Macomb County Animal Control is asking for your help. It is working to care for a dog that is a victim of cruelty.
Someone reported the dog to animal control, saying they found her wandering near 16 Mile and Harper in Clinton Township.
She had mats so thick you couldn’t see her eyes or paws. Macomb County Animal Control Chief Jeff Randazzo now wants to know who had her and didn’t care for her.
“This dog suffered for years. You know there are people who saw her and ignored it. This was preventable. The owner could have easily surrendered the dog to animal control,” said Randazzo. “This is animal cruelty. It is a four-year felony.”
Randazzo took the dog to Advanced Animal Emergency in Clinton Township for treatment. Workers there nicknamed her Elvira, since she was brought in on Halloween.
Workers there sedated the dog and over the course of more than an hour removed the mats. They found horrific injuries.
The mats filled with dirt and fecal matter were so thick, they didn’t let air get to the dog’s skin. There were ulcers and signs of infection.
Matting over the dog’s left eye caused a deep ulcer, resulting in complete blindness. Elvira had an infection in her right eye, but still had some sight.
When veterinary technicians removed the mats on her left front leg, they discovered her foot was missing.
An X-ray shows evidence the dog didn’t get veterinary care when she lost that foot. Workers wondered whether the mats cut off circulation to the dog’s leg, causing it to lose the foot. There are also broken bones in her back legs. It is possible the mats contributed to those injuries.
Elvira also has an enlarged heart, dehydration and malnutrition.
“I have been a tech for ten years, and I have never seen a case this bad,” said Amanda Morris, a Veterinary Technician treating Elvira.
Although she has been treated cruelly, Elvira holds no grudge against people. When she came out of sedation she welcomed attention from anyone wiling to pet her.
Chief Randazzo says Elvira is going to need much more medical attention and critical care before she can hopefully be adopted into a loving home.
He says the Macomb County Animal Control has a non-profit that accepts donations that help provide care to animals like Elvira. You can donate here.
