WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Veterinarians say the prognosis of a puppy brought in to a Florida animal center over the weekend with its mouth bound shut has improved.
Pixie, a 7-pound Yorkshire Terrier mix, has been able to eat small amounts of food, Paws 2 Help founder Eve Van Engel said Monday.
Dr. Lisa Matthews said necrotic tissue still has to be removed from around Pixie’s snout and the dog is receiving pain medication and antibiotics.
“When they came in this morning, you’d think we’d won the lottery,” Van Engel said, describing the staff’s excitement over Pixie’s improvement. “(At first) she wouldn’t eat, couldn’t eat. Last night she ate some food. This morning she ate a whole jar of Gerber baby food.”
“But she’s already so much better than she was Saturday afternoon when she came in,” Matthews said. “I wasn’t real hopeful Saturday afternoon but I feel a lot better today after seeing her.”
Pixie had an elastic hair tie around her snout that cut a 3/4-inch-deep gash between her eyes and nose, Paws 2 Help founder Eve Van Engel said late Sunday.
The wound was so gangrenous that the little dog “smelled like horse manure” when she was dropped off, Van Engel said, and it’s unknown when the dog last ate.
Who bound the dog’s mouth shut is unclear.