A time lapse photo of Rex's injuries. (Dayna Denman) A country music-loving pig has returned home after spending weeks recovering from a vicious dog attack in Prince George.

Rex is an 11-month-old pot-bellied pig who lives with Dayna Denman and her boyfriend on a rural property.

On July 18 he was left outside to graze when he was mauled by two dogs.

"He looked like he was done for," Denman recalled. "He was bleeding a lot, he was going in and out of consciousness, he was in shock."

Denman rushed him to a vet, who told her the odds of Rex surviving were low.

Long road to recovery

It was Rex who convinced Denman to do whatever she could to help him survive.

Staff at Green Mobile Veterinary Services in Prince George made Rex a custom cart to help him move around while he recovered. (Dayna Denman) "His mind was all there," said Denman. "He was happy and wagging his tail and eating and drinking. You know, he wanted to live."

Physically, though, he was severely injured. Most worrying were tendon ruptures in Rex's legs.

Denman was warned if his legs needed amputating, Rex would likely have to be put down.

He was given a splint for one leg, a wheeled cart to help him move around and regular physiotherapy.

It wasn't until three weeks of full-time vet care that Denman knew Rex was going to survive.

"We had him in his little scooter, his little wheelchair kind of thing, and he actually got out of that himself and hobbled towards me and got onto my lap for the very first time," she recalled.

'For him to come straight to me and onto my lap was pretty special." - Dayna Denman

"So I started crying... that was the first time we'd seen him walk by himself, and for him to come straight to me and onto my lap was pretty special."

International attention

Prior to being attacked, Rex sometimes made appearances at the Prince George Humane Society as a 'party pig' who loved kids and wagged his tail whenever country music came on.

As he got better, Denman set up a Facebook page to keep Rex's fans up-to-date — and started receiving messages of support from around the world.

Rex spent five weeks in full time vet care while he recovered from a dog attack. (Dayna Denman)

"I've had some messages from New York, Montreal, Quebec, Nova Scotia, all over the place," said Denman. She's also received close to $1,000 in donations to help cover the cost of the vet bills.

He can also still hear, despite losing his outer ears due to the injuries.

"He just looks a little funny, but I'm getting used it," Denman laughed. "He looks like a mole."

Happy as a pig in mud

After five weeks of full-time vet care, Rex was able to return home on weekends, then evenings.

On Sept. 1 he was given the all-clear to return home full-time, but not before receiving a sendoff from the staff at the vet clinic.

"They bought him his own cake and they had a bunch of stuff for him," said Denman. "They really miss him, they enjoyed having him there."

Rex is still injured, but has mastered walking on stairs, rolling in mud and even jumping onto beds.

Denman hopes to have an event at the Humane Society soon so everyone who inquired about Rex can come and say hello.

For now, though, she's focused on helping him get better, giving him lots of attention and doing daily leg stretches with him, in order to help with recovery.

"I think it's almost made him more connected to my boyfriend and I... I think it made him love us that much more," she said of the time put into helping Rex heal.

Of course, she says, the feeling is mutual.

"He's my baby. I love my baby."

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