There are lots of cases of animal neglect, but this recent one from Britain takes the cake. Benji is a poodle cross that was found with his hair so badly matted that it cut off the circulation to one of his paws. The dog was quickly dubbed as “Britain’s most neglected dog”. Whether he’s the “most” or just “very” neglected, his situation was undoubtedly critical.
The dog was found last Wednesday – dumped by the road at Eye, near Peterborough, England.
Four people from the RSPCA needed two full hours to shave a total of 1.2kg of matter fur off the dog. In the meantime, Benji was sedated and on a drip. After they were done with his “hairdo”, they found that one of his paws had literally rotted off.
An RSPCA spokesman said: “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 was also critically dehydrated and almost couldn’t move. He was found by several teenagers who called the RSPCA and stayed with the dog.
RSPCA inspector Carrie O’Riordan gave thanks to the teenagers for staying with the dog and effectively saving his life.
“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.”
She added: “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 feces, 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.”
Source: Sky News
The practice manager at Cromwell Veterinary Group, Julie Eastham said: “The vet involved with Benji’s care said that this was the worst case of neglect that 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.”
Benji is thought to be six or seven years old and is currently at an RSPCA center near March, Cambridgeshire. There, the staff says that he had been “extremely nervous and scared“, but is “starting to come out of himself and is very friendly and sweet“.
If you recognize Benji or have information about his owner, please call the RSPCA on 0300 123 8018.
