Jobee, a three-year-old pitbull mix, survived the “worst case of starvation,” the Angell Animal Medical Center had ever seen.
A three-year-old dog has been rehabilitated from an extreme case of emaciation after being intentionally starved to the brink of death by his owner, the MSPCA said.
Jobee weighed only 24 pounds, half of his healthy body weight, when he was found by animal control and suffered open wounds due to a lack of circulation to his extremities, MSPCA said. Jobee’s tail also had to be partially amputated due to necrosis.
“This is the worst case of starvation I’ve ever seen in a dog and I’m stunned that he survived,” said Dr. Kiko Bracker of Angell’s Emergency & Critical Care Service in a press release. “He had no food in his stomach or digestive tract, which had all but shut down. And we needed to be very, very careful in nursing him back to health.”
Jobee’s will to live likely played a role in his survival.
“We’ve seen in previous cases that dogs this neglected essentially give up and do not recover — but it was clear from the first minute in our care that Jobee wanted to live,” Keiley said. “He inspired us all and captured every heart along the way.”
Keiley said the hospital will continue to monitor Jobee’s health as they begin considering potential adopters.