ANIMAL-CRUELTY PROBE LAUNCHED
Dog Rescued
With Missing Leg
By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
BURLINGTON FLATS – The Susquehanna SPCA rescued a senior German shepherd Zoe who was found injured and in an inadequate shelter at a home in Burlington Flats.
“A passerby noticed this dog tied outside and that her leg looked like it had been blown off,” said Stacie Haynes, executive director.
With the help of Otsego County 911, State Police, and Anita Vitullo of Staffworks, the shelter saved Zoe. She is currently being treated at the Oneonta Veterinary Hospital.
“Her fight to survive has just begun because her missing leg is only one of many concerning medical ailments she is facing,” Haynes wrote on the shelter’s Facebook page. “The team is going to do everything we can to ease Zoe’s pain and show her compassion and a more peaceful life that she deserves.”
It was later discovered that she had bones in her belly, leading Haynes to believe that at some point, she ate her leg. Currently, she is on pain medicine, antibiotics as well as having her leg coated in a canine medical wrap to keep her comfortable and free from infection until further surgeries are possible. It’s not yet known whether the leg will be amputated or treated in another way, the options are unclear until the healing process has reached a certain stage.
The investigation into animal cruelty is ongoing.
“The good Samaritan who called this situation in was outraged and scared for Zoe,” she said. “They did exactly the right thing by calling our line and we want to praise them for their heroic act.”
Donations are being collected for Zoe’s treatment and can be made at https://sqspca.org/support/make-a-donation/
