'Peanut' to spend Christmas in a loving home after being rescued and cared for at RSPCA centre close to Peterborough

Peanut won the heart of the nation with her incredible journey from being so emaciated she couldn’t even stand on her own- or lift her head - to flourishing into a cheeky, fun, kind-hearted girl. Her amazing transformation was down to the dedicated work of the team at RSPCA Block Fen Animal Centre in March- who did everything they could to give her the best chance of survival.

Peanut had been found alone and cold in a ditch and it was a miracle she survived - but every meal, every dressing change and every weigh-in brought her one step closer to her recovery.

Peanut’s story touched so many people that she received hundreds of packages from supporters during her time recovering at the centre.

Peanut will be celebrating Christmas with her new family in the South West of England after being found collapsed in a country lane in Biggleswade by a shocked member of the public, who rushed her to a vet.

She was in such a bad way - every bone on her body was visible and she had multiple pressure sores on her legs and even her tail - probably caused by laying on hard surfaces for a long period of time, rather than a comfortable bed. She was almost lifeless, unable to even lift her head. But there was something in her eyes which made them realise this girl still had some fight left in her.

Tiffany Saunders, Kennel Supervisor, was there throughout Peanut’s journey and she recalls her horror at first seeing the true extent of the neglect the three-year-old lurcher had been through.

She said: “We see a lot of sad things but I will always remember the first time I saw Peanut. I couldn’t help but shed a few tears. She was just a poor little girl, she had no strength and was just a skeleton but there was something deep in her eyes which gave us hope.

“I truly believe had she not been rescued when she was, she would have died there alone in a cold ditch - she wouldn’t have had the strength to keep herself warm. It is just a miracle she was found in time.

“I really didn’t think she would make it through the first night given how exhausted she was. But she managed to move her little tail and give us her first wag when we checked her in the early morning, we were all just so thrilled by that tiny sign of hope.”

Peanut weighed just 13kg - so blood tests were carried out to see if there were any underlying health conditions which would have caused her emaciation. The results confirmed Peanut was otherwise healthy, and her suffering had been completely preventable.

Peanut’s painstaking recovery was overseen by the vet team at RSPCA Block Fen in their purpose built vet suite where she could be closely monitored. She was given small, regular meals to build up her weight without overwhelming her frail body.

She was given a special food plan to slowly build her strength and from day one she showed she had a good appetite. She was dressed in warm jackets as she did not have enough body fat to keep herself warm. Daily weigh-ins monitored Peanut’s progress and in just a few weeks her weight had increased to a healthier 18kg.

The pressure sores on her leg and even down her tail were dressed and changed daily.

As well as her horrific physical wounds and heartbreaking skeletal frame, it was clear that Peanut has serious psychological scars from her ordeal and would need help to learn to trust people again.

Tiffany recalls: “Peanut was very nervous of people - she would try to make herself as small as possible to hide from anyone new.

“She also wouldn’t eat if others were in the room, it was heartbreaking to see. She had lost her trust from what had happened to her in her past and rebuilding that trust was one of the biggest challenges we faced.

“Once her wounds healed and her weight improved we needed Peanut to be confident to face the big wide world and to find her own family to love and adore her.”

“This is something we find with rescue dogs so often, they shut down and it feels like they have lost hope.

“It’s almost like they are too scared to trust again because what if they are let down again?

“We all just learned what Peanut needed from us, and we knew this would take time. Gentle positive steps from her first tail wag, to her very first head scratch - and allowing us to touch her without her freezing in fear.

“For Peanut she would just shut down - but every rescue dog is different and we have to find the right individual path for them to help them to gain their confidence. We do not know the full extent of the cruelty, neglect and suffering the animals we care for have experienced, they cannot tell us their stories, so we have to work really hard to pay attention to their body language, their behaviour and the little signs they give us which can tell us how they are feeling and what help they need to give them the best chance to recover.

“From early on we saw small positive signs, going to her kennel in the vet suite each morning and seeing her wag her tail and then jump up out of bed to get her breakfast which she happily ate. This is etched in my memory and it would put a smile on my face every day.

“Then, as her strength grew, we were able to do more short little walks, She was wary at first always seeking support and reassurance from us but soon she would show real excitement the moment her dog coat and lead were brought out and she knew she would be going out.”

Tiffany added: “There were so many firsts with Peanut - her first wag of her tail, her first walk on a lead, making her first friend and of course her first zoomies.

“This was just the best thing ever to watch. Seeing her run around care-free having enough energy to leap and bound across the grass. You could see the delight in her little face and it was at that point I felt more confident that she was going to pull through.

“She was great with other dogs and would often make friends with the new patients in the vet suite. It was lovely to see her so at ease with other dogs, we knew it was an important step of her recovery from a shut down dog, to eventually life with a family and possibly another pet.

“Peanut had a particular bond with Bailey, a 12-year-old Chihuahua crossbreed. They would often snuggle together on a bed with Peanut more often than not using Bailey as a pillow!”

By the end of February, two months after being found abandoned at death’s door, Peanut had successfully continued to gain weight and her wounds were healed and the time came to find her a family of her own.

The centre received over 50 applications which they worked through looking for the the best home for Peanut.

Tiffany said: “So many wonderful people offered to open their home to Peanut and we were just overwhelmed by this. We want to thank everyone who applied. While we initially wanted to find her a home closer to the centre - we decided to branch out further so we could find her the perfect home for her.

“In the end we felt we found the perfect match for Peanut and then we moved onto the next stage of the meet and greets.

“Her new owner, who doesn’t want to speak publicly, lived far away in the south west of the England, but didn’t hesitate to travel hundreds of miles to come visit Peanut and introduce their other dog .

“Watching Peanut build a bond with them over the meets brought tears to our eyes, happy ones this time, we knew in our hearts we had found her family.

“I decided that I would take Peanut to her new home. We’d been on such an incredible journey together, I wanted to see the final chapter. Loading her into the RSPCA van ready to leave Block Fen which had been her home and safe place for the last four months was very emotional.

“I was crying and talking to her all the way - I was so happy for her but she had been such a special girl and we had an incredible bond. Saying goodbye even when it’s for the best possible reason is always hard.

“Peanut took it in her stride, better than expected, and although cautious she went straight into her home and started to explore.

“It was a huge moment for everyone - Peanut was home. After everything she had been through she had done it.

“This is ultimately why we do this job - there is so much heartache because despite our best efforts we cannot save them all. But fixing a broken pet, restoring their trust in people and helping them find their forever home is the reason we go on.

“I cannot thank everyone enough for their support. Peanut received literally hundreds of packages from kind-hearted supporters - who sent in food, bandages and toys. She even got get well cards and donations of money - it really lifted us at the centre knowing so many people cared.

“Peanut has now been in her home for a number of months and I get regular updates from her owner which I just love. She has settled in so well. I’m often sent photos of her happily snoozing on her sofa, or videos of her leaping around the garden playing with her best friend.

“She’s even been on her first holiday which she absolutely loved. It’s just the best ending ever for this one in a million girl.”