'Emaciated' dachshund puppy being looked after by Wolverhampton animal rescue
A Wolverhampton animal rescue is looking after an "emaciated" dachshund who is the size of an eight-week old puppy despite being five-months-old.
Dexter was rushed into the Wings and Paws rescue on Wednesday after his former owner couldn't afford the puppy's vet bills and was concerned for his wellbeing.
Poor Dexter is so small that all of Wings and Paws's dog toys are too big for him, so the rescue is also appealing for donations of puppy toys as well as puppy food.
A fosterer at Wings and Paws said: "Meet Dexter. Please no homing enquiries as he’s very poorly. This skinny boy is just five-months-old and has been signed over to us by his owner who believed he had a prolapsed bowel and couldn’t afford vet treatment.
"The good news is there is nothing medically wrong with him to have caused him to be so emaciated.
"Since being in our care he's had food 'little and often' and the difference in him already is astonishing. He's full of beans now, eating like a little pig and has already stolen everyone's hearts here.
"He is suffering from anaemia, because he's so thin - which he's now on antibiotics for, but we fully expect him to bounce right back now he's getting the care he needs.
"We're not accepting enquiries for rehoming Dexter at this stage. Our priority is to get him well before we start thinking about adoption possibilities, so please don't send any applications or messages yet asking to adopt him."
The volunteer added: "If anyone would like to buy Dexter some tiny dog toys to play with he'd be so happy. All our toys are too big for him at the moment!
"He's five-months-old and he's the size our Bambi and Walter were at around eight-weeks-old. We'd also be extremely thankful for any donations of puppy food for him.
"Because we need to be careful not to over feed him (as his tummy needs time to adjust) he's on Butcher's Puppy Perfect Wet Dog Food Trays Grain Free which is now on our Amazon Wishlist: amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/18DPE2UQKU00T?ref_=wl_share but you can purchase this in other places too and we'll happily send you our address."
Dexter's vet bill is expected to be between £250 and £400. Anyone who is interested in contributing towards the cost of his care can donate by PayPal at paypal.com/paypalme/wingsandpawsrescue or GoFundMe at gofund.me/8bbebb5f.
