Dog found abandoned in Northamptonshire had tumour the size of a grapefruit and had to be put down

A dog had to be put down after she was found abandoned in a Northamptonshire country lane with a tumour the size of a grapefruit.

The West Highland Terrier type was found by a member of the public in a lane called Old Aerodrome in Draughton on April 10.

After the onlooker took the dog to a vets in Kettering, it was discovered that the pooch, aged between eight and 12, had a tumour the size of a grapefruit which was badly ulcerated and infected.

She also had some smaller tumours and an infected wound on her back and chronic urine scalding and infected eyes. Her fur was also badly matted with faeces.

Vets decided the kindest thing to do was to put the dog to sleep to prevent her suffering further as she was in a large amount of pain.

Now the RSPCA is appealing for information about the abandonment to help track down who was responsible for the dog.

RSPCA Inspector Helen Smith, said: “I am devastated that someone has allowed this poor dog to get in such a terrible condition and I fear they would have been suffering for a long time. No animal should be treated in this way.

“Sadly the dog’s condition was so bad that nothing more could be done to save them - it’s truly heartbreaking.

“The dog was not chipped but I am keen to find the person responsible for this dog.

“The area where this dog was found is popular with dog walkers as it’s close to a disused railway line - so someone may have seen someone with this dog at the time she was abandoned.

“The condition this poor dog was found in suggests she had been kept confined in filthy conditions until very recently.”

When found, the dog was wearing a brown leather collar with a short length of blue nylon string attached.

Anyone who has information about the dog or saw anyone in the area with a dog matching the descriptions, is asked to call the RSPCA’s inspectorate appeal line on 0300 123 8018.