Boy's love for dogs survives bitten lip

By Tony Wall

His lip may have been bitten off by a huge dog twice his size, but little Samuel Martin's love of animals has not diminished.

On a recent trip to the beach, the Taranaki toddler did not hesitate when he saw a dog playing in the sand.

"He went straight up to it and said, `Nice doggie,' and started talking to it," said Samuel's mother, Rebecca Henriksen.

Samuel, who turns 3 in April, became something of a celebrity when the New Zealand Herald revealed the pioneering surgery he underwent in July after an Irish Wolfhound-cross attacked him at a family friend's home in Auckland.

His mother wrapped the severed lip in frozen peas and it was reattached in a six-hour operation at Middlemore Hospital in South Auckland led by the top plastic surgeon Dr Cary Mellow.

There are only 10 documented cases in the world of lips being "replanted" and Samuel was the youngest patient.

Dr Mellow said it was technically a very difficult operation as he was dealing with blood vessels only 0.3mm wide.

For five days after the surgery slimy black leeches were used to suck blood away from the damaged tissue.

Samuel almost did not make it. Blood from a leech bite flowed down his throat and he suffered a respiratory arrest. He needed several blood transfusions before he finally pulled through.

Dr Mellow said it was a horrific time for the family and it was something they would remember for a long time. He was impressed by the way they had handled it.

He said a report on the case would be submitted to medical journals.

Rebecca Henriksen said Samuel was back to normal, although the lip was still swollen and scarred.

"It's amazing how well things have turned out," she said.

The family were planning a quiet holiday season at home in New Plymouth, and Samuel will start kindergarten in 1999.

Dr Mellow will make a final check of the lip next month to make sure the scarring is settling down.

Pictured: Samuel Martin. PICTURE / FOTOPRESS