Update: Rescued Five-Legged Puppy Offered Free Surgery
A N.Y.C. vet offers to remove Chihuahua-terrier mix Lilly’s fifth leg at no charge
After outbidding a Coney Island animal-oddities show owner to adopt a 6-week-old, five-legged puppy recently, Allyson Siegel faced her next hurdle: how and where to have little Lilly’s extra appendage removed. Fortuitously, the members of NYC Veterinary Specialists, a 24-hour emergency clinic, have stepped forward with an offer for one of its doctors to perform the surgery for free.
“Dr. Neil Shaw has offered to perform the surgery,” a spokeswoman for the midtown Manhattan animal medical center tells PEOPLE Pets. “But Ms. Siegel is considering all of her offers at this time. We imagine she’ll make her decision in the next few days.”
According to the New York Daily News, a local vet in Siegel’s hometown of Charlotte, N.C., was planning to charge $2,000 for the operation. But NYC Veterinary Specialists runs a foundation which would allow for it to cover the pooch’s care at no cost to Siegel. “That is so nice. I’m so happy,” Siegel told the News. The first step will be to evaluate the Chihuahua-terrier mix, then plan her surgery.
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