'Thinnest dog' RSPCA inspector has ever seen being cared for at Cambridgeshire's Block Fen centre

A poor defenceless dog who was so malnourished that every bone in her body was visible when she was found is on the road to recovery at a Cambridgeshire animal centre.

Peanut the Lurcher is being given life saving treatment at the Block Fen Animal Centre near March, after she was found abandoned on a country lane on New Year’s Day.

She had multiple pressure sores on her legs - indicative of laying on hard surfaces for long periods of time.

Peanut, just three years old, was found alone down a country lane off Dunton Road, Biggleswade on January 1 and concerned members of the public took her straight to an emergency vet.

The RSPCA Cambridge and District Branch was initially contacted - and an RSPCA officer is now making investigations.

“She's certainly feeling much better though and it is really lovely to see her tail wag"

She is still extremely poorly and had been almost lifeless when she first arrived - but is showing small signs of improvement and has started to stand up by herself and even tentatively ran to get breakfast.

Due to how emaciated she is, the team will have to give her small regular meals to slowly build up her weight.

And although her prognosis remains guarded, she is showing small positive signs of improvement.

Tiffany Saunders, Kennel Supervisor said: “It was heartbreaking to see how emaciated Peanut was and that she was covered in pressure sores which we think are a result of her laying on hard surfaces for a long time.

“But thankfully, we are seeing small signs of improvement every day - at first she was lifeless but she can now stand up by herself and she even jumped up and ran out of her kennel for her breakfast.

“She's certainly feeling much better though and it is really lovely to see her tail wag!

“Her weight gain is understandably a bit of a slow process as she was incredibly emaciated, so we are needing to introduce her food in small regular meals.

“She is under the care of a vet and the plan is to continue to build her weight back up. She has a great appetite so we are fairly confident at this stage that she has just been starved and that illness isn't the cause of her current emaciated state.”

“She’s the thinnest dog I have ever seen and I cannot understand how anyone could allow this to happen."

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer David Allen is investigating the incident. He said: “The condition that Peanut was in is just appalling and quite shocking.

“She’s the thinnest dog I have ever seen and I cannot understand how anyone could allow this to happen.

“We are so grateful to everyone who helped Peanut including the branch, the vets and the finders - I'm just grateful she is now in a place of safety at Block Fen and hopefully with their expert care she will continue to improve."

Anyone who has information about these abandoned dogs are asked to call the RSPCA’s appeals line on 0300 123 8018 quoting incident - 01419048.

David added: “I am investigating this incident and want to speak to anyone who may have any information regarding who owned Peanut.

“She was microchipped, and the person who was registered on the chip had sold her on when she was just six months old.

“I am keen to speak to anyone who may know who her owner is now, or may have seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area on New Year’s Day.”

Most abandoned animals since 2018

Sadly, pet abandonments are on the rise. New RSPCA data reveals that between 18 December and 31 December 2024, there were 846 incidents concerning animals being abandoned - the most for this festive period since 2018. During this period, Friday 27 December had the highest number of abandonment incidents logged - 84 for just one day.

Across the whole of 2024, there were 22,503 incidents about abandoned animals, equating to an average of more than 61 incidents every single day of the year - and sadly Peanut’s story suggests the problems will continue into 2025.

On New Year's Day, a further 43 abandonment incidents came into the RSPCA.

The RSPCA fears a surge in spontaneous pet ownership during the Covid-19 lockdown and the increasing financial hardships due to soaring living costs have led to the increase in people dumping their pets.