A young dog has died after being "eaten alive" by maggots in what has been described as the worst case of cruelty seen in years.
The female Shih Tzu was taken in by the DSPCA after they received a call that the pup had collapsed in the Lisdisfarne area of Clondalkin on Thursday, July 11.
The dog had reportedly been seen around the housing estate prior to an inspector calling to collect her, Dublin Live reports.
It is not known where she may have originally come from and she was not microchipped.
The tragic pooch could hardly move due to severe matting.
When a veterinary team examined her, they found she was infested with fly maggots that had caused horrific wounds.
Some of the wounds were fresh while others were so bad the flesh had died and had already turned black.
In spite of the best efforts of the vets, who spent over four hours painstakingly removing the maggots one by one, the poor pup succumbed to her injuries and died on Sunday.
DSPCA Chief Inspector Liam Kinsella has described the condition of the dog as "utterly horrific".
He said: "A Shih Tzu is a family pet and should be treated as one but instead this little dog was subjected to filth and dirt with probably no washing or brushing of her coat since she was a pup."
He added: "This dog suffered immense pain as she was practically eaten alive by fly maggots and had open infected wounds under a filthy severely matted coat."
The DSPCA has appealed to anyone with information in relation to animal cruelty to contact the inspectors line on 01 4994727 or email cruelty@dspca.ie .
