Health update on ‘peace dog’ from Walk for Peace after surgery
Aloka the peace dog, the social media star who has become the mascot of the cross-country Walk for Peace, is recovering well after having surgery on his leg in South Carolina.
Social media accounts for the Walk for Peace — in which a group of two dozen Buddhist monks are currently walking across South Carolina from their home state of Texas en route to Washington, D.C. — announced that Aloka would need surgery after walking some 1,500 miles since the monks set out in late October.
Aloka on Monday was transported from the monks’ route heading north from Columbia toward Charlotte, and taken for surgery at the Charleston Veterinary Referral Center.
In its own Facebook post, the center credited Batesburg-Leesville Animal Hospital with making the referral after the local hospital examined Aloka when the dog was crossing Lexington County last week.
“Aloka underwent orthopedic surgery to repair a knee injury that was causing him pain,” the Charleston vets said in the post. “Our board-certified surgeon, Dr. Patti Sura, performed a specialized procedure with the goal of helping Aloka heal and safely return to the journey he shares with the monks.”
Aloka was diagnosed with a cranial cruciate ligament, CCL, injury in his right knee, according to the Charleston Animal Society.
“The procedure performed was a tibial plateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO), a specialized orthopedic surgery that stabilizes the knee joint by cutting and rotating the top of the tibia to prevent forward movement of the femur,” the animal society said. “A bone plate and screws secure the bone in its new position while healing occurs.”
As part of the recovery process, Aloka’s physical activity will be limited for the next two weeks, and will have to keep his head in a cone. The peace dog’s social media showed images of Aloka sleeping peacefully in the oversized collar after the surgery.
The Charleston Veterinary Referral Center is covering the entire cost of the procedure, and the vets involved said it was an honor to work on the famous dog.
“We are acutely aware of the trust placed in us to perform surgery on a dog who means so much to so many,” medical director Sophie Jesty said in a statement to the Charleston Animal Society. “We provided the venerable monks with all of the options for managing Aloka’s condition so they could make a thoughtful decision on his behalf. After careful consideration, they chose to move forward with surgery sooner rather than later because they did not want Aloka to remain in pain for the rest of the walk.”
Aloka, whose name means “light,” has become an attraction on the cross-country Walk for Peace. He was adopted by the monks during an international trip after living as a stray in India, and has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers online as he follows the monks of Fort Worth’s Huong Dao Temple on the 2,300-mile trek.
Aloka’s surgery comes just days after the Walk for Peace passed through Columbia, drawing thousands to downtown as the monks gave a peace talk from the steps of the S.C. State House and were greeted by local notables.
The dog is expected to rejoin the Walk for Peace as soon as he is able, but will spend much of the journey riding in an accompanying car rather than walking alongside the monks as he has for most of the journey. Aloka might still make appearances at stops along the way though if the healing process allows, the animal society said.
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