Emaciated. Neglected. Unchipped: Welsh dog rescue centre shares plight of emaciated lurcher

Stephen Price

A Welsh dog rescue centre has shared images of an emaciated lurcher who was recently brought into their care amid ‘unprecedented’ numbers of dogs being abandoned and surrendered this year.

Hope Rescue Wales is one of the leading dog welfare charities in Wales and works to give stray, abandoned, and unwanted dogs a second chance at safe and happy lives

The charity shared: “A few days ago, a severely neglected lurcher arrived at our door needing urgent care. He was found near the Prince of Wales Hospital in Merthyr and brought in by the dog warden.

“Bamboo, as we’ve lovingly named him was emaciated and has clearly been through a lot of suffering. We immediately took him to our vets, who gave him a body score of 1.5 out of 9 – this poor boy came to us just in time.

“Alongside his dangerously low body score, he was covered in dry, flaky bald patches, causing him real discomfort. Our vets have put together a thorough treatment plan for Bamboo, including medicated baths to help heal his skin.”

“Understandably, poor Bamboo is ravenous, so our team have started him on very small but frequent meals to help build him up to a healthy weight, without shocking his body with more food than he has been used to for such a long time.

“Aside from Bamboo’s poor condition, he was also unchipped, which means we have no way to trace how Bamboo came to be in this condition.

“This year alone we have seen unprecedented numbers of dogs come through our doors – 245 dogs arriving, 150 of those being strays and a shocking 550 surrender requests. We are the rescue that never stops. When a stray dog arrives at Hope Rescue, we protect them, no matter the cost.

“We need your support to give dogs like Bamboo the care they so desperately need and deserve. Giving £5 a month would make a significant difference. You can do so here 👉 bit.ly/HopeRescuedonate”

Since opening in 2005 Hope Rescue has helped thousands of dogs in need from their dedicated facilities in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

On their website, the charity shares that they “commit to take all the stray dogs from six Local Authorities in South Wales – Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Bridgend and the western half of the Vale of Glamorgan – irrespective of their age, breed, or medical condition.”

They also actively campaign for improvements to animal welfare legislation and provide support to the public on responsible dog ownership.

Will Young, who committed to supporting the charity as a celebrity ambassador, commented: “When we rescued dogs ourselves, we saw how badly rescue centres were struggling, we knew we needed to help.

“Every year, thousands of dogs in the UK don’t get the second chance at life they deserve as rescue centres simply don’t have enough resources to help them all.”

You can find out more about the work of Hope Rescue on their website, Instagram or Facebook.

You can also find dogs available for rehoming here.