A dog rescued with thick matted fur looks like a brand new pooch after groomers gave him a three-hour makeover – and shaved off 4.5 pounds of hair.
Rags, a three or four-year-old Shih Tzu mix, was rescued by an animal non-profit in in Clarksdale, Mississippi, after wandering into someone’s yard.
Volunteers at Clarksdale Animal Rescue Effort and Shelter (CARES) said he was ‘covered in the thickest mats we’ve ever seen’ – which were too dense to cut with scissors.
What a change: Rags, a three or four year old Shih Tzu mix, was rescued with thick matted fur but now looks completely different after groomers shaved 4.5 pounds of hair off him
Wow! The adorable dog posed next to the incredible mound of fur that was shaved off him
Help: The pooch was rescued by an animal non-profit in in Clarksdale, Mississippi, after wandering into someone’s yard
Dire state: Volunteers at Clarksdale Animal Rescue Effort and Shelter (CARES) said he was ‘covered in the thickest mats we’ve ever seen’ – which were too dense to cut with scissors
The neglected dog walked with bowed legs because his fur was tangled so tightly and had hundreds of fleas and sores beneath his coat.
But after three hours of TLC from two staff members and a volunteer at the rescue, Rags was totally transformed.
‘He looks like a different dog and I think he’s proud of his new look,’ CARES board member and publicity officer Paige Daugherty said.
‘After killing the fleas and giving him a medicated bath, he’s much more comfortable than he’s been in quite some time.
‘We gave him a plush bed that he seems to really love so he slept much of the weekend but is happy and energetic now.’
Rags was rescued on Friday evening and underwent his transformation over the weekend.
Needing rescue: The neglected dog walked with bowed legs because his fur was tangled so tightly and had hundreds of fleas and sores beneath his coat
Process: Rags (pictured before his makeover) was rescued on Friday evening and underwent his transformation over the weekend
All new:After three hours of TLC from two staff members and a volunteer at the rescue, Rags was totally transformed
‘The person that brought him in said they had been feeding him for a few weeks after he wandered into their yard but made it clear he did not belong to them,’ Daugherty said.
‘His body was covered in the thickest mats that we’ve ever seen. We’ve never seen this much hair on a dog this size!
‘They were a dreadlock-type texture that scissors couldn’t cut – assumed from years of neglect.
‘His ears were hanging low with seven-inch mats on each side. His skin was pulled tight.
‘Rags’ front legs were unable to straighten when he walked because mats connected at his elbows, so his front legs are bowed inward.
‘Beneath the mats were hundreds of fleas and sores from the flea bites, which we treated immediately.
All better: ‘He looks like a different dog and I think he’s proud of his new look,’ a Clarksdale Animal Rescue spokesperson Paige Daugherty said of Rags (pictured in a before shot)
Medical needs: Now the shelter that rescued Rags is trying to raise $500 to pay for him to have treatment for heartworm, which he tested positive for
‘It took two staff members and a volunteer over three hours with several clippers to carefully remove the mats, which weighed 4.5 pounds once off his body.
‘Despite his circumstances, he was a perfect gentleman while we worked on him and seemed completely grateful.
‘He bravely stood still and quiet with little restraint even when he was obviously in pain.’
Now the shelter is trying to raise $500 to pay for Rags to have treatment for heartworm, which he tested positive for.
Heartworm is a parasitic roundworm spread by mosquitoes which can be deadly and cause complications like heart failure, but with treatment, most dogs can be cured.
The adorable pup is also looking for a new home and the shelter is appealing for possible adopters to get in touch.