Jack Russell escapes after being trapped down a rabbit hole for a MONTH

A Jack Russell that was stuck down a rabbit hole for a month finally wriggled free after it shed a third of its body weight.

After picking up the scent of a rabbit, Oscar the dog bolted from his owner, Sylvia Dean, 28, during a walk and vanished.

She gave up the 11-year-old dog as lost until she received a call from a vets’ clinic four weeks later.

Oscar had been handed into them after being found dodging cars on a busy road.

The dog was emaciated and weighed just 4.8kg – about a third less than his normal weight.

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Oscar was stuck down the rabbit hole for a month until his weight had dropped enough so he could wriggle free.

He had to endure temperatures of -6C but it is thought the soil around him would have kept him warm.

He had been on a walk with his owner, Sylvia, 28, and her mother, Tina, from Swindon, in a field in Whelford, Gloucestershire, when he fell down the hole.

Martina Eyre-Brook, who treated Oscar at Vets4Pets in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, said he was “malnourished, with overgrown claws, sunken eyes and parasites”.

She added: “On inspection, we all had tears in our eyes.

“He looked so sad, but when we offered him his first meal his little tail started wagging.

“We guess that he saw the rabbit and gave chase and then followed it down the hole and got stuck.

“He survived on his reserves, losing enough weight until he could wriggle out. Underground it is not as cold as it would have been if he was out in the open.”

Tina said: “I was out on a walk with Oscar and my other dogs. He knows the area well but he got onto a rabbit and he was off.”

Oscar was eventually spotted by a passer-by who took him to the clinic, where his microchip was scanned and matched to his owner.