By Amos Kareithi

Every dog, so the saying goes, has its day. But an eight-month-old puppy named Kia has had more than a day in its short life.

Besides saving a man’s life, as all best friends are wont to, the German shepherd also made medical history.

Bred by Nairobi-based veterinarian, Imbuji Luvai, Kia migrated to Jinja town in Uganda to a life of opulence, under the care of business magnates who sought anonymity.

The puppy was acquired for security purposes but converted into a pet two weeks later after developing some breathing problems.

Kia’s doctor, Dickson Okello, a Kenyan veterinary surgeon diagnosed and treated her for pneumonia and she initially responded well but the symptoms relapsed soon after.

Kia on the operation table in South Africa

World Experts

Rather than write off the dog or have it replaced by Luvai, as he had offered, the puppy owners directed Okello to look for experts from any part of the world able to correct the condition.

The veterinarian’s quest for the dog’s happiness led him to Prof Louis Coetzee at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Teaching Hospital in South Africa, who suggested that Okello and Kia fly to South Africa for further tests.

Air tickets were hastily purchased and hotel bookings hurriedly arranged.

Bombed Hangout

As fate would have it, Okello had planned to watch the World Cup at one of the popular hangouts bombed by Al Qaeda elements that evening, killing 70 people.

But Kia’s medication had steered Okello out of harm’s way as he was at the airport waiting for his flight when the attacks took place."I was meant to watch the soccer final where the bomb went off. Instead I was with Kia at a hotel waiting to fly to South Africa," Okello told the Sunday Times on arrival in South Africa. At the hospital, Coetzee discovered that Kia had tetralogy of fallot, a congenital heart defect, commonly known as the "blue baby syndrome," which is not common in dogs.

Kia whose heart operation is a first for dogs. [PHOTOS: COURTESY]

The medic decided to invite pediatric heart surgeon Willem Roos from Montana Hospital, also in South Africa, to assist in the delicate operation to correct the problem. Roos arrived with a theatre team and specialised equipment for the operation.

People’s Doctor

"It is not common to find a doctor specialising in treating people operating on a dog. I have not come across such a case in Kenya. The doctor must love animals a lot," Luvai said.

Kenyan veterinarian Ken Wameyo also thought it strange for a top to surgeon to dedicate his time from human care, to attend to a dog.

Intensive Care Unit

Before the operation, the puppy was admitted at the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit for monitoring and put on a drip, feeding on minerals to enhance her strength before the operation, which was estimated to last 45 minutes.

However, the medics joy was short-lived Kia’s lungs had been damaged. She died after the surgery.