American bulldog Liza was ‘abused, emaciated, bred to near death, and on the verge of collapse’ when she was found abandoned on the streets in what vet nurse Val Phillips described as the worst case she's seen in over 50 years of work. Thanks to the dedicated rescue and vet team, Liza is on her way to recovery. But the nurse fears that this pup is just ‘the tip of the iceberg’ and that 'things are only going to get worse' for pets across the country.
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‘The vet buried his head into her body and we all stood crying’
Val Phillips’s heart sank after she came across American bulldog cross Liza who had been ‘bred to near death’ and cruelly dumped on the streets. The pup was found by a dog warden and taken straight to an emergency vet in Kent, England.
Val Phillips, who is also a founder of Valgrays Rescue, described it as the ‘worst case’ of animal cruelty in her 50 years of rescuing dogs.
She described the pup to the Mirror:
She was abused, emaciated, bred to near death and on the verge of collapse. The life she endured must have been hell.
The critically ill pooch was diagnosed with pneumonia, withmedics giving her only a 50 per cent chance of surviving. Lisa only weighed 14kg instead of a healthy 35kg for her breed, looking 'like a walking carcass'.
Val Phillips added:
The vet buried his head into her body and we all stood crying, wondering how someone so inhumane could have done this to her.
‘Liza's story needs to be told’
Thanks to IV drips, antibiotics and round-the-clock care, Liza's health started to improve. So, the medical team decided to release her, but on the condition that Val Phillips treated her with heat lamps, medication, and, of course, loving care.
The vet nurse said:
She is the sweetest and kindest dog you'll ever meet, an absolute beacon of light.
Though still weak and underweight, the pup can already eat and walk by herself.
The resilient pooch ‘has a long way to go’ and will need an eye operation to fix her cataracts, but there is hope that she will find a loving home as soon as she recovers.
Val Phillips said:
Liza's story needs to be told. She is the worst neglected case I have seen in over 50 years.
‘We definitely haven't seen the worst of it yet’
Val Phillips fears that Liza is just the tip of the iceberg. The rescue she runs has recently picked up 13 dogs dumped in a field in a terrible state. Despite being at full capacity, she didn’t have the heart to turn puppies away.
She said:
We are dealing with so many dumped dogs now as the puppy boom has dropped from the market. Every pound is full and unwanted backstreet breeders are disposing of the animals they can't sell. We definitely haven't seen the worst of it yet.
Val Phillips runs Valgrays Rescue from her home in Surrey along with four other dedicated volunteers. If you'd like to donate towards the costs of Liza's care, please visit the Facebook group for details.
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