The X-ray shows the slug pierced the 2-year-old pit bull's scull, narrowly missing her brain, before lodging in muscles in the back of her neck.
"I was in disbelief," said Dr Alex Schechter of BluePearl Veterinary Partners, who first treated Honey, a pit bull mix, after she was shot last Sunday.
"Then I realised, she's a very lucky dog."
Kenneth White shot Honey after holding a gun to ex- girlfriend Asha Stringfield's head and beating her up inside her apartment, according to Stringfield and prosecutors.
After X-rays, Honey's care was transferred to the ASPCA, where she has already undergone two surgeries, according to Stringfield.
"They have to do another surgery and see if maybe they can take out the bullet," Stringfield, 24, said.
"They don't think they can - she might have it for the rest of her life. If they remove it she might die."
White, 47, is being held on Rikers Island in lieu of a USD 15,000 bail on charges including aggravated cruelty to animals, criminal contempt, assault, strangulation and criminal possession of a weapon.
Honey remains hospitalised but has been breathing and eating better in recent days, according to Stringfield.
"She might not survive but she's fighting and she's holding on strong," Stringfield said.
