A severely injured Golden Retriever is the latest to get life-saving surgery at the Humane Society of North Texas after it was found wandering west Fort Worth with a chain severely embedded in his neck.
"About 3/4ths of the way around was about an inch deep," said veterinarian Cynthia Jones who sutured the dog's neck back together. "An inch of muscle and was down into the really thick connective tissue."
A couple found the dog Wednesday night near the intersection of Fletcher and Littlepage. The wound, believed festering for several weeks, was severely infected. The dog was emaciated and anemic from blood loss from both the wound and from an infestation of fleas.
"We see several of these every year. This is the worst one I've seen this year," said Jones. "This dog over the last several weeks has been going through a lot of pain."
"Before I even hit the back of the truck, the smell, the smell was horrible," said Humane Society of North Texas receptionist Erin Golightly who helped carry the dog from the couple's pickup truck. "And all I could think of is who could do this to such a sweet and kind dog. It was so deep. I just couldn't understand who could do this."
After extensive surgery to remove dead, decaying, and infected tissue, the three year old retriever mix is now recovering. If his infection clears, his veterinarian says he might be adoptable within the next two weeks. In the meantime, investigators would like to know who did this, as the Humane Society of North Texas implores people to treat man's best friend better.
"We see malicious injuries. We see it all. Every single day," said Cassie Lackey with the Humane Society of North Texas. "We just need someone to reinforce these laws. Because chaining your dogs and leaving them for any extended period of time is against the law."