An 11-month-old German Shepherd named Rocky is recovering after veterinarians amputated his leg. The puppy’s ordeal started after his human family turned him into a shelter in Orange County, California.

An 11-month-old German Shepherd named Rocky is recovering after veterinarians amputated his leg. The puppy’s ordeal started after his owners turned him into a shelter in Orange County, California.

One of his hind feet was missing and the family claimed they weren’t sure what happened, but they thought he might have eaten it. They soon relinquished their ownership rights.

It was later determined that Rocky had chewed off his foot to free himself after having had a chain wrapped around it for quite some time, cutting off circulation

Veterinarian Maria Bromme remarked, “We saw exposed bone, exposed muscle, the infection that started to set in...It was really heartbreaking to see.”

The shelter contacted a local German Shepherd rescue facility for assistance.

From there, Rocky was transferred to another center, where it was discovered he had ligature marks and wounds on his hind leg.
He was also suffering from an infection and the tissue was necrotic, leaving the veterinarians with no choice but to amputate.

Rocky is now on medication to limit his pain and is staying with a foster family. The rescue facility hopes to find him his forever home.