A young dog has died in what the DSPCA calls the worst case of coat matting and cruelty seen for many years.
Last Thursday, the charity received a call relating to a collapsed dog in the Lisdisfarne area of Clondalkin in west Dublin.
The dog, a small female Shih Tzu, was found in a severally matted state.
She had reportedly been seen around the Dublin housing estate prior to an inspector calling to collect her, but it is not known where she may have originally come from and she was not microchipped.
The DSPCA says it was obvious the dog could hardly move for the severe matting and she was also quite unwell.
Image: DSPCAWhen a veterinary team examined her, they realised she was infested with fly maggots and underneath the thick impacted matts were open wounds that had formed from urine and faces embedded into the fur "over a period of years."
It says some wounds were fresh and others were so bad the flesh had died and had already turned black.
A team spent over four hours removing the matting and removed the maggots one by one.
The wounds were flushed and cleaned and the dog was given all medication necessary - however she died on Sunday.
DSPCA Chief Inspector Liam Kinsella describes the condition of the dog as "utterly horrific".
Image: DSPCA"The dog was not old and should have had a happy life but instead was subjected to complete neglect."
"A Shih Tzu is a family pet and should be treated as one but instead this little dog was subjected to filth and dirt with probably no washing or brushing of her coat since she was a pup.
"The owner must have known the skin was infected as it way raw and bleeding plus the presence of flies around the dog would have been evident."
"This dog suffered immense pain as she was practically eaten alive by fly maggots and had open infected wounds under a filthy severely matted coat."
The DSPCA is appealing for anyone with information on who the owner is to contact its inspectors line on 01-499-4727 or email cruelty@dspca.ie.
It says it is vital that checks are carried out to ensure no other animals are living in the same conditions.
