo, had helped apprehend many criminals.
“He is a big dog and excelled at his job,” said Warrant Officer Colin Buckthorp, Shongweni K9 Unit commander. “He was our top-performing dog.”
Then Max started losing weight. He was sent to the police vet in Pretoria and initially seemed to improve. However, once he returned to Shongweni he deteriorated, developing a skin condition that became badly infected.
He lost most of his hair. His skin was red, sore and swollen. He was too ill to work and just lay in a corner, depressed and not wanting to move.
Max was taken to Crossroads Veterinary Clinic for urgent treatment. “Max was in a very serious condition, in a lot of pain and extremely aggressive. We had to sedate him just to do the examination,” explained veterinarian Dr Rob Crosley.
A diet plays an important role in helping manage skin conditions. Crossroads Veterinary Clinic asked pet food company Hill’s Pet Nutrition to provide special skin care food for Max. They provided prescription diet food.
Max was put on strict flea control and initially given medication to help manage the inflammation.
He started to get better.
“Now he’s like a different dog. Before, he looked like he was on his way out. His eyes were dull. Now he’s got the wag back in his tail and a zest for life. At his recent annual assessment, he scored 96%,” said Buckthorp.