After an appeal for help for an extremely matted dog found in a cornfield was posted online, a fosterer with South Plains SPCA went out to rescue the canine and was shocked to discover that he was the “worst case of dog neglect” they’d ever encountered.
“He had so many mats that you couldn’t tell what was the front and what was the back,” Tori Houston, from Lubbock, Texas, told The Epoch Times. “What was the leg? What was an ear? You couldn’t see his eyes ... his fur was just so dirty and tight.
“It was horrifying. I have never seen anything like that. We didn’t even know what sex the dog was.”
Ms. Houston, who has been with the animal rescue organization for about six years, was appalled to learn that a dog had fallen into such a deplorable state for that long.
Bringing him to safety and naming him Matt, South Plains SCPA attempted to clean him up, but their efforts were to no avail.
Additionally, Matt’s nails had grown to a full 2 inches (5 centimeters) in length and a leash had embedded itself into the hair, which led to a collar embedded in the neck.
While his rescuers were successful in cutting the leash out in segments, every time they tried to cut his hair, Matt yelped in pain. Thus, Ms. Houston reached out to South Plains SPCA president, Kim Moyers, to come up with the best course of action.
“She and I were going back and forth—do I try to attempt to shave this dog? Or what do we need to do?,” Ms. Houston told The Epoch Times.
After some discussion, they concluded that, in order to tackle the matted fur, Matt would have to be placed under sedation. Matt was then taken to Ark Animal Hospital.
Once Matt was sedated, fellow fosterer Kayla Thurmon, a professional groomer with Kayla’s Grooming Service, performed her “grooming magic,” shaving him down and trimming his nails. Later, the vet team stepped in to collect blood samples and insert a microchip.
After losing three pounds (1.3 kilograms) of matted fur, Matt’s rescuers were able to uncover a beautiful, and healthy-sized dog.
Matt was heartworm-negative and tick-disease-negative. However, since he is anemic he’s been put on medication and also requires eye drops several times a day because of extreme eye irritation. Once his blood work is considered safe, Matt will also need dental care.
At the time of writing, Ms. Houston estimates that Matt will need about six weeks of treatment before he can be adopted.
As Matt’s plight has gone viral, many people have reached out to the organization with support in the form of donations.
“It’s been wonderful,” said Ms. Houston, who is currently caring for Matt until he is recovered enough to be welcomed into his forever home.
“He’s sweet and very loving,“ Ms. Houston said. ”We’re finding out new things every day. He loves to go on walks. And he loves to play with squeaky balls and toys—he’s just an amazing dog.”
