An abandoned 14-month-old dog discovered “soaking and freezing cold” in the Grand Union Canal, is now on the lookout for a stable new home after being rescued by a Kensal Green animal charity.
The Staffie cross, named Abbey by staff at the Mayhew Animal Home in Trenmar Gardens, was found very underweight and shivering in the canal in Park Royal by a member of the public.
Vets discovered Abbey had a chronic ear infection and required surgery to remove her whole ear canal to flush out her middle ear and clean it out.
Dr. Ursula Goetz, head vet at the Mayhew, said they could see the dog was in a lot of pain. She added: “We noticed that Abbey’s right ear was irritating her and she scratched it a lot. We discovered she had a very narrowed ear canal, so much so that hardly any air was able to get through the ear canal anymore.
“The surgery will help take away the constant discomfort and soreness in her ear. If left untreated, the chronic infection can over time even cause damage to her sense of balance, meaning she might have developed a permanent head tilt to the extent of falling over and not being able to walk in a straight line.”
Zoe Edwards, head of animal welfare said: “We were alerted to poor Abbey by the local dog warden, who informed us it looked like she had been thrown into the canal as she was found soaking wet and freezing cold.
“She had no collar on, hadn’t been microchipped, underweight and sadly it looked like this 14-month-old had already been used for breeding.
“Unfortunately we see a lot of unwanted dogs like Abbey who have been bred purely to be sold for profit or used as a breeding machine.
“When they end up injured, unsold or no longer wanted, some irresponsible breeders abandon and dump them. We ask that owners think responsibly about where they get their pets from and consider adopting a rescue dog.”
Once Abbey has been neutered and is fully recovered, staff said she will be ready to find her forever home.
Those interested in adopting a dog can go to https://www.themayhew.org/dogs.
There is also a chance to take part in the abseil fundraising event at the ArcelorMittal Orbit in Stratford. Visit themayhew.org/abseil for more information.
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