Tiny 3-week-old puppy’s foot fell off overnight — but Kentucky foster came to help
A puppy in Kentucky is on the path to healing after her foster mom, and shelter, knew exactly what to do when something unusual occurred.
The 3-week-old tan and white baby — named Peggy — lost her foot when it fell off. But, according to the Kentucky Humane Society, it was possible that the alarming thing was supposed to happen.
“Last week we introduced you to Peggy, a tiny puppy who was born with her mom’s umbilical cord wrapped around her back right foot, causing it to lose blood supply and turn necrotic,” the shelter, located in Louisville, said in a Feb. 21 Facebook post.
“Because of the nature of her injuries and her young age, we carefully crafted a plan to keep Peggy comfortable while letting her injury take its natural course. Knowing there was a possibility of her necrotic foot falling off, we sent this three-week-old baby to a loving foster home with a staff member so that she can get round-the-clock care.”
Her foster mom, a woman named Angela, had eyes on her at all times and even nicknamed her “Princess Peggy” due to the “particular” temperature of milk Angela had to give her every two hours.
Then the incident that the shelter feared would happen did take place — during the night.
“A few days ago, Angela woke to find that Peggy’s necrotic foot had fallen off overnight, leaving her bones exposed,” the shelter said. “She wrapped Peggy’s leg and brought her into work with her for an examination, where we determined that in order to avoid a potentially fatal infection in this young puppy’s tiny body, an emergency amputation surgery was necessary.”
Peggy went into surgery to remove what was left of her paw.
“We carefully prepared Peggy for surgery and amputated the remaining pieces of her paw, hopeful that having most of her fourth leg intact will help her stay balanced as she grows older and learns to walk,” the shelter said. “Peggy is recovering well from surgery and will continue to rest and heal in a loving foster home.”
For more updates on Peggy, visit the shelter’s website or Facebook page.
This story was originally published February 21, 2025 at 4:24 PM with the headline "Tiny 3-week-old puppy’s foot fell off overnight — but Kentucky foster came to help."