WATCH Puppy best friend helps cheetah cub recover from surgery
A video of Ruuxa the cheetah cub going through surgery is making viewers go "Awwww".
But it's not just the cute factor that brings out the smiles.
Rather, it's the inter-species friendship at work that tugs at your heartstrings, like how puppy best friend Raina was on hand to help Ruuxa take his first post-op steps.
This odd coupling isn't part of a Disney cartoon but an actual incident at the San Diego Zoo.
Odd pairing? Real life is like that. Photo:YouTube/thelionking340
Vets recently diagnosed Ruuxa with a "growth abnormality" in his forelegs.
If left untreated, he is likely to suffer pain and problems walking later in life.
Zoo staff posted the surgery footage - which took place last Wednesday (Sept 3) - online.
It turns out Ruuxa and Raina have been best friends ever since they were one month old reported American media site, Today.
The zoo paired them up because Ruuxa did not have any siblings to play with after his mother rejected him.
Raina, a Rhodesian ridge-back puppy (or "dog" to those of us unfamiliar with the various breeds) showed her concern for her best bud after he didn't wake up right after the surgery.
"She licked him and nuzzled him," said Susie Ekard, the zoo's animal training manager. "When he awoke, she lay with him and seemed very content to know her cheetah (pal) was okay."
Like the Disney movies, there is a happy ending to this story.
Ruuxa is expected to make a full recovery and hang out again with his best friend.
Sources: YouTube, Today
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