A 12-week-old neglected puppy is doing well after having to have one eye removed Wednesday, likely due to a serious puncture wound.
Casey - a female German shepherd/terrier mix - was found in the Mount Pearl area and taken to Heavenly Creatures by animal control Wednesday.
Jessica Rendell, president of Heavenly Creatures, says the pup was then brought to the St. John's Veterinary Hospital where the infected eye was removed. The wound had gone untreated.
"It's either that somebody stabbed her or that somehow she managed to stab herself with something ... but either way it's neglect, because why was it allowed to get infected?" Rendell said.
Dr. Margaret Brown-Bury, the veterinarian who treated Casey, said a lot of pressure had built up in the eye.
"In a dog her age to have glaucoma ... trauma is going to be our first suspect," she said of the injury.
The surgery went well and Casey will be released in a day or two.
Brown-Bury says the dog is "bored out of her skull" in her cage at the hospital.
"She now is full of energy and really, really would like to go to a home."
Heavenly Creatures, a no-kill shelter with more than 80 animals, is seeking support from the public to pay the dog's medical bills.
"We didn't have the money for the surgery, but we had no choice than to say, 'Go ahead and do it anyway, we'll come up with the money somehow,'" she said.
Rendell says Heavenly Creatures is overwhelmed by calls from people who can no longer take care of their animals.
She said it seems like there are more cases of animal abuse this year than in other years.
"We see a lot of run-of-the-mill neglect and people tossing animals away," she said.
Her theory is that the increase in neglect is caused by a lack of pet-friendly housing and the rising cost of taking care of pets.
Rendell said Casey has a sweet temperament despite all it has been through, and it will be available for adoption through Heavenly Creatures.
"We're looking for a good home for her where she'll never have to go through anything remotely like this again," Rendell said.
kbreen@thetelegram.com
Neglected puppy has eye removed
Casey, a 12-week-old German shepherd/terrier mix, before and after surgery. Submitted photos
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Published on
November 27, 2009
- Published on July 1, 2010
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Kerri Breen
Society Heavenly Creatures seeks home for dog, support for bills
A 12-week-old neglected puppy is doing well after having to have one eye removed Wednesday, likely due to a serious puncture wound.
Casey - a female German shepherd/terrier mix - was found in the Mount Pearl area and taken to Heavenly Creatures by animal control Wednesday.
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