A DISABLED dog rescued from the war-torn streets of Afghanistan has received specialist veterinary treatment in West Buckland after being rehomed in this country.

Kringle, a three-year-old Anatolian shepherd mixed breed, was orphaned when his mother was killed in a road accident in Kabul.

Charity NOWZAD, set up to relieve the suffering of animals in Afghanistan, stepped in and brought him to England, where it found him a home and funded specialist treatment for his deformed front right leg.

Pauline Holmes-Brown adopted Kringle, while Malcolm Jack, of Cave Veterinary Specialists, operated to correct the deformity.

The transformation has been spectacular but Pauline admitted there had been tough times over the last 18 months as Kringle made the transition from feral street dog to family pet.

She said: “When we went to pick Kringle up from Heathrow in October 2018 he was so scared the staff couldn't get a lead on him, so he was brought out to us in a crate on a trolley.

“The next few weeks were challenging - his behaviour was unpredictable, and it seemed that he was not accepting my son Ben as his family."

NOWZAD founded Pen Farthing and his partner Hannah visited Pat two months later to check on Kringle and booked a consultation at Cave.

Malcolm said: “Kringle was born suffering from a defect in his right leg, a right angular limb deformity which caused his front foot to protrude at an angle, causing lameness and pain.

“It can happen when bones sitting side by side grow at a different rate.

“The problem was making him lame in his right forelimb and it was obvious to see the deformity in his gait."

He took CT scans to help plan the most appropriate surgical correction plan and specialist firm VET3D created an internal corrective jig, which allowed for smooth, complication-free surgery.

Pauline said: “We can’t thank Malcolm and Cave enough. Kringle has come on in leaps and bounds and is now living an active, full life.

“He’s chasing squirrels in the woods, loves running across the beach -although he’s not too keen on the water - and is getting on well with obedience training.”