The surgery for Polly, the dog rescued from Mexico and then found after missing for eight days in Nelson, was successful.
“Polly’s surgery went very well. The doctor had to amputate the rest of the injured toe, but she will be just fine without it,” said Vicky Issott, an SPCA community council member.
“She is gaining some weight now and is on her way back to her foster home to recover and rest,” said Issott, a local artist who is creating greeting cards of Polly to raise funds for the SPCA.
When found on February 7, Polly was missing a toe and had a cut on its left rear paw. The surgery took place on Tuesday.
Issott produced an acrylic painting to turn into cards after she had heard the dog had been found safe, but injured last week.
“Fingers crossed we can raise some money for the animals,” said Issott, who is hoping to have the cards back from the printer and available for sale early next week.
Polly was “days away from certain death” when Nelson resident Denise Maglio rescued the dog from a pound in Tijuana, Mexico, in late January.
Polly was flown from San Diego to B.C. , arriving in Nelson on January 29. The following day Polly slipped out of its collar while being walked near Hume School.
Eight days later two Nelson Hydro workers found Polly near the airport and managed to coax her back into their truck.
When completely healthy, Polly will be moved to a permanent home in the Nelson area.
Issott said the cards, which will sell for $5 each or three for $12 will be available through the Nelson SPCA and through her Facebook page, which is called vizzyart. Issott also hopes to raise additional funds by selling the original prototype of the card separately.
Separately, Issott also said that the SPCA is accepting donations to help cover Polly’s surgery costs.