Officials: Neglected dog's leg falls off during grooming

PHOENIX (KSAZ) - WARNING: This story contains subject matter that may be disturbing. Discretion is advised.

Phoenix police are investigating a disturbing case of animal neglect after a dog was surrendered to Maricopa County Animal Care and Control in horrific condition.

The dog was surrendered to MCACC on October 27 by its owner and was immediately rushed into medical care.

"This dog was matted, knotted, he was covered in maggots, so much so that he had an infection and an injury we were unaware of," Jose Santiago said.

Chance, a 2-year-old Lhasa Apso, barely resembled a dog when he was brought in and staff couldn't determine his gender or breed. The vet at MCACC wasted no time and performed a mercy groom.

"At that point is when they realized the injury, as well as the knotting around the dog's leg was so bad, causing that leg to rot," Santiago said. "As they were performing the groom, the leg fell right off the dog. Our vet said she had never seen anything like that."

An emergency amputation was performed and now, the pup's appearance is drastically different, but Chase still has a long road to recovery.

MCACC says what happened to him might not be a classic case of abuse, but it's just as bad.

"It is your responsibility as a proper owner to make sure your dog is properly groomed, make sure the dog's health is properly maintained.