A neighbor is said to have instructed the woman on a technique for do-it-yourself neutering since she couldn’t afford a vet

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Giving new meaning to the admonishment “don’t try this at home,” an Indiana woman was arrested after she attempted to neuter her pet dog herself.

The pooch-castrating woman is Kimberly Oldham, 62, who thought it would be a good idea to neuter her dog by wrapping an elastic band around his doghood in the privacy of her own home.

The notion reportedly came to the Portage resident from her next door neighbor. 

According to the Daily Mail, the woman performed the DIY neutering on her three-year-old terrier-chihuahua mix -- which like any dog would probably prefer to have his testicles lopped off while under anesthesia.

The neighbor advised that they thought the dog's testicles would fall off if done properly.

Indiana woman, 62, charged with animal cruelty for trying to neuter her dog herself with an ELASTIC BAND after getting advice from her neighbor
Daily Mail

So Oldham merrily followed suit. 

But the next morning she discovered a horror show.

The cowering canine was chewing the spot where his testicles had once hung and was suffering from terrible bleeding.

Her plans having gone awry, the woman finally took the dog to a veterinary clinic, NWI.com reports.

A veterinarian said he found the dog in pain and very dehydrated, police said. Upon closer examination, the doctor said "a dental floss like string was located wrapped around the base of the scrotum."

Do-it-yourself dog neutering lands Portage woman in jail, police say
The Times of Northwest Indiana

The vet then discovered the evidence of the woman’s home neutering: a dental floss–like string tied around the base of the dog’s scrotum.

It was then that Oldham confessed what she’d done. The woman said that neighbors in the close vicinity of her home had repeatedly complained that her dog wasn’t neutered.

But the woman lacked the money to pay for a legit operation, so she fell prey to the unfortunate advice of her neighbor who suggested the at-home version of neutering her dog.

Oldham was reportedly devastated by the disaster her decision had wrought, according to The Chicago Tribune.

Police said Oldham “was extremely upset and regretted her actions but saw no other way due to her not having money to pay for the operation.”

Portage woman charged with animal cruelty after trying to neuter dog at home, police say
Chicago Tribune

Her grief and guilt notwithstanding, Oldham was promptly arrested.

The bereft woman was charged with animal cruelty for attempting to neuter the dog at home. 

The charge is a felony, so Oldham could face serious prison time.

As for the dog, he received the proper medical care he needed from the start, according to WGN9 Chicago.

Doctors performed a proper neutering on the dog to save its life.

Indiana woman charged after attempting to neuter her dog by herself
WGN Chicago

With the woman facing potential prison time, veterinarians are continuing to care for the  now properly-neutered dog, and are seeking potential foster parents to offer him a new home.

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