He was wrapped in dirty laundry, starved, filthy, matted, covered in fleas barely clinging to life

Yesterday we got a call from our local shelter. A dog had been found in a dumpster, wrapped in dirty laundry and barely clinging to life. He is a Doodle and should weigh at least 75 pounds but currently weighs 35 with a Body Condition Score of 1/9. Not only had he been starved nearly to death but he was filthy, matted, urine-soaked and covered in fleas. He was so weak he could not even lift his head, much less stand or walk. The veterinarian at the shelter initiated life-saving measures but they knew “Scout” would need specialized hospital care in order to have any chance of survival. One of our volunteers transported Scout to the ER at UGA and the photos you see here tell more than our words ever could. To say that Scout was at the brink of death is an understatement but we authorized them to do anything necessary to try and save his life. They quickly put together an estimate of $6,000-8,000 for his hospital stay. We agreed to foot the bill and they immediately got to work.
Though he is still quite critical, in the past 24 hours Scout has made a significant improvement. He has had both blood and plasma transfusions, IV fluids and many IV medications to keep his blood pressure and blood glucose normalized. He had an abdominal x-ray and ultrasound to rule out any underlying cause for his horrific body condition such as a tumor, foreign body or GI blockage (all of which have now been ruled out). Late this afternoon the doctors decided it was safe to feed Scout a small amount of food and he ate it ravenously. Sadly, it appears that this sweet boy is only in this heartbreaking physical condition due to an unimaginable level of neglect by his humans. We cannot change his past, but we can ensure that he has a bright new future where he will never be mistreated again. Scout has a long recovery road ahead but we are committed to ensuring he gets the happily-ever-after he deserves.