Rabu, 30 Mei 2012

Skin and bone: 18lb dog found abandoned in box by roadside is thinnest RSPCA has ever seen

Skin and bone: 18lb dog found abandoned in box by roadside is thinnest RSPCA has ever seen

  • Staffordshire cross named Hope by staff weighed just HALF what she should
  • Starved two-year-old bound in bubble wrap and fed by drip to stay alive
  • RSPCA now investigating how she came to be in such a pitiful state

By Julian Gavaghan

PUBLISHED: 09:55 EST, 30 May 2012 | UPDATED: 13:05 EST, 30 May 2012


A dog abandoned in a cardboard box by the side of the road has been described as the ‘thinnest dog ever seen alive’ by the RSPCA after being starved for two months.

The Staffordshire cross, believed to be around two years old, weighed just 17.6lb - half the healthy weight for her breed - and was too weak to swallow any food or drink when she was found.

The animal, handed into an RSPCA centre in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, by a man who didn't give his name was named ‘Hope’ by staff and had to be bound in bubble wrap just to keep her alive.

How could they! The Staffordshire cross looks in a pitiful state as RSPCA staff feed her with a drip

How could they! The Staffordshire cross looks in a pitiful state as RSPCA staff feed her with a drip

She spent several days on a drip and is now able to hold her head up and has slowly started eating and drinking.

Vet Anna Parry said: ‘I have spent eight years working at an RSPCA clinic in the past so I am no stranger to abused and neglected animals but this is the thinnest dog I have ever seen alive.

‘She weighs just 8kg and a healthy weight for her would be more like 16.

‘When she first arrived we had to wrap her in blankets and bubble wrap just to keep her warm as she could not maintain her temperate and although she is now off the drip and much more responsive she still has a long way to go.’

Sickening: Bones stick out of the body of Hope, who weighs just half the weight that she should

Sickening: Bones stick out of the body of Hope, who weighs just half the weight that she should

Hope, believed to be aged between one and two years old, was found in a cardboard box in a lay-by near a burger van at the side of the A370 near Hewish, Somerset, on May 16.

Spokeswoman Jo Barr said: ‘Hope was in a really bad condition and the vets didn't think she would make it though the first night.

‘She must have been starved for months to be in that condition. She would have only had a few hours left to live if she wasn't handed in.

‘She had to be picked up everywhere, she wasn't able to walk or stand at all. She was in a collapsed state.

‘Hope can now stand but only for a short amount of time.’

RSPCA inspector John Norman is investigating and has appealed for information on the dog.

He said: ‘This poor creature was found in a terrible state, and it would seem that whoever allowed her to get like this simply tried to get rid of the problem by abandoning her as though she was rubbish.

‘I would urge anyone with information about this dog to contact the RSPCA cruelty and information line so we can find whoever is responsible and ensure there are no other animals in their possession in need of help.’

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 anyone found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal can face up to six months in prison and/or a £20,000 fine.

When Hope is well enough, she will be transferred to the RSPCA North Somerset Branch Brent Knoll Animal Centre.


 

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And let me guess, if they DO find whoever did this they will get a pitiful fine and not be allowed to own animals for a couple of years. The judicial system needs to send out a message that makes people too afraid of the legal consequences to do things like this to animals.

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Deplorable that this could happen!

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i cried reading this, those sad eyes say it all. Who could be so cruel to do this. I would like to know how they can live with themselves, there are charities that will take animals there is no excuse on earth for this cruelty

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Wanton act of cruelty and depravity.When caught the mutant responsible for this should have '''its'' iimbs amputated.Only way to prevent such further acts of cruelty.Humans repel me.

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Horrible owners!..i hope they get whats coming to them and more.

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this country; this world is so mucked up and beyond repair

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Genuinely had to try and hold back tears when I saw the first photo. Cruelty to humans is bad, but to defenseless animals is a whole different story. I am literally lost for words.

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This is exactly what I have said about staffies int he past i.e. they (not always) often attract the wrong type of owners. This 'creature' that owned this poor little dog should really be in the RSPCA and be put to sleep. It just makes me wonder what some poor staffies go through, oh I forgot I know. I have a staffie from a rescue who was just chucked out by her drug addict owner. She is the dearest most precious thing to me and luckily she is called Precious. I hope DM you will keep us updated with Hope's progress. I am going to ask hubby if I could have three!!!! Lovely beautiful dog, I so hope she gets a wonderful home. Big kiss to her xxx

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£20,000 is not enough to pay for this. Find the perp, let THEM go without food for 2 months, and THEN fine them. That would come a bit closer to justice. This dog was meant to be saved though, she's going to find a great home where she'll be loved and taken care of. :)

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The owner should be starved to the same extreme, proper punishment should be treat like with like.

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