A Scots dog has been left in a "life threatening" condition as her family believe she was mowed down by a vehicle that failed to stop.
Nelly, a two-year-old Cairn Terrier, managed to escape from the front garden of her Aberdeenshire home last Tuesday when workmen failed to latch the gate properly.
Within three minutes of being outside, little Nelly was injured and her family believe she was mowed down right outside her home as the vehicle left her by the side of the road 'bleeding and in pain'.
Owner Joanna Hazzard, 29, immediately rushed Nelly to the vets when her neighbour heard a loud yelp and discovered her abandoned under a bush.
Initially, vets believed she had been brought in early enough to stop serious damage and reset her dislocated hip.
But they later discovered a fracture when the hip dislocated again and had to operate to place three pins in the break.
One pin has now broken inside Nelly and is pushing on her colon - threatening her life.
Joanna told the Record: "Just three minutes outside and our whole world has been turned upside down.
"Nelly managed to get out of the side gate. She never goes across the road or onto the road but it was snowing so I think she was sniffing around.
"Unfortunately we think she was hit by a passing vehicle that didn't stop or slow down. They left her under a bush at the side of the road.
"An X-ray yesterday to check Nelly's stomach because she was constipated found that one of the pins had actually snapped. We have no idea how it happened.
"They told us it was very dangerous as it was moving through her body and pressing on her colon. If it burst her colon she would die of an infection.
"Things turned very scary very quickly."
Joanna's husband Martyn and kids Naomi, 12, Zak, seven, and Leo, three, are also heartbroken watching their pet in so much pain.
The family kitten Alfie has even been sleeping next to Nelly's crate every night to be close to her.
Nelly has today been taken to East Neuk Vets near St Andrews for an emergency operation with a orthopaedic specialist who will remove all of the pins and try to repair the damage.
The family have set up a fundraiser so Nelly can continue to receive the best care possible as it is likely she will require further treatment and max out her insurance limit for the year.
Joanna added: "It has been horrible. I feel so sorry for her. At no point yet has she actually started recovering.
"When we found out it was life-threatening it was horrendous. Nelly has been traumatised by the incident and we don't know if she will emotionally recover.
"The kids don't understand how someone could leave their dog like that."
Donations to the fundraiser can be made by clicking here.
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