Terrified dog starved and beaten before being dumped on farm and left to die

A dog who suffered one of the worst cases of animal abuse the RSPCA has ever seen has had to be put down.

The Saluki-type lurcher was rushed to the vet after being found dumped on farmland near Bewdley, Worcestershire, with a fractured skull and broken neck.

The dog’s injuries were so bad it was initially thought he may have been run over.

But vets discovered the dog had been savagely beaten and may have been lying in agony for 12 hours before a farmer spotted it at 5pm on April 5.

RSPCA inspector Jonathan Ratcliffe said: ‘We suspect that he may have been used in an illegal activity – such as hare-coursing – the night before or in the early hours of the morning, meaning that he had been left to suffer horrifically for many hours.

‘The dog was in absolute agony it was awful to see.’

He added: ‘In my 12 years as an RSPCA inspector this is one of the worst cases of cruelty I have come across, to leave an animal in such a state of horrendous suffering is despicable.’

The dog was microchipped but the details were not up-to-date and its new owner lived in Bristol.

The RSPCA is now trying to trace the owner to establish how the dog received its injuries and has appealed for anyone with information to come forward.

Mr Ratcliffe said: ‘The dog is a distinctive looking tri-coloured lurcher who was emaciated and he was also wearing a red collar so I am hoping someone will recognise him and will be able to identify his latest owner who lives just north of Bristol.

‘Also I am wanting to see if anyone saw anything suspicious on the night in question or saw any vehicles in the area which may help me trace the owner.’