An abandoned dog was unrecognisable after its fur was so matted its leg became fused to its ear and caused the fur around his eye to peel away from the skin.

The six-year-old lhasa apso, now named Soldier, was rescued by a dog warden who found him wandering the streets of Leeds, West Yorks.

The dog was badly neglected and his rescuers believe the tiny ball of fluff had not been groomed in months in a case which had shocked vets. Dog warden Harriet Chaplin alerted the RSPCA to the little pup’s plight after finding him before rushing him to a local vet on June 3 this year. She said: “The dog was matted like no dog I had ever seen before.”