A year-old dog found foraging in Fort Lauderdale is expected to recover after outgrowing his puppy collar to the point where it was embedded in his neck over an inch deep, veterinarians say.
Now named “Red,” the pit bull was probably left as a pup in a vacant warehouse near Powerline and Cypress Creek roads, said Amy Roman, of the 100 Plus Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Rescue Group.
“He’s been out there for a long time,” she said, in a statement. “The collar was the size of a puppy collar that he’s outgrown, and he’s been suffering every day.”
After weeks of trying to catch the elusive and clever “ghost dog,” Roman said, a group of volunteers eventually rescued him on Monday. They brought him to the BluePearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital in Oakland Park for urgent care, she added.
Veterinarians were able to remove the embedded collar from his neck. They are optimistic he will be back to normal soon, said Dennis Horter with BluePearl Pet Hospital.
“Red’s reaction was also relief, as it had been on him for some time,” he said. “We were able to get him in, clean the wound, and put him on medication. Overall, he has a very good prognosis to recover from this.”
People in the area of the warehouse had seen the dog wandering around and some were feeding him.
“All the business owners were setting out food for him,” Roman said in a video on Facebook. “He was eating very, very, very well.”
Roman estimates the tiny collar was on Red for more than six months, making eating and even breathing difficult for the dog. It’s unknown if he was abandoned or ran away.
Despite his solitary outdoors lifestyle, he has been very passive with the other animals at the hospital.
“Not an ounce or any sign of aggression whatsoever,” she said. “It’s amazing how truly forgiving these babies are.”
wkroustan@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4303 or Twitter @WayneRoustan
