CATERS Diego the dog had his skull completly crushed

Diego, a two-year-old Lhasa Apso, had his skull completely crushed after an aggressive attack by a bigger dog left him with his eyes out of their sockets. His condition began to deteriorate as his skull unexpectedly started to inflate - leaving vets with no choice but to remove the poor dog’s eyes. The pooch could no longer be kept with his previous owners as he was uncomfortable with their other pets.

Diego was adopted by vet Angie Hardy, 39, from Derby, who tried her best to save his sight. Amazingly, Diego’s other senses remained unharmed and prevented him from bumping into obstacles, while a new owner got a special ball for him so he can learn how to play fetch. For a short time after the operation, Diego returned to his old home but he felt so disorientated that any touch would make him jump. While his previous owners thought about putting Diego to sleep, Ms Hardy decided to take eyeless dog to her care.

CATERS Vets had to remove dog's eyes

Ms Hardy said: "When Diego came into us, his eyes were coming out of their sockets and his skull had been crushed pretty badly.

When he breathed, the air was going through his sinuses Angie Hardy, veterinarian

"When he breathed, the air was going through his sinuses and under the skin, so his head looked like it was inflating as he breathed. "He had initially seen an emergency vet who had treated him as best they could and while we tried to save his eyes, it fast became apparent that they would have to be removed. "But to operate on his eyes had to wait a couple of days for Diego to recover from the trauma of his initial injuries as the shock would have been too much for him.

"At the time, Diego did have an owner, but there was an incident between Diego and one of the other dogs - he was one of six, although they though it was either the Staffy or Rottweiler." Diego's owners were dedicated to him, but after his initial treatment when he got home they couldn't cope. Ms Hardy said: "Diego had always slept in a crate and began barking all night and even escaped a couple of times in the aftermath of losing his sight, which then caused him further injury. "He was in a lot of pain, but also very disorientated. I had been seeing him for surgery, but he was finding it very hard to be touched.

CATERS Diego's other senses remained unharmed