Young dog recovering after facing difficult conditions

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The last week has been one filled with ups and downs for Cinder. She’s believed to be a Labrador-Pit Bull mix dog that’s about a year old. Wednesday, firefighters with the Indianapolis Fire Department found the dog in an alley laying in a puddle as she was going into shock.

Tara Harris, director of Every Dog Counts Rescue, said, “She couldn’t stand up on her own so as they started to move her they realized she was missing all the skin over one shoulder and down onto her arm and up under her neck.”

Every Dog Counts Rescue was called to the rescue of Cinder. The organization took the dog to the VCA West 86th Animal Hospital where she immediately went into surgery.

Dr. Mark Petermann said, “When she came in she had a severe infection that extended all the way from her shoulder, that went all the way up to her spine, all the way down to her toes.”

Petermann said Cinder’s condition was so severe that doctors had to amputate one of her legs.

He said, “She had skin removed on over half of her leg and it was down to bone and there were even some parts of the bone that were broke at that time.”

Petermann also said, “There was just too much damage done to the leg itself to be able to try to save it at that point.”

Veterinarians found pieces of gravel deep inside Cinder’s wounds that causes them to suspect the dog may have been dragged by a vehicle.

Harris said Cinder’s wounds were not fresh when firefighters found her.

Cinder now has a vacuum device attached to her that pulls infection and fluid from her wounds. The device, donated by KCI Animal Health, is helping Cinder with her recovery, which is expected to take about one month.

After that, Every Dog Counts Rescue plans to have Cinder spayed, vaccinated, and microchipped in hopes of find her a forever home.

Click here for more information on Cinder and to donate.

Click here for more information on Every Dog Counts Rescue.