Abused Dog Unrecognizable After 4 Pounds of Severely Matted Fur Shaved Off

An elderly dog whose fur was found caked in so much feces and urine he struggled to even walk has undergone an amazing transformation.

Larry was discovered roaming the streets of Crewe, England, near Liverpool, earlier this month. A member of the public brought him to Stapeley Grange Wildlife Hospital & Cattery, a facility owned and operated by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), the U.K.'s largest animal welfare charity.

Although little is known about Larry's life before he arrived there, the staff suspects that he suffered months of neglect before being abandoned to live as a stray.

Sadly, cases of abandonment are an all-too-common occurrence in the U.K. In April alone, the RSPCA received 1,508 reports to its emergency line about an animal being abandoned. That's a 9.6 percent rise over the 1,370 incidents for the same month last year.

Larry's case is particularly harrowing. Thought to be either a little poodle or Maltese around the age of 13, the dog was in such bad shape upon arrival at the hospital that staffers initially struggled to ascertain what breed he was.

Much of his fur had become severely matted by urine and fecal matter, leaving him with hardened "dreadlocks" around his head, tail and feet. These "dreadlocks" largely obscured his face from view and made it difficult for Larry to even move without feeling discomfort.

Thankfully, that's now changed.

After his initial rescue, Larry was transferred to the RSPCA's Greater Manchester Animal Hospital. He was then sedated while vets shaved off an estimated 4 pounds of unwanted fur.

Now Larry is recuperating under the care of staff at the RSPCA's Wirral & Chester branch animal home in Wallasey. Kay Hawthorn, who manages the center and is currently fostering Larry, said: "His transformation has been incredible," according to the RSPCA.

She went on: "Under the huge matted clumps of fur, a sweet and gentle dog has emerged who's been given a new lease of life. He was struggling to get around properly, and it must have been so uncomfortable for him. Now he's enjoying running around again, something he's probably not been able to do for a long time, and given his advancing years he's surprisingly sprightly."

Though Larry remains a "little hand shy" when you get too close, Hawthorn said he is proving to be "quite a sociable little character" among the other rescue dogs.

While he is continuing his recovery, the RSPCA is appealing for anyone with information about his life before being rescued to come forward.

RSPCA inspector Louise Showering said: "Larry was in an appalling condition. His coat looked like a pile of dirty old rags, and it's likely he'd been neglected for a prolonged period of time. We think he was probably abandoned or deliberately left to stray."

She continued: "His condition would have been of concern to anyone who saw him, and we're very thankful to the member of the public who so kindly stopped and made sure he got the help he desperately needed."

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