PHOTOS: Cheetah cub's puppy friend sits with him through surgery

SAN DIEGO -- A cheetah cub's loyal puppy friend sat by his side as he underwent surgery at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Wednesday.

The zoo put the two animals together when they were a month old and they became constant companions.

Ruuxa, a cheetah who has been raised by San Diego zookeepers since his mother abandoned him, needed surgery to repair a leg defect.

Veterinarians say after the surgery, Raina, a female Rhodesian ridgeback puppy, was very concerned about the cheetah cub so she sat by his side until he came out of his sedation.

"She licked him and nuzzled him, and when he awoke, she lay with him and seemed very content to know her cheetah was okay," said Susie Ekard, the animal training manager at Safari Park.

Ruuxa is expected to make a full recovery. Zoo officials say the two will be playing together again soon.