There were numerous bones in the abandoned dog’s stomach, which left the veterinarians shocked when they took an X-ray of the dog.
On November 21, the Mirror reported that Zoe, a German Shepherd mix, was found with one front leg amputated in an apartment in Exeter, New York, USA.
A delivery driver discovered Zoe’s injuries and brought her to a veterinarian. During an X-ray, the veterinarian found bones in Zoe’s stomach despite her being starved for a long time. Carl Pritchard, Zoe’s owner, was later arrested, according to News 10.
Stacie Haynes, executive director of the Susquehanna Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), said the 9-year-old dog may have died in agony if not discovered.
“The X-ray images showed bones in the dog’s stomach and it lost one leg. So we believe the dog was starved to the point of eating its own leg,” Stacie said.
In addition, Zoe had other untreated injuries and is believed to have been abandoned for several days before being found.
“Zoe had an unusual swelling in her shoulder. At first, we thought it was a pathological sign and suspected that the dog had bone cancer, which caused it to bite off its leg due to unbearable pain. However, test results showed that there was a fatty tissue wrapped around Zoe’s shoulder, chest, and artery,” Stacie said.
Zoe needed surgery to remove the fatty tissue, but veterinarians were concerned that she might not survive due to her weak condition. Fortunately, the dog survived the surgery.
Carl Pritchard, the 59-year-old owner of Zoe, was charged with torturing, abusing, and beating animals, as well as failing to provide a proper living environment for Zoe. The 59-year-old woman gave up ownership of Zoe and will appear in court on December 4.
