Cruel couple ‘starved Great Dane for so long skeletal pet chewed its own leg off’

Jessica James, 32, and Skylar Craft, 38, were arrested after a neighbour called police when their Great Dane chewed through its leg to get free from a runner cable.

Both were charged with ill treatment of an animal when police arrived at the scene in Ware Shoals, South Carolina.

Luke the Great Dane can be seen emaciated with his ribs visible through his coat in photos shared by Noah's Arks animal rescue.

An officer told Fox Carolina: "When I approached the fence I could see a very skinny black Great Dane with an injury to its back right leg.

"As he got closer I could see that over half of his leg was gone."

Sick owner James told the officer that the dog's name was Lucifer, but that they now called him Luke.

The couple told police they had tied the dog to the cable after it jumped over the fence – but they had conflicting accounts as to how long the dog had been tethered.

James and Craft also could not agree on how long the dog had been injured.

They also said they had tried to treat the animal themselves because they could not afford a vet bill, but the officer couldn't find any bowls of food or water.

Luke was taken to Noah's Arks, where Luke will have the remaining part of his leg removed to avoid the infection spreading.

Along with the severe infection, the dog is also suffering from intestinal issues because he was in "starvation mode for quite a long time".

"His leg is the least of our worries right now," Noah’s Arks posted on their website.

"His intestinal problems have to be our top priority, or he will not survive.

"Dogs like Luke will eat anything to survive. His liver does not indicate he ate something poisonous, but we cannot rule that out."

Noah’s Arks is asking for donations to help alleviate Luke’s expensive surgery and care.

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