Dogs who are abandoned or stray frequently have unmanaged fur, which tangles and mattes them and causes them grief. However, a new haircut can completely change an image.
That was the case recently when a dog with extremely matted fur received a makeover that has given him newfound hope.
The South Plains SPCA posted on their Facebook page on July 16th, describing the “worst case of dog neglect we have ever encountered.” The dog, who looked to be six years old, had thick, matted fur and was in bad condition.
The SPCA stated that the dog had “rotten skin spots, hair matted to the skin so bad it is in grown into the skin, and two-inch-long nails.”
According to Kim Moyers, president of the South Plains SPCA, “his hair growth was about five years of matting,” she told KLBK-TV. It’s just terrible that he was presumably missed and observed in various locations. How he hasn’t been spotted wandering in the state he was in is beyond me. He is unlike anything I have ever seen. It was startling.
He was adopted by the South Plains SPCA and given the name Matt due to his matted fur. Even though they discovered him in a horrible state, they were determined to restore him and offer him another shot.
They had to sedate Matt because he reportedly cried out in agony every time they attempted to trim his hair. After five years of neglect, they shaved off a shocking three pounds of fur and cut through a collar and leash that were embedded in the hair.
“His fur was matted with thousands of goathead stickers, sticks, grass, and even beetles.” Due to his fur being too tight against his skin, he has serious bruises all over his body, the SPCA stated. Although the dog was confirmed to be heartworm negative and clear of tick disease (since ticks couldn’t have gotten through his thick fur), he was anemic and put on medicine.
Matt still has a long healing journey ahead of him, and once his blood work clears, he will require dental work.
But Matt’s life has drastically changed and he now looks like a completely different dog after all that disgusting fur was removed:
Houston told People, “After we had one of our professional groomers—who’s also an SPCA foster—groom him, he looked amazing.” “I have never seen a dog as beautiful-looking as this one. He is quite beautiful.
After waking up from his grooming, Matt was described by the SPCA as a “sweet boy,” and ever since then, he’s been experiencing a taste of a contented, typical life.
Houston told KLBK, “He went for his very first walk without his bulk of hair in probably five years.” “He was ecstatic, his tail wagging and his little bottom just going back and forth.”
Tori Houston is now Matt’s foster mother. After Matt heals, he will be put up for adoption.
What an amazing change! Matt’s suffering from having so much matted fur on him and his prolonged neglect are tragic, but we’re relieved that he’s now secure, well-groomed, and off for a new life!
Please tell this amazing story!
