DENVER — After months on the loose, a dog is now getting the care he needs.
Members of the Denver community pitched in to help find the pup after concerns the dog may have been shot in the face.
"Yes, yes, he's a little nervous guy. But he's been very sweet while he's been with us," said Dr. Patricia Crystal, veterinarian at Denver Animal Shelter.
The dog, believed to be a stray, is now getting some rest at the Denver Animal Shelter after his months spent evading animal protection officers ended with his capture over the weekend.
Good Samaritans helped track the dog down, allowing animal protection to quickly get the dog to care.
Crystal says the pup was first taken to an emergency clinic, then to her for help.
"Sunday morning, I got to meet him," Crystal said. "He was pretty quiet, just kind of a little nervous guy, but he had this bright red drool coming out of his mouth and you could see that his legs had the drool on it too."
X-rays helped Crystal uncover what happened.
"What was interesting was there was something really bright right next to his lower jaw on the right side that looked like a foreign object," Crystal said. "I was able to retrieve two pieces of [a] dark gray, heavy object from the lower part of his right jaw."
Along with removing the metal from the pup's jaw, she found fractured teeth, an infection and a fractured lower jaw. Near the dog's mouth, Crystal spotted a hole in the dog's tissue.
Whether the damage and metal was due to a bullet, she said, it's hard to know for sure.
"Just from my examination, it does seem like there's a trajectory from the outside into the upper part of the jaw and then the lower part of the jaw where the that thing was lodged. And that's where the fracture occurred as well," Crystal said. "You know, I can't say if it was intentionally or not, but this isn't something the dog would have inflicted upon himself."
After an intense day in the exam room, the shelter got him all cleaned up and ready for a rest.
"I'm happy to report that last night he ate really well. He's just on a wet food diet for now given all the things that are happening in his mouth," Crystal said. "He's on pain meds and antibiotics and I just checked on him this afternoon and he's still eating like a champ, so doing good."
While the dog's road to recovery isn't certain just yet, the shelter is staying hopeful. The vet said they're grateful for everyone who worked so hard to help get this sweet boy some help.
"It's great that the community really came out and supported us and got him back here so we could give him some love and some care," she said.
Crystal said fractures typically take dogs between six to eight weeks to heal but because it's in his jaw, it could take longer. And, of course, they'll need to clear up the infection in his mouth.
Still, the shelter is hoping to get the dog healthy, happy and possibly up for adoption down the road.
