A dog rescued from the streets of Thailand by a British backpacker and brought home nearly died after falling ill with an unpleasant disease.
Charlie-Peters, an 11-year-old mixed breed, lost weight and started vomiting. Vets feared he wouldn't make it a further 24 hours.
They told owner Holly Sawyer to expect the worst and asked her to make the one-hour journey to the clinic to say goodbye.
But Holly "cried with relief" as the pooch overcame the odds to survive complications of inflammatory bowel disease on March 2.
"I don't know who was looking over him but I'm so glad that they were. I cried with relief," Holly said last night.
"It's just gonna take a long time for Charlie-Peters to recover but he's a trooper and the vets said this is no longer life-threatening."
Holly, 31, returned from her travels with Charlie-Peters, a rescue dog, after falling in love with the pooch at an animal sanctuary in Thailand during her backpacking trip with her 30-year-old partner Graham Kennedy.
She developed an "unbreakable bond" with the dog hours after arriving in the country.
The couple planned to spend nine months travelling, including a day helping at Soi Dog Foundation in Phuket.
But, after learning of Charlie-Peters' plight during - which he was stabbed repeatedly by five thugs on a city street - Holly developed a connection with the animal in November 2017.
She extended their time at the sanctuary, spent every day with him for three months, and then decided she wanted to take him home to Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.
Holly, herself a veterinary nurse, said: "One day they (Soi Dog Foundation) received a phone call from a member of the public to say that they'd seen Charlie-Peters being macheted by five drunk people who wanted to eat him. He managed to get away.
"The member of the public told them which direction he ran in and they spent the following day trying to find him, and they did eventually get him and were able to provide him with the treatment to support him through this. He nearly lost his eye during that and needed an operation to reconstruct his face.
"I think it has definitely made an impact on his life. I think he was struggling to feel safe and he didn't quite realise what love was, and he didn't realise what care was. I cannot describe the connection I felt with Charlie-Peters then and there, and instantly decided I wanted to take him home.
"Graham said 'you can't be serious? You've been here for five minutes'. I had but I knew straight away and I signed us both up for volunteering for three months and I spent an hour every day with Charlie. He started to smile, a smile that they've never seen before. He hadn't even made eye contact with anybody. It was just the most incredible thing, watching him be able to be comfortable and confident."
While Holly and Graham continued backpacking across Thailand and helping with other animal projects, they completed relevant paperwork for Charlie-Peters to come to the UK.
In July 2018, he arrived at the couple's home in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire - several months after they last saw him.
"I was literally willing to do everything in my power to take him home," Holly added.
"It didn't take very long for me to realise we were meant to be together. We had an unbreakable bond.
"I think Graham thought I was crazy. He was just glad I didn't bring home a monkey, and my parents had the same view really.
"I think Charlie is perfect. They can't complain with Charlie."
Holly was devastated to nearly lose Charlie-Peters this month.
When the canine lost weight and his urine was discoloured, Holly dashed him to the vets and, though he was given treatment, his condition got worse and he was put on oxygen.
Holly said: "The vets called me that night and said 'you need to come and see him now because he might not make it.
"When we went to see him, he wasn't the same dog. He hadn't given up, but he wasn't himself. You could tell he was struggling, and the next 24 hours were going to be life and death. We didn't know if he was going to pull through."
She and Graham, who restores classic cars, took the pooch to the vet. He had inflammatory bowel disease, something Holly believes was caused by his unorthodox diet in Thailand all those years ago.
Tests showed active internal bleeding and evidence of liver damage. A blood transfusion was deemed too risky so vets referred Charlie-Peters to a specialist, where he appeared to respond well to alternative treatment.
"But a week into the treatment, he vomited and breathed that in," Holly said.
"That led to the complication, after which I received a phone call and the vets said Charlie had aspirated overnight and was on oxygen. That's when they said he might not make it.
"I don't know who was looking over him but I'm so glad that they were.
"I think the inflammatory bowel disease was caused by God knows what he ate back in Thailand. I think that's going to be due to street dog life originally.
"It took years to present itself but every animal can present very different symptoms of bowel disease."
The dog is now back home in Holly's care. However, the extensive treatment required has drained the resources available in Charlie-Peters' insurance.
Holly's family has managed to pay the £10,000 to bring him home, but they are fundraising to collect a further £2,000 to cover the costs of his medication, special diet, and check-ups over the coming months.
People have donated already to the appeal, and the insurance covered £7,000.
Holly said: "I created this page reluctantly and I woke up next morning to over £600. I just sat there and cried.
"I am hugely grateful for the support."
