RSPCA appeal after puppy with severe skin condition is abandoned in Chadderton

Image courtesy of the RSPCA

The RSPCA has shared heart-breaking images of a bald and bleeding female puppy who is believed to have been deliberately abandoned on the Rochdale Canal in Chadderton.

The young Cane Corso was suffering from a severe skin condition which was affecting her face and front legs and had caused significant hair loss and scabs.   

A member of the public said they found her running loose on the canal near Chadderton Hall Park on January 17 and took her home.

The local dog warden was then contacted and she was taken to Manchester and Cheshire Dogs Home, where the team there named her Pearla.

The puppy, who is believed to be around 14 to 16 weeks old, was not microchipped or wearing a collar.

She’s now receiving ongoing veterinary care at the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital, including treatment for bilateral entropion, a condition where the eyelids roll inward causing the eyes to become irritated by the dog's eyelashes and fur.

RSPCA Inspector Jess Pierce, who has been carrying out enquiries and checking possible CCTV in the local area, said: “It’s really upsetting to see such a young dog like Pearla in this condition. 

“She was in a dreadful state and would have been feeling very uncomfortable from what appears to be a long-standing, untreated skin condition.

"Her head and front legs were bald and bleeding and covered in painful sores and scabs where she’d been itching and scratching herself. 

“She needed urgent veterinary treatment and we’re grateful to the person who found her, the dog warden and the team at Manchester and Cheshire Dogs Home for all their help. 

“The vet has diagnosed demodex mange, which is treatable, but it can take a long time for dogs to recover because it affects their immune system, so she’ll be having medicated baths, antibiotics and other treatment for the foreseeable future. 

“We’re very keen to find out the circumstances which led to Pearla straying on the canal in this condition, and what treatment she may have been receiving, and we’d urge anyone with first-hand information to contact us.”

Information can be reported by calling the RSPCA’s appeal line, in confidence, on 0300 123 8018, quoting reference number 01432227.

Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.