Malnourished dog found tied to tree on footpath

Rudi's health and energy levels have significantly improved in the last few days

An animal charity caring for a malnourished dog found tied to a tree on a public footpath say he was less than half the weight an animal of his breed should be.

Rudi, a lurcher, was found by a member of the public near a golf course in Newport before being taken to All Creatures Great and Small in Cwmbran, Torfaen.

He arrived at the centre weighing 11kg (1.7 stone), which is roughly the weight of a male French bulldog, said Angharad Williams, the centre's sanctuary manager.

"He's ridiculously underweight for his breed," she said, adding that adult male lurchers typically weigh above 25kg.

She said the centre had started a feeding plan to avoid him getting refeeding syndrome, a potentially fatal illness.

"If a dog starved for a long time is given a large meal they inhale it and their system can't take it," she said.

"So he's being fed little and often."

Rudi was found tied to a tree near Tredegar Park golf course on Wednesday, before the member of public found him, phoned the animal shelter and brought him straight in.

She said that when Rudi arrived he was "extremely emaciated and dehydrated", could barely stand and had no energy.

Despite this, she described him as "such a sweet boy who is friendly to everybody".

While she did not know where he had come from, she strongly suspected he had previously lived in a home because he knew what a harness was and responded positively when being told he was being taken for a walk.

Rudi weighed just 11kg - less than half his expected weight - when he was brought in

'A lot happier'

She said the feeding plan had helped him recover and, despite it only being a few days, he was now improving and "doing well".

"His energy levels are definitely on the rise – he's a lot happier and he's slowly getting his hydration levels up," she said.

Ms Williams also said the centre had seen an increase in malnourished animals being brought to the centre recently, with three malnourished dogs arriving in the last three months.

"If an animal is suffering – whether found or it's their animal that's in that state – take them to a local vet so they can be treated immediately," she said.

She added that animals being tied up outside centres like their own was a risk because "every minute matters" and they may not be found in time.

Regarding Rudi, Ms Williams said the next step was to try and get him into a foster home.

"Hopefully we'll see him continue his recovery. Fingers crossed."