"Yes, I had to make that decision yesterday," Dominique Clark, Coco's owner, said Tuesday morning.
Clark said she made the call because of the extent of the puppy's injuries.
"I didn't have a choice," she said. "There was nothing else they could do for her."
A Cumberland County Animal Control officer paid for Coco's initial treatment at Cape Fear Animal Hospital. Coco was later transferred to N.C. State University's veterinary school for treatment.
Clark said Coco's injuries were so bad that veterinarians had to put her under anesthesia to remove her bandages and check her wounds, and that ultimately, her tail and leg would likely need amputation and she would have to wear a diaper.
A report from N.C. State's veterinary hospital said half of Coco's body was covered in fourth-degree burns, and they discovered one fifth-degree burn on her left hip area.
In one spot on the puppy's abdomen, the peritoneum, the membrane lining the abdominal cavity, was exposed.
The report noted the state of the skin on Coco's tail meant it would require amputation. Coco was euthanized at 5 p.m. Monday.
"It really wasn't worth putting her through any more pain," Clark said.
Clark wanted to go to Raleigh to see Coco before she was euthanized, she said, but veterinarians informed her the puppy was suffering every second she was there.
"I wouldn't want her to suffer another hour while I tried to get to her," Clark said.
James Franklin Quick, 23, of Red Springs, her former boyfriend, has been charged with felony animal cruelty and burning personal property for allegedly setting the dog on fire after an argument with Clark.
The 7-month-old miniature terrier was badly burned on her hind legs and belly.
The public helped raise more than $3,000 last week for the dog's treatment.
(WSPA - June 23, 2015)
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