Dumped dog was so badly matted RSPCA only discovered his right foot had rotted away once they had shaved and cleaned him up

Dog found dumped by a roadside at Eye near Peterborough was in such a state vets shaved off 1.2kg of fur and found his foot had rotted off (Image: Archant)

The poodle cross type dog – named Benji – is now being cared for at the charity’s rescue centre at Block Fen, Wimblington.

RSPCA Inspector Carrie O’Riordan said:” 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.

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

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

Dog found dumped by a roadside at Eye near Peterborough was in such a state vets shaved off 1.2kg of fur and found his foot had rotted off (Image: Archant)

“The dog was so matted that he could hardly move and it was very difficult for his condition to be fully assessed,” said an RSPCA spokesman.

“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.

“It is likely the foot could have been missing for months, if not longer,” said the spokesman.

“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, is now at the Block Fen Animal Centre; it is not known at this stage if his leg will have to be amputated at a later date.

The spokesman said Benji was extremely nervous and scared when he was found, but staff said he is starting to come out of himself and is very friendly and sweet.

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.

“If anyone recognises Benji or may know who owns him, I would urge them to contact me in confidence on the RSPCA inspector appeal line on 0300 123 8018.”

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.”