An investigation has been launched after an emaciated dog was dumped by the side of the road ‘less than a day from death’.
American bulldog Oscar was tied up and abandoned at a busy junction in Stockport ‘looking like a skeleton’, RSPCA bosses said.
Inspectors weighed the animal and found he was half what he should be when he was found off Adshaw Lane and Councillor Lane in Cheadle Hulme.
The ‘gentle and friendly’ dog, whose original owner has been traced through his microchip, weighed 22.7 kilogrammes, when he should have weighed 45.
Oscar was discovered at 8am on Monday and taken to Woodcroft Veterinary Group on Councillor Lane.
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He is now in the care of the RSPCA.
Inspector Nadine Pengilly, who said the dog is ‘literally a skeleton’, said: ‘He’s so emaciated.
‘In my 16 years as an RSPCA inspector, he’s the skinniest dog I have seen that wasn’t dead. He was 12 to 24 hours away from death.
‘He has used up all of his body fat and muscle – the next thing to have been used would have been his organs and that would have killed him.’
Oscar, who Nadine said is ‘a lovely boy, nice and friendly’ was placed on a drip for 24 hours.
He is now being fed small amounts every hour to gradually increase his weight without making him sick.
‘He’s so hungry that when you take the plate away he just looks at you so sadly,’ Nadine added.
She has traced Oscar’s original owner, who said they had rehomed him a year ago.
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When Nadine went to that person’s house, they claimed they had given him to an unnamed man he met at a park.
But she said she is positive about Oscar’s future.
RSCPA bosses hope to find him a new home next year once he has gained enough weight.
She is desperate to bring the person who neglected him to justice.
‘I would love to get them,’ she said. ‘Someone’s been sat there watching this happen to him.’