YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Animal Charity is investigating a suspected case of animal cruelty out of Youngstown. 

A pug named Mr. Wrinkles had to have surgery to remove part of his jaw because animal agents were told he had been "punt-kicked" in the face.

Mr. Wrinkles had a successful surgery at the Family Pet Center at Countryside in Kinsman Saturday.

Animal agents told 21 News they found the dog outside an Elbertus Avenue home with his jaw broken.

He then had to go in for the emergency surgery because the area was infected.

 

As of Sunday, Mr. Wrinkles is eating food and drinking water.

"The force that was taken to do the damage to that dog's jaw is incomprehensible," said Jason Cooke, the founder of Healthy Hearts and Paws.

Cooke said with the help of the Healthy Hearts and Paws non-profit, a vet was able to perform the surgery, removing dead skin around the dog's mouth and removing some infected teeth.

"The dog had to have the front portion of his lower jaw actually removed due to the damage inflicted upon the jaw, that is going to take a long time to heal, but like I said, it's remarkable he is able to eat and drink," said Cooke. 

Cooke is processing applications for foster care for the pug.

He said the owner called him Friday the 13th and, on Saturday, signed a paper outlining the events and voluntarily surrendered the pug so he could get the life-saving surgery.

The dog's owner believes someone violent who comes to her home possibly did this.

"We have a responsibility to our organization and our donors that when we go and help a dog that the dog gets the help, he needs and is in a safe environment. I didn't feel given the totality of circumstances it would be fair on the dog and our supporters to help this dog and send that dog back and possibly have that dog injured more or possibly even die," said Cooke. 

Cooke and others want the guilty party brought to justice.

People who want to help pay for the surgery can donate through the Healthy Hearts and Paws Facebook page and Pay Pal.

There is no GoFundMe site. 

If you have any information about what happened to Mr. Wrinkles, please call Animal Charity Humane Society in Youngstown. 

The doctor who performed the surgery posted on Facebook the details of the complicated operation, which can be read below.

"Hi everyone. I am the veterinarian that operated on Mr Wrinkles today. This is an extremely graphic case and I feel I need to explain a few things.

This type of injury is a traumatic fracture of the rostral end of the mandible. As you can see in the picture, the front part of the lower jaw was broken off from the rest of the bone, but still attached to the gingiva near the lower incisors.

First, before surgery was done, Mr Wrinkles received opioid pain medication, NSAID pain medication, IV fluids, and antibiotics.

During surgery, I removed the rostral end(front part that was broken) of the mandible because the bone appeared to be devitalized. Reconnecting the bone with pins or wires would have likely failed.

You can look up “rostral mandibulectomy” in dogs to see pictures of dogs that have undergone a similar procedure to remove the same area that was fractured in Mr Wrinkles. This is usually done to remove an invasive tumor in that area.

There was a lot of necrotic, infected tissue that was debrided as well on the lip, gingiva, and mucus membranes. A small amount of the fractured ends of the mandible were partially removed back to healthy tissue, and the lip was sutured back up over the exposed bone. I also removed a few infected teeth.

The prognosis for this type of surgery when done to remove a mass is generally pretty good. In this case, there is some tissue that may have be cleaned up at a later date. And, he had pre-existing dental disease that will be addressed later.

Overall, he should have pretty good function when he is all healed. Like most pugs, his tongue was already oversized for his mouth, and he has “brachycephalic airway syndrome,” (why pugs snore) so after this ordeal his tongue will likely always hang out of his mouth, worse than normal.

When I go back in later to check on him I’ll post a picture of his appearance post-op.

I’ll try to answer any questions you have."

-Jeff Clayton DVM