Yahoo News Neglected dog discovered severely emaciated was ‘one day away from death’
A neglected dog found in a severely emaciated state was “one day away from death”, according to vets.
Dibbley, a Staffordshire bull terrier, weighed under 9kgs and was described as a “walking skeleton” when he was discovered.
His owner has been banned from keeping animals for 10 years.
Dibbley was discovered in the bedroom of a property in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, by police at the scene for an unrelated matter, who alerted the RSPCA.
RSPCA inspector Dave McAdam was confronted with the smell of faeces and urine coming from the kitchen floor which was covered in rubbish.
He found Dibbley in a emaciated and had to carry the dog, aged about nine, from the property to a vet.
The dog’s owner, James Drury, 25, from Chesterfield, pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to his dog and was banned last month from keeping animals for ten years.
He was also given an 18-month community order and placed on a “thinking skills” programme for a period of 19 days, along with a 12-day rehabilitation requirement.
In a witness statement, the vet who assessed Dibbley described him as “a walking skeleton”.
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He said: “Every major bone in this dog’s body was clearly prominent and evident, he was literally a walking skeleton.
“This was amongst the worst cases of emaciation I have ever seen, this dog was no more than a day or so away from death.”
After his rescue, Dibbley was put on a specialist diet and within six weeks he weighed more than 20kg. He remains in the care of the RSPCA care and he will be rehomed soon.
Speaking after Drury was sentenced, Mr McAdam said: “This was amongst the most emaciated dogs I have ever seen that was still alive.
“The dog was so weak he had trouble walking due to the loss of muscle mass. With experience of nearly thirty years as an RSPCA inspector I knew this dog was close to death.
“There was again a large amount of faeces on the bedroom floor where the dog was being kept.
“Within the bedroom, I did see a small amount of water in a steel bowl provided for the dog, but no food.”
