This is absolutely shocking
A 14-month-old dog was found abandoned in the Grand Union Canal.
The poor thing was found by a member of the public in Park Royal in London, completely soaking wet and shivering in the canal.
She was brought to The Mayhew Animal Home by a dog warden very underweight and suffering from a chronic ear infection.
The carers at the home named the Staffie cross Abbey, and gave her a thorough health check, where they discovered Abbey's ear infection.
Head of Animal Welfare at The Mayhew, Zoe Edwards, 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 she 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 wish whoever had abandoned poor Abbey had alerted us or another rescue shelter. We are here to assist and advise on the best course of action for the animal."
Dr. Ursula Goetz, Head Vet at The Mayhew, said: "We noticed that Abbey's right ear was irritating her and she scratched it a lot. On further inspection, we discovered that Abbey had a very narrowed ear canal, so much so that hardly any air was able to get through the ear canal anymore.
"This usually happens through chronic ear infections, which causes the body to react with inflammation which will, over time, narrow the ear canal more and more until it becomes impossible to treat the ear other than with surgery."
"Abbey had to have her whole right ear canal removed and her middle ear flushed and cleaned out. The surgery will help take away the constant discomfort and soreness in her ear. Thankfully, Abbey is on the road to recovery.
"Despite clearly having been in pain and uncomfortable for a long time, it is just remarkable what a nice character Abbey is."
After lots of love and care from the Kennels Team at The Mayhew, Abbey is recovering well from the surgery and is back wagging her tail and showing off her friendly nature.
The Mayhew are now "on a mission" to find her a loving new home and a happily ever after. Once she has completely recovered, she will become available to adopt on their site.
If you are interested in taking Abbey into your home, you can sign up to receive alerts on The Mayhew's site for when she becomes available.
Alternatively, you can donate to the charity to aid them in helping more animals who need it.
Have you ever adopted a dog from an animal shelter? Are you looking for a new dog to give a loving home to? Let us know over on Facebook and Twitter.
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