A malnourished dog was so skinny that it had to be fed in a special high chair after his owners abandoned him to die.
Heartbreaking video footage shows Patch the Staffordshire bull terrier propped up as RSCPA officers feed him at their centre in Southridge, Hertfordshire.
The pup was first taken in by vets looking like ‘walking skeleton’ at half the weight he should have been.
Patch was suffering from megaesophagus, an illness that left his oesophagus so swollen that it made it difficult for him to eat.
Patch was fed by officers at RSPCA Southridge using a custom-built chair so that he could swallow food with greater ease (pictured)
Thankfully, after months of rehabilitation, Patch has been re-homed after making a full recovery.
After round-the-clock care at Ambleside Vets, in Surrey, nurses managed to increase his weight and moved him to the RSPCA’s Southridge animal centre.
Mona Jorgensen, deputy manager, said: ‘Patch needed a very special, patient owner who could dedicate the time and care he needed to feed him properly so he wasn’t sick.
‘When Lulu Jenkins came along we knew she’d be able to give him the care he needed.’
But, before Patch went off to his new home in St Albans, he had some final tests with the vet which showed that his megaesophagus had improved and he could now eat normally.
Now, in his new home with Ms Jenkins and her six other rescue dogs, horses, donkeys and alpacas, Patch is thriving.
Patch (pictured) was first taken in by vets a ‘walking skeleton’ at half the weight he should have been
She said: ‘He is great and lives life to the full. He has settled in really well and gets on well with the other dogs and animals.
‘He can eat normally and enjoys having treats and chews. He is utterly ball obsessed and loves chasing feathers from the geese when they’re floating around the garden.
‘He is such a character and we love him to pieces.’
Ms Jorgensen added: ‘Patch is doing absolutely amazingly and his recovery is a real miracle. We’re so pleased he can now lead a happy and healthy life, he is a truly lucky hound.’
Patch was starving after suffering from egaesophagus, an illness that left his oesophagus so swollen that it made it difficult for him to eat
RSPCA inspector Rachel Hayward said: ‘When we spoke to the owners they admitted that their second dog, Lulu, had died and they’d dumped her body in a plastic bag in a park.
‘The body was recovered and a post mortem showed that she had been starved to death.
‘They were walking skeletons and their owners just sat there and did nothing,’ inspector Hayward added.
‘They kept them locked inside their flat, hidden away from view and watched them slowly die.’
The owners have both been charged with two offences under Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act for causing unnecessary suffering.