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Dog Chews Off Elderly San Diego Man's Toes

SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego police say a dog chewed off several toes of its 72-year-old owner, who suffers from a degenerative nerve disease.

Detective Gary Hassen says a caretaker alerted police Thursday morning.

When officers arrived at a home in the upscale Mission Hills neighborhood, they found the man had lost an unspecified number of toes and blood on the face of one of his two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

KNX 1070's Tom Reopelle reports it's instinctual for dogs to nibble on rotting flesh.

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The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the man told animal control officers he wasn't sure what had happened.

The man was taken to the hospital and the dogs were put into quarantine for 10 days and will be observed for signs of rabies.

(© Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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