A German Shepard in New York ended up chewing off her own leg while she was chained up outside their house without water and food.
The incident led to the arrest of Carl Pritchard, the 59-year-old owner of Zoe, the pooch that chewed off its own leg.
Carl was charged after a UPS driver saw Zoe in the yard of a house on November 14, 2019, and reported the incident to the police.
The driver reportedly told the police that “it looked like the dog’s leg was blown off.”
Zoe, the 9-year-old pooch, was living outside the house, in a plastic pet crate that had hay inside. The crate did not have food.
In a post that was made by the New York State Police, a bowl of frozen water was found inside the crate.
Authorities found Zoe without her front left limb.
Vets believe she chewed off her own arm as some of the bones were found in her stomach.
Dr. Joan Puritz, a vet at the Oneonta Veterinary Clinic, said, “The dog was very emaciated. She may not have been getting enough nutrition. The leg was probably injured and she was trying to take care of it herself.”
Dr. Joan added, “I’ve never seen anything like this. It breaks your heart. She’s such a sweet dog.”
Zoe was later brought to the vet school at Cornell University.
The vets at the Cornell University found out that Zoe is anemic, has a heart murmur, and is probably diagnosed with cancer.
Authorities said there is a very large mass on her shoulder and her chest.
Despite the mass being non-cancerous, Zoe still needs to undergo surgery so the mass could be removed.
But the surgery wouldn’t be easy.
In a statement that was released by the SPCA, the pooch will have a lot of complications due to her age, anemia, and her heart problem.
On Wednesday, the rescuers of Zoe confirmed that the surgery was a success.
The surgeons successfully removed the mass out of Zoe and amputate its leg.
Zoe is expected to go out of the hospital by Friday.
59-year-old Pritchard was charged with overdriving, torturing, and injuring animals for leaving Zoe outside in cold.
Pritchard also surrendered Zoe to the authorities as he couldn’t pay for her vet bills.
Pritchard is going to appear in a local court on December 4, 2019.