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May 22, 2008 7:37 am US/Eastern
Severely Neglected Chihuahua On Road To Recovery
WEST CHESTER, Pa. (CBS 3) ―
A thin, defenseless Chihuahua is getting special care at a Chester County facility after she was found wandering the streets.
Animal control officers found the tiny Chihuahua named Tinkerbelle in the streets of Philadelphia last month. She was taken to the West Chester Veterinary Medical Center where veterinarians said she was one of the worst cases of animal neglect they've ever seen.
"You can pretty much see every bone in her body. It's like skin stretched across a little skeleton," said one veterinarian.
Tinkerbelle, who weighs just one pound, six ounces, may be frail, but her spirit is strong.
Her rehab includes being fed and exercise at the facility. Tinkerbelle undergoes daily physical therapy in order to straighten her severely crooked spine and rear legs.
Part of her therapy involves getting in the water to walk on a treadmill. The water allows her to put some weight on her hind legs to gradually increase her strength.
"Hopefully her little body is going to respond, it is going to take time and take it a day at a time," one of her specialists said.
Veterinarians believe Tinkerbelle is about one year old and said she has a lot of life left in her.
RELATED LINKS:
Last Chance Ranch: Meet & Rescue Animals
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