Peterborough dog saved after 'worst case of neglect' vet has seen

The dog was found down a track at the bottom of a dead end road near to White Post Road in Eye by some kind hearted teenagers, who spotted him and called the RSPCA for help.

The poodle cross had so much matted fur it could barely move, and his right foot had also 'rotted away.'

RSPCA Inspector Carrie O’Riordan collected the poor dog and took him straight the emergency out of hours at Cromwell Veterinary Group in Huntingdon.

The dog, now named Benji, was so matted it was very difficult for his condition to be fully assessed. He was severely dehydrated so vet staff kept him comfortable overnight and gave him fluids on a drip. Once he had painkillers and was sedated, four people began the difficult two hour task of carefully cutting and shaving off 1.2kg of matted fur.

Vets found that his right foot had completely rotted away, and skin had grown over the stump, and it is likely the foot could have been missing for months, if not longer. It is thought this was the result of the matting which caused the circulation to stop. Without a blood supply his foot effectively died.

Benji, who is believed to be around seven years old, has been transferred to RSPCA Block Fen Animal Centre, near March, where he will continue with his treatment and monitoring, it is not known at this stage if his leg will have to be amputated at a later date.

Inspector O’Riordan said: “I was truly horrified when I saw Benji, he didn’t even resemble a dog. Apart from the matting he smelt extremely bad and his fur was coated in faeces, urine and fleas. In all my years as an inspector I have never seen a matted dog as bad as this. The person who let him get to a condition like this is truly the lowest of the low, there is just no excuse for it.

“The matting of his fur got so bad that it took the staff at the vets two hours to clip him. When they managed to see his front leg, we discovered that it had been left for so long that the foot had actually rotted away.

“I would like to thank the young people who found poor Benji, they stayed with him until I arrived and they wrapped him in their shirts to keep him warm and comfortable. They even played him music to keep him calm. I fear he may not have been found had it not been for them and he could have died a slow and painful death. He was so poorly I am not sure he would have even made it through the night.

"He must have been so frightened to have been dumped and I am so pleased the finders showed him such kindness when they found him.

“I really want to find the person who is responsible for Benji’s suffering. It would have taken months for Benji to have become this bad, and he would have been in tremendous pain and so uncomfortable.

Julie Eastham, Practice Manager at Cromwell Veterinary Group said: “The vet involved with Benji care said this was the worst case of neglect she has ever seen. It is heartbreaking for all our staff to see such a sad case, poor Benji had been suffering for some time."

If anyone recognises Benji or may know who owns him, they should contact Inspector O’Riordan in confidence on the RSPCA inspector appeal line on 0300 123 8018."