By Izzy Hawksworth via SWNS
Dramatic before and after pictures show the amazing transformation of a rescue dog which was the thinnest animal ever seen by an RSPCA inspector.
Maisie the Lurcher was found covered in fleas and at the point of starvation by inspector Amy McIntosh, but is now living her best life after being fostered.
Amy said Maisie had experienced ‘the worst case of neglect’ she’d ever seen and was the thinnest animal she’d come across in her ten years working for the charity.
Luckily, she was fostered by dog trainer Sarah Livesey who has helped rehabilitate the animal and transform her back into the ‘vibrant and loving’ dog she used to be.
Shocking photos taken when Maisie was first found show her curled in a ball and unable to move because of how skinny she was.
But photos taken recently show that Maisie has gained weight and is now able to cuddle Sarah.
Amy has also been reunited with Maisie and said she ‘can’t believe’ how much she’s changed.
She said: “It’s been heartwarming visiting her. She seems happy and healthy. Full of life.
“Now Maisie is getting the care and the love she deserves, she’s finally thriving.
“Seeing a dog like Maisie go through a complete transformation is just incredible.
“She’s such a fighter.
“I can’t believe she’s gone from near death to where she is now, so full of beans.”
Amy was called to a property in Lancashire in November last year after the RSPCA received a call that four dogs looked underweight.
When Amy arrived, she spotted Maisie and ‘thought she was dead’ because she was ‘so cold and so, so thin.’
She said: “At first, I thought she was dead.
“She was completely stiff when the owner lifted her, as if she couldn’t uncurl. She was so cold and so, so thin.
“I’ve seen severe cruelty before. But in terms of neglect it was the worst case I’d ever seen.”
“With the owner’s consent, I lifted her and put her in the van. She remained stiff and curled up, like she couldn’t move.”
Maisie was taken to a local vets, who discovered Maisie had reached the point of starvation and was covered in fleas.
Her muscles were also wasting away and her body temperature was so low it wasn’t registering on a thermometer.
The vet even discussed putting Maisie to sleep, but decided to wrap her up in bubble wrap and give her fluids to see if she would pull through.
Amy said: “She hadn’t been kept in the cold.
“She was just so thin that she couldn’t hold her own body temperature.
“We were just really keen to give her a chance, but we were anxious about the outcome.
“She was already so far gone.”
“The nurse used heat pads and wrapped her up in bubble wrap, to help her retain heat.
“She began shaking uncontrollably. It was horrible.”
When Sarah first brought Maisie home to the Lake District, she was ‘exhausted all the time’ and had to have help going to the toilet because her legs were so weak.
But now, she is the ‘most friendly and loving dog’ and runs around with Sarah’s pet Labrador Cody.
Sarah said: “It’s been so worthwhile.
“I’ve helped people to train rescue dogs before, and the feeling people get once they’ve transformed a dog’s situation and given them a fantastic life is just incredible.
“I feel the same about Maisie.
“She’s vibrant, loving, demanding and hilarious.
“Truly the most friendly, loving dog.”
The RSPCA say animal neglect and abandonment is at three-year high this year because of the pandemic and cost of living crisis.
They currently need supporters to join the Christmas rescue and help them be there for animals as neglect and abandonment soars.
After Maisie was taken to the vets, her owner agreed to surrender her to the RSPCA, on the grounds she’d been suffering unnecessarily.
They were subsequently banned from keeping animals for life and the three other dogs at the property were rehomed.
