Dog’s leg must be amputated after NC shelter ignores injury for weeks, officials say
A North Carolina animal shelter’s neglect might have cost a dog his leg, state officials said.
Pax — a black lab-mix taken in before Christmas — arrived at Columbus County Animal Shelter unable to stand on his rear leg, according to the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. But the shelter reportedly failed to take him to a vet for 16 days.
“The veterinarian attempted a surgical repair of the fracture, but the leg ultimately had to be amputated, in large-part due to the delay in veterinary care, according to the rescue operator,” officials said in their report.
Now the shelter is being fined $6,100 for violating state statute and various administrative codes — $3,000 of which stems from Pax’s neglected medical care, according to a notice of civil penalty filed with the department in January.
Officials also found three cats left outside in travel carriers too small for them, rampant inconsistencies in the shelter’s reporting logs and a roach infestation.
A representative from the shelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
But according to a report by the state department’s Animal Welfare division, a technician visited the Columbus County shelter on Jan. 3. While there, she found Pax — who was impounded on Dec. 18 — unable to stand on his back right leg.
He was given pain medication until Jan. 2, when the shelter reportedly first took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with a fractured right femur.
For the following four days, the technician said logs showed Pax was not given any further pain medication.
A second shelter took him on Jan. 7 and immediately transported him to a vet for care, the report states. That vet found he also had a fractured pelvis on the right side. His leg was ultimately amputated during surgery.
During the same visit to the Columbus County shelter on Jan. 3, the technician reported finding three cats sitting in travel carriers near a stack of pallets and debris behind the shelter.
There was no food, water or access to litter and the cats were unable to turn around, stand or sit “in a natural position,” the report states.
The director told the technician she didn’t know the cats were there and presumed they had been dropped off the night before following spay and neuter surgeries. A shelter employee later said she had put the cats out there that morning because she forgot to call the owner of a farm taking the cats and didn’t want the director to be angry, according to the report.
A roach infestation, several construction and paint issues and other instances of neglect were also noted in the report.
“There were no toys present in the primary enclosures of these animals and no evidence that these animals are receiving the daily social interactions and access to space other than their primary enclosures,” the report states.
The Columbus County shelter faces fines for each violation, but it can file a written petition contesting the penalty within 60 days.
Columbus County is about 150 miles from Charlotte and sits on the South Carolina border. According to the latest census records, it has a population of roughly 55,000. The shelter, located in Whiteville, has been issued five warnings since 2010, according to the agriculture and consumer services department.
This is its fourth civil penalty in the same time period.
This story was originally published February 10, 2020 at 3:25 PM.
