Tammie Hedges, who took in more than two dozen dogs and cats during Hurricane Florence, has been charged with practicing veterinary medicine without a license. (GoFundMe)
A North Carolina woman was arrested Friday after 27 dogs and cats she took in during Hurricane Florence were confiscated from her shelter, investigators revealed.
Tammie Hedges, founder of Crazy's Claws N Paws animal rescue, has been charged with practicing veterinary medicine without a license. She's also charged with soliciting a donation of tramadol, a prescription painkiller sometimes used for dogs and cats.
Hedges said she gave amoxicillin to some sick animals, and also used a topical antibiotic ointment.
Hedges told the News-Argus of Goldsboro that she felt she had to help the animals brought to her during the storm.
“The owners got to evacuate. They got to save themselves. But who’s going to save those animals? That’s what we did,” Hedges said. “We saved them.”
“Our mission was to save as many animals from the flood that we could,” Hedges added.
In a statement, Wayne County officials said animal control officers had "serious concern regarding the practice of veterinary medicine without a license and the presence of controlled substances."
Supporters are rushing to her defense. An online fundraising page has collected more than $11,000 for her legal defense as of Sunday night.
Wayne County is about an hour's drive southeast of Raleigh.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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