Special Pooch Is Missing His Lower Jaw; Group Wants To Help
(CBS) -- An Illinois animal rescue group is looking for a veterinarian who can help give a German shepherd a prosthetic jaw.
WBBM's Steve Miller reports.
The story of Journey the German shepherd has a sad beginning.
Now, Lora Bendik of Treasured Animal Rescue is hoping to make the rest of his life better.
"At first I just thought, wow, what a sad-looking boy. Then I asked about him and, as it turns out, he has no lower jaw," Bendik says. "His lower jaw was torn off by another dog when he was a six-month-old puppy."
Journey came from a kill-shelter in Arkansas. Bendik says the dog has a small hole on the right side of his mouth where he can "funnel" food in.
"I kind of make almost like a gruel for him," she explains. "I elevate his food. I tie it to a chair, and that seems to be the winning formula for him."
Bendik says Journey is still emaciated, but he's been gaining weight.
She's trying to find a qualified veterinarian who will help give Journey a prosthetic jaw so that he can eat normally – and maybe even chew on a bone.