A limping puppy with a fractured leg who was covered in scald burns was in a pitiful state when he was rescued in Norfolk just weeks after Christmas. But now, he’s the picture of health and happiness – thanks to the RSPCA and his new loving owners.
RSPCA Inspector Emily Astilberry was called to a veterinary surgery in Norwich on 12 January 2024 after a six-month-old Staffie cross called Milo was brought in with suspicious injuries.
In her witness statement, Inspector Astilberry said: “Milo was friendly but nervous. He wanted fuss but was unsure about approaching me at first. I could see immediately that he was underweight, he was limping on his back right leg and he was covered in sores that were open and infected, oozing a smelly discharge.
“The sores started at his left ear, which was open, red, crusty and looked extremely painful. They tracked down over the back of his neck and all the way down his back, ending a few inches above the base of his tail.
“Milo was obviously in a huge amount of pain. I could see that he was struggling to settle and that his skin was twitching. When anyone tried to touch him anywhere over his head or back, he would cry out in pain and as the wounds were so extensive, this made it difficult to have any physical contact with him at all.”
Vets found Milo was covered in sores that were ‘crusting’ and filled with pus. In a witness statement, the vet said he was ‘underweight and extremely scared’. The statement added that he had ‘extensive wounds’ which ‘due to the severity and the stage of infection of the lesions, it was clear that had not been properly looked at or looked after’.
The vet said it reminded them of dogs they’d treated before in South Africa in which they’d had ‘boiled water tipped over them’.
Milo was taken into the vets by a member of the public who’d been contacted by a relative’s friend to say her dog was really sick and needed help. She’d gone to see Milo and convinced the owner to let her take him straight to the vet, but they asked her to lie about where Milo had come from so she initially said she’d found him wandering in the road – later admitting to the RSPCA officer what had actually happened.
The owner signed Milo over so, once he’d recovered from his injuries, he could be rehomed. He spent four months with the dedicated team at RSPCA Block Fen Animal Centre, in Cambridgeshire, before being adopted by John and Ann Crane, from Wisbech.
The RSPCA has released details of Milos’ rescue and rehabilitation as part of its Join The Christmas Rescue campaign which calls on the public to make donations to help save other animals in need this winter.
The retired couple had been looking for a companion for their 16-month-old Labrador Molly and fell in love with him after reading about his story. They brought him home on 1 May.
John said: “I spent over a month looking for the right dog and when we saw Milo’s story we felt we needed to get him and show him the love he’d missed out on for so long. His story tore me apart.
“He’s settled in really well, he’s an absolute nutcase! He’s only a little boy but he’s very strong and pulls like a tank – he must be feeling better!
“We walk a lot at the Sandringham Estate, which is lovely, and when we go out Molly and Milo are glued at the hip. We also take them to off-lead dog fields, and they go ballistic! If he gets tired on his leg then he just runs on three! It doesn’t slow him down.”
While he’s recovered from his injuries he does have some scars.
John said: “We still treat the sores on his back but the fur is growing back now. He still has scars on his head and ear which we clean and put cream on. And we got him a special suncream to make sure he doesn’t burn during the summer, especially on his scars.
“We take him to the groomer with Molly and his coat is extra soft now – and all his spots are starting to show on his coat!”
Milo is loving life in his new home – without any worries in the world. He enjoys chasing pigeons in the garden, digging holes, playing with squeaky toys and snoozing on the sofa in the evening.
John added: “Milo is so playful and mischievous; there are so many holes in our lawn. He goes out every morning to dig and then comes back in with a stone or root he’s uncovered.
“He loves to chew and has more antlers than a deer, and he has squeaky toys galore. Come 9pm we have to hide all of the toys because we’ve usually had enough of constant squeaking by then!
“He doesn’t like being alone and he follows me around. When I go to the loo and open the door and both dogs are there looking up at me! But he’s happy as long as he’s with Molly, and the two are inseparable.
“We are so grateful to the RSPCA which is why we are supporting their Join The Christmas Rescue campaign so other pets in need – like Milo – can be saved.”
Join the Christmas Rescue
This Christmas should be a happy time for all, including the animals who share our lives. Cats will spend long winter nights curled up by our side. Dogs will play with wrapping paper. Some animals will even receive their own special Christmas presents.
But without urgent action, not every animal will be as lucky. While the nation prepares to celebrate Christmas, far too many animals are being left to suffer. Puppies are starving behind closed doors. Cats are being left with no one to care for them.
Can it really be a happy Christmas when so many animals are still suffering?
Right now, too many animals are facing the worst times of their lives. Over the Christmas period, we receive over 25,000 reports of animal suffering – including more than 700 on Christmas Day. That’s why we can’t stop for Christmas. As long as any animal is suffering, we will keep going to reach and rescue them.
We must work together to make it a happy Christmas for every kind. We’re calling on everyone who believes that no animal should be left to suffer this Christmas to donate today.
Together with you, our animal rescue teams will bring animals to the safety and warmth of RSPCA Animal Centres. You’ll be supporting our veterinary teams, working tirelessly to give animals the urgent treatment that will save their lives. And you’ll be by the side of expert centre staff who give animals the loving care they need to recover.
So please, join the Christmas Rescue and together we will bring joy and safety to animals. For thousands of terrified and injured animals, we’ll turn the worst suffering into the best Christmas yet – because it will be the one where their lives change forever, and the start of many happier Christmases to come.
Join the Christmas Rescue by donating online rspca.org.uk/jointherescue.
