A sad update on Dolly the dog: MSPCA announces euthanization after medical setback

Local News

A 2-year-old pit bull terrier mix had to be euthanized after she was found emaciated in Lexington last week.

A dog that was discovered nearly starved to death in Lexington last week had to be euthanized due to complications arising from her severe emaciation, the MSPCA-Angell announced.

Dolly, a 2-year-old pit bull terrier mix, had been receiving intensive care at the Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston since last Saturday. Veterinarians initially hoped she would recover despite her dangerously low body weight, but the dog experienced a medical emergency Thursday night that left her dependent on oxygen.

Because of her worsening condition and concerns about her long-term prognosis, her medical team made the tough decision to put the dog down, an MSPCA spokesperson said.

“Given this setback and other concerns about her long-term outlook, medical staff had to make the extremely difficult decision to humanely euthanize her,” an MSPCA spokesperson said in an email Friday. “She crossed the rainbow bridge today, surrounded by people who cared deeply for her and showered her with love, ice cream, and peanut butter.”

The MSPCA is now working with law enforcement and asking for the public’s help to identify Dolly’s owner.

“When this dog came in, she was unbelievably thin and too weak to stand up,” said Mike Keiley, vice president of the MSPCA-Angell’s Animal Protection Division. “On the scale we use to measure a dog’s body weight, she had the lowest possible score — meaning she was as emaciated as she could be before passing.” 

Veterinarians in Angell’s Intensive Care Unit also discovered a gastrointestinal bleed that required a blood transfusion, along with wounds on Dolly’s feet and tail, the MSPCA said.

Anyone with information about the dog or her owner is asked to contact the MSPCA at 617-522-6008 or 800-628-5808, or submit a tip online at mspca.org/tip. 

“Despite only being with us for a short period of time, Dolly made a huge impact on our staff,” the MSPCA spokesperson said. “We made a little memorial with her paw print in our Boston office.”

Morgan Rousseau is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.