A one-eyed cyclops puppy, hailed as lucky by Thai villagers, likely won’t live very long, a vet has warned.
The adorable little pup, who has been called Kevin because of his likeness to the Minions character, was born in a litter of two in Chachoengsao, central Thailand on February 2.
Two days following his birth, the unusual doggo was said to be fit and healthy, and was said to be bottle feeding with his owners every day.
Check out the gorgeous little pooch here:
Kevin is being hailed as lucky by his Thai owners, however a vet has warned he may not have a particularly long life expectancy due to his unusual condition.
James Portsmouth, lead vet at Animal Trust, told UNILAD:
Cyclopia is a very rare congenital issue where the foetus fails to develop two separate orbital spaces (the cavities in which eyeballs sit). It is a form of what is known medically as holoprosencephaly. Animals born with cyclopia often also have abnormal lips, noses and nasal spaces.
Sadly, it is rare for these animals to survive very long after birth as the brain is also usually affected.
Kevin’s human, Somjai Phummaman, said he was getting ready when he noticed his Aspin dog had given birth to two puppies on his bedroom floor.
The government worker put the pups in a warm box warm, before taking a closer look and noticing Kevin’s unusual mutation.
He said:
We are wishing that the puppy survives, even though it has a deformity. We want to keep him as a pet until he grows up.
Everybody has been amazed by him and saying that it is lucky sign. People said that he looks like the yellow cartoon character with one eye, so we can nicknamed him after that.
After others living in Somjai’s village learned of Kevin’s birth, they began to flock to his home to see the pup, who has been hailed as lucky. Some villagers even put the lottery on using the dates he was born.
Somjai’s daughter said the family were over the moon to have a puppy with the physical abnormality.
She said:
We have taken good care of the puppy so far. He cannot be breastfed the proper way, so we have to hand feed him with the milk bottle.
At this stage it’s unknown whether Kevin’s single eye will function properly, as it can take up to two months for a dog’s eyesight to fully develop anyway.
Here’s to hoping the gorgeous little doggy defies the odds and lives a long and happy life.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.