The Nebraska Humane Society (NHS) saved a neglected dog in what one vet called the “worst case of matting” they had ever seen.
A team of cleaners had discovered an 11-pound Shih Tzu named Ellie Mae in a house where the dog’s owner had recently died.
“It was a good thing that they were going to clean the house when they did and that’s when they came across her,” veterinarian Amber Horn from the NHS told KMTV3.
Staff members at the NHS think Ellie could have died within days if she hadn’t been found.
After Ellie arrived at the NHS in a green storage tote because she was unable to walk, vets were worried the dog would lose her ability to walk because of hair so matted it would have cut off the blood flow.
“I hope we can save her legs,” Horn said.
A medical team at the center started work right away, anesthetizing her and inserting a breathing tube so they could keep her sedated, according to a statement from the NHS.
A team of three shaved her down and cleaned her up, working on her with clippers and scissors, carefully removing years of grimy hair.
Staff members at the NHS said in the statement that at first they had no idea what they were going to find.
After an hour of work, the team removed 9 pounds of matted fur. Staff members at the NHS said it was an “incredible stinking mass of hair.”
While the team was removing the fur, they saw the dog’s nails, some of them reaching 7 inches long. The nails were cocooned in hair, feces, and years of grit, according to the statement.
In the end, they revealed an 11-pound Shih Tzu with one infected foot.
After a few surgeries and rest, Ellie was able to go outside. She stumbled a bit because she hadn’t walked for a long time, but she grew stronger quickly.
“I saw Ellie Mae walking around in here and she walked around like, I like to use the phrase, I woke up like this, like she was walking like that, she was walking like she was a queen,” Horn told KMTV3.
Ellie is now a happy dog again that loves to explore and greet everyone. She seems to appreciate being able to move again and see the world.
The center said someone has said they will claim her but if they don’t, on Sept. 16 she will go up for adoption, FOX42 reported.
