A puppy that was "deliberately bred for money" was left dehydrated and barely moving after he was abandoned in a bush.
Just several weeks old, Hamish was "hardly alive" when he was found covered in urine in a bush before being taken to the Carla Lane Animals In Need Rescue centre in Sefton. Being very thin and unable to walk or eat, or even hold his own head up, staff feared the worst, just days before Christmas.
Jane McGee, a trustee of the rescue centre, said she fostered Hamish, who is believed to be around 10-weeks old, and fed him through a syringe. She told the ECHO: "As he was still very poorly, he couldn't go in to a kennel so he came to me on foster.
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"I fed him every two to three hours, even through the night and kept him warm, our fire hasn't been cold since he arrived on December 27, and allowed him to rest. He seemed to flourish, and although he was still frightened of the big wide world, he was the sweetest soul and melted everyone's hearts."
But things soon took another turn when Jane realised just how poorly Hamish was. He started to sleep a lot during the day and was "pacing the floor all night". Tests soon showed he had liver shunt issues, meaning he now requires urgent and life-saving surgery.
But with an estimated cost of £6,000, the rescue is appealing for help. Jane added: "He had a scan planned for April 12 but his condition deteriorated this week which meant that he could no longer wait for this appointment as he may not be well enough to survive the operation if he waited.
"Hence he has been referred by our amazing vets at Barn Lodge, Kirkby, to a specialist for scans and his operation. Hamish is a victim of irresponsible breeding, we have other poor innocent dogs in our kennels that are also of the same fate.
"Peter who has hydrocephalus and Ice who has bowel issues, both are currently in our care and have been published on Facebook. Our vet bill is horrendous, but we give all animals in our care the very best chance, how can we not, we think of them as our own.
"We have over 300 dogs on the waiting list to come in to our care. Beautiful dogs that have done nothing wrong but found themselves unwanted. We work tirelessly to save as many as we can, to Rescue, Rehabilitate and to Rehome. The reward is seeing all of the animals that come through our doors with their new families living their best lives."
As the rescue centre, like many across the UK, is struggling, they continue to do all they can to help animals in need. Anyone wishing to donate to help Hamish can do so by clicking here.
Jane told the ECHO: "We are overwhelmed by the numbers of dogs requiring help, many have not seen a vet due to the high cost of vet care and in some cases just down to sheer neglect. It’s impacting on our work and vet bills and we struggle to deal with over 350 requests to help during last two months.
"We are taking sad neglect cases from the council pounds, many with in appalling conditions, emaciated and with skin conditions due to neglect. We are in the middle of an unwanted dog crisis with less than 10% of strays being claimed on Merseyside, the number was over 50% claimed last year.
"Dog breeding is out of control, with not enough homes for some of the bigger breeds. Also breeding in residential properties can lead to dog aggression to humans when too many dogs are crowded into a home."
More about the rescue can be found via their Facebook Page here, or their website here.
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