Leicestershire RSCPA vets battle to save critically injured puppies abandoned and 'left for dead'

A vets in Leicester has been battling to save two seriously injured three-month-old German shepherd puppies, who were found dumped and left for dead at the end of November.

An RSPCA inspector collected the cream puppies and took them to a veterinary surgery, where they thought they might need to put them to sleep, because of their severe injuries.

One puppy, named Poppy, was discovered with a bitten-off nose which had healed irregularly, meaning she struggled to breathe.

The other, who has been named Freya, had a bitten-off tail and an open wound on her mouth.

The puppies were then brought into RSPCA Woodside in Leicester, where three separate vets examined them.

Reconstructive surgery was not an option for Poppy, who sadly had to be put to sleep due to how her old injury had healed - leaving staff devastated.

The RSPCA says she could have been saved if her owner had taken her to a veterinary surgery before her nose had healed over.

Freya's mouth and tail have since been treated by a veterinary team and she is now in a foster home with a family who adore her.

An online fundraising page has now been launched to help pay for her long-term care.

RSPCA Woodside’s Branch Manager, Amanda Lovett, said: “RSPCA Woodside is seeing more and more incidents like this.

"It is likely the puppies were kept in cramped conditions with their mum by an indiscriminate breeder.

"Mum probably had nowhere to escape a litter of up to eight puppies so bit her puppies through stress.

"Indiscriminate breeders would not be able to sell the puppies as they were injured so abandoning them was the easiest option."

Amanda Lovett added: "Unfortunately, we are seeing a significant rise in the abandonment of sick and injured puppies and kittens.

"This is probably the result of people buying pets on a whim during the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis, and the high cost of veterinary care."