A dog was in so much pain she chewed off part of her leg - and vets were left with no choice but to amputate what was left of it.
Neoma, a five-year-old labrador and terrier cross, was brought to Ziggy's Legacy Rescue in Brooksville, Florida earlier this month as she had gnawed her leg to the point where the bone was exposed, Fox13 reports.
Photos posted by the rescue centre on Facebook show a bloody patch where skin was missing on the upper part of Neoma's leg.
According to the rescue centre, her former owner from Citrus County had ignored Neoma's broken leg for two years.
And because of nerve damage or pain, she started to chew her leg off, Mandy Figarola from the rescue centre said. She even had a litter of puppies at home in November while her foot was in pain.
It was only a few months ago that Neoma's former owner decided to take her to the vets. But he refused to arrange for an operation after he was quoted a bill of up to body">
A dog was in so much pain she chewed off part of her leg - and vets were left with no choice but to amputate what was left of it.
Neoma, a five-year-old labrador and terrier cross, was brought to Ziggy's Legacy Rescue in Brooksville, Florida earlier this month as she had gnawed her leg to the point where the bone was exposed, Fox13
reports.
Photos posted by the rescue centre on Facebook
show a bloody patch where skin was missing on the upper part of Neoma's leg. According to the rescue centre, her former owner from Citrus County had ignored Neoma's broken leg for two years.
And because of nerve damage or pain, she started to chew her leg off, Mandy Figarola from the rescue centre said. She even had a litter of puppies at home in November while her foot was in pain. It was only a few months ago that Neoma's former owner decided to take her to the vets. But he refused to arrange for an operation after he was quoted a bill of up to $1,200. By the time Neoma was brought to the rescue centre, it was too late. Her leg could not be saved.
The labrador and terrier cross is recovering well at the animal shelter after the amputation. She is now being shown to new families looking to adopt a dog. Ms Figarola said: “She (Neoma) loves tennis balls. She loves balls. She loves other dogs. She’s a good dog.” Ms Figarola wants police to investigate the case further, saying something should have been done sooner to help Neoma.
But Citrus County police have decided not to pursue charges because the former owner had ten other dogs who were healthy.
In a Facebook post
, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office wrote that upon visiting the owner's home, the place was clean, the dogs had multiple water and food bowls and there were no odors or unpleasant smells.
It wrote: "The owner is a self-proclaimed rescuer who rehomes animals and has historically owned many dogs for years. Our ACO’s have monitored this owner for a couple of years and have never found any issue with any animals in their care. Since the dog owner was not in violation of any county ordinance or state law, an arrest was not made. "Animal Control Officers will continue to do random checks to verify that the conditions for the other animals do not change and will remain steadfastly committed to investigating any animal complaint." But Ms Figarola alleges that the reason why the man's dogs looked healthy is because she had taken 11 that were in the worst shape a few weeks ago. She called for pet owners to get help if their animals are in pain: “People have to know if you can’t provide vet care for a situation like that, you have to get help. Ask for help. Find help. Sign the dog over; whatever you have to do."
By the time Neoma was brought to the rescue centre, it was too late. Her leg could not be saved.
The labrador and terrier cross is recovering well at the animal shelter after the amputation. She is now being shown to new families looking to adopt a dog.
Ms Figarola said: “She (Neoma) loves tennis balls. She loves balls. She loves other dogs. She’s a good dog.”
Ms Figarola wants police to investigate the case further, saying something should have been done sooner to help Neoma.
But Citrus County police have decided not to pursue charges because the former owner had ten other dogs who were healthy.
In a Facebook post, the Citrus County Sheriff's Office wrote that upon visiting the owner's home, the place was clean, the dogs had multiple water and food bowls and there were no odors or unpleasant smells.
It wrote: "The owner is a self-proclaimed rescuer who rehomes animals and has historically owned many dogs for years. Our ACO’s have monitored this owner for a couple of years and have never found any issue with any animals in their care. Since the dog owner was not in violation of any county ordinance or state law, an arrest was not made.
"Animal Control Officers will continue to do random checks to verify that the conditions for the other animals do not change and will remain steadfastly committed to investigating any animal complaint."
But Ms Figarola alleges that the reason why the man's dogs looked healthy is because she had taken 11 that were in the worst shape a few weeks ago.
She called for pet owners to get help if their animals are in pain: “People have to know if you can’t provide vet care for a situation like that, you have to get help. Ask for help. Find help. Sign the dog over; whatever you have to do."
