Beaten puppy recovers after surgery

A puppy abandoned in the parking lot of a Calgary veterinary hospital with a severely broken leg and head trauma should make a full recovery.

"He was found very emaciated. You could see his ribs. You could see his hips, his back bones. He was dehydrated. His skin was flaky. He had head trauma and he had a severely fractured left forearm," said Lindsay Jones, a spokeswoman for the Calgary Humane Society.

The Doberman, foundTuesday in a bloody kennel,was in such bad shape that hospital staff can only guess that it is about three months old.

The puppy, who had no ID, hadsurgery for a broken humerus at the Calgary North Veterinary Hospital on Thursday. The animal lay whimpering between blankets afterward but is expected to make a full recovery.

"After he was stabilized we were able to put a pin in his leg to repair the fracture and hopefully that will be all that's necessary at this point to get that leg back in shape," said Dr. Drew Van Niekerk.

'We are quite concerned that whoever may have done this may be also abusing people in their home.' Lindsay Jones, Calgary Humane Society

"It's not always simple with puppies but I think it went really well in this case."

Peace officers are trying to trace where the puppy came from and who inflicted its injuries. They can lay charges of animal cruelty and neglect under the Animal Protection Act of Alberta.

"There is a connection between the cruelty to animals and domestic abuse and violence, and we are quite concerned that whoever may have done this may be also abusing people in their home," said Jones.

She reminded the public that if a pet has become too much to handle or if circumstances have become too difficult to keep one, it should be handed over to the Calgary Humane Society, which won't turn any animal away.

"The puppy does not have a name yet because he is part of a cruelty investigation and he came in as a stray," said Jones. "He's not available for adoption at the moment. Only time will tell."

The veterinary clinic waived its fee for the surgery, which normally costs $3,000. Van Niekerk referred anyone who wants to make a donation to the Phoenix Fund at the humane society, which covers expensive medical treatment for sick or injured animals.