Dog found with embedded collar sheds some swelling, health improving

Princess P’s celebrity status goes global

Lucas County Dog Warden Julie Lyle visits with Princess P, the dog who’s become a worldwide celebrity after being found with a collar embedded in her neck.

Princess P, the dog who came into the Lucas County Dog Warden with a severely embedded collar almost two weeks ago, hasn’t let her worldwide celebrity status go to her head.

In fact, her head has shrunk in the past week. Literally.

Since Dr. Cindy Thurston, Lucas County Dog Warden veterinarian, surgically removed the embedded collar, the fluid in Princess P’s head has started to drain, county Dog Warden Julie Lyle said.

“The head swelling is not due to trauma,” Ms. Lyle said. “Her lymph system and veins were mostly cut and there is no drainage system left. She is expected to build a new system eventually, but it will likely take many, many months, so it will probably look swollen like this for a very long time.”

After The Blade’s story on Princess P was picked up by London’s Daily Mail, donations for the dog warden’s Cutie’s Fund started coming in from around the world, Ms. Lyle said.

More than $6,000 has come in since news about the Princess first broke, not only from across the United States, but Australia, Venezuela, Switzerland, Canada, Greece, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, she said.

Cutie’s Fund, a program to help dogs that come into the pound with high-cost medical needs, has raised more than $52,000 since its November inception. More than a dozen dogs have been helped, including those suffering from broken legs, a broken jaw, several eye removals, a parvo case, a broken pelvis, and a puppy dying of unknown causes.

The program’s namesake was a Chihuahua brought in during the middle of the night with a dead puppy lodged in her birth canal. The emergency-care bill for Cutie was more than $1,400.

Joan Knight of Bellevue, Ohio, is offering a $100 reward to the person who provides Toledo Area Humane Society humane agents with information leading to animal cruelty charges against the person who put the collar on the dog’s neck.

“Maybe someone in the neighborhood where she was found will step up,” Ms. Knight said.

Princess P is estimated to be 5 or 6 years old and was picked up running at large on Parkside Boulevard near Dorr Street on Sept. 9.

Anyone with information can call the the humane society’s cruelty investigation line at 419-891-9777.

Dr. Thurston consulted with the Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine because the wound is so large — 3 inches across, 5 inches deep. The veterinary school said there are no other treatments to help the wound heal faster other than what the dog warden is providing. “They want us to keep them posted with updates and pictures since they have never followed the healing of a wound like this from beginning to end,” Ms. Lyle said.

Despite the injury, the 52-pound dog is good-natured, wagging her tail and wanting to be petted.

She has gotten a lot of support from the greater Toledo area, with folks stopping by to drop off donations. Mike Sevi, a dog warden volunteer, cooked her a plate of chicken and rice that she eagerly lapped up, Ms. Lyle said. “She’s not having any problems eating.”

The dog is staying at the dog warden’s office where she can be monitored daily by a veterinarian, Ms. Lyle said. At some point she might get transferred to one of the dog warden’s rescue partners. Applications for her adoption will not be accepted until she has had more time to heal.

By contributing to Cutie’s Fund, animal lovers can make tax-deductible gifts to help with emergency and life-saving care and for hospitalization of sick, injured, or mistreated dogs assisted by the dog warden’s office.

Donations may be made in person or mailed to the Lucas County Dog Warden, 410 S. Erie St., Toledo, 43604, or online at https://​tinyurl.com/​CutiesFund. Checks should be made payable to the Lucas County Dog Warden with “for Cutie’s Fund” specified on the memo line.

Blade animal welfare reporter Tanya Irwin adopted Cutie from the Lucas County Dog Warden’s Office via the department’s regular adoption process.

Contact Tanya Irwin at: tirwin@theblade.com or 419-724-6066 or @TanyaIrwin.