With her skeleton clearly visible through the skin hanging from her emaciated frame, it’s hard to believe that Peanut – the thinnest dog ever seen by the RSPCA – could survive.
However, after months of expert care, the lurcher has not only made a full recovery, but will now spend her first Christmas with loving new owners after being adopted.
Peanut, three, weighed just 26lb 8oz (12kg) – about half the weight she should have been – when she was found collapsed and close to death in a country lane in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, by a member of the public on New Year’s Day this year.
She was in such a bad way that every bone on her body was visible, she had pressure sores on her legs and even her tail.
She was not expected to survive the night. After being seen by an emergency vet she was taken to the RSPCA’s Block Fen Animal Centre in Cambridgeshire, where – even though she was almost lifeless – staff felt she still had ‘some fight left’.
Kennel supervisor Tiffany Saunders told the Daily Mail: ‘We see a lot of sad things, but I will always remember the first time I saw Peanut.
‘I couldn’t help but shed a few tears. She was just a poor little girl, she had no strength and was just a skeleton, but there was something deep in her eyes which gave us hope.
‘Had she not been rescued when she was, she would have died in a cold ditch. It is a miracle she was found in time.’
Peanut the lurcher was the thinnest dog the RSPCA had ever seen, and weighed half what she should at 12kg
The three-year-old was found collapsed and close to death in a country lane in Bedfordshire
Her carers at the RSPCA dressed her in coats and jumpers as she did not have enough body fat to keep herself warm
Peanut befriended Bailey, a 12-year-old chihuahua crossbreed
All the bones in her body were visible and she had pressure sores on her legs and tail
After being nursed back to health, Peanut is now spending Christmas with her new loving adopted owners
Even though she was not expected to live, the following morning she managed to move her tail. Ms Saunders said: ‘We were all just so thrilled.’
Peanut was dressed in jumpers as she did not have enough body fat to keep herself warm.
But Ms Saunders said she remained nervous of people, adding: ‘She had lost her trust from what had happened to her in her past, and rebuilding that trust was one of the biggest challenges we faced.
‘Once her wounds healed and her weight improved, we needed Peanut to be confident to face the big, wide world and to find her own family to love and adore her.’
As Peanut’s confidence grew, she made friends with Bailey, a 12-year-old chihuahua crossbreed, whom she would often snuggle up with.
By the end of February, she was well enough to be rehomed, and the centre received more than 50 applications.
Her new owner, who does not want to be identified, lives in the South West, but travelled hundreds of miles to visit Peanut and introduce her to their other dog.
Ms Saunders then took Peanut to her new home. She said: ‘Watching Peanut build a bond with them brought tears to our eyes – happy ones this time.
‘We knew in our hearts we had found her family.’
Despite an investigation, no one was prosecuted for abandoning Peanut. She was microchipped, but the owner registered on the chip had sold her on when she was six months old.
- This Christmas, the RSPCA has partnered with Omaze for their latest Million Pound House Draw. The charity will receive a donation of £1million from Omaze.
