A dog has been dubbed as one of the saddest cases a rescue centre has ever seen after being saved from 'death's door'.
Tony was was brought to Many Tears earlier this year and the list of his conditions were unending.
He was used as a stud for around 15 years and had been kept in a cage, never seeing daylight meaning he is now blind.
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Tony was not even allowed out to go to the toilet, and was infested and red raw from lying in his own urine and faeces inside the cage.
He only has four teeth remaining from unhygienic living conditions and the state of his front legs suggest they were once broken and left to mend themselves.
When brought in to Many Tears Rescue in Carmarthenshire, who took him to safety, they described him as “one of the saddest cases they had seen”.
Now, he is on constant medication for his eyes and joints while also battling pneumonia since arriving.
However, four months ago, Tony was adopted from the centre and his new owner Becky received the amazing news that he had a clear X-Ray, showing that he is finally on the mend after finding a loving home.
Posting the update on the Many Tears Facebook group for fosterers and adopters, she said: “When we applied for Tony we really didn’t know if he would survive.
“Although it’s been a worrying time I could not hide my tears of relief when after a successful conscious chest X-ray they told us there are no tumours and that his lungs sounded the best they have since we adopted him.
“This little man is just an absolute warrior and we adore him so much.”
To add to the news, Petplan UK announced on Tuesday that Tony is the winner of the Survivor Pet of the Year 2021.
Their Facebook post said, “We created this award to celebrate our nation’s pets who have demonstrated resilience, or gone through trauma, and beaten the odds to fight their way back.”
Tony’s adopter, Becky, said, “We are in shock here and I have floods of tears for recognition by Petplan of what dear Tony has been through.”
As for the future, Tony will start on medication for bronchial spasms and have an injection once a month along with Codeine and anti-inflammatories, but for the first time since arriving, he is off antibiotics.
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