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Sight for sore eyes? The future’s looking brighter for blind spaniel left to die

Springer spaniel tied to a pallet of bricks in Maidstone is on the mend

Delphine was abandoned and alone when the RSPCA rescued her. The black and white springer spaniel was discovered tied to a pallet of bricks by a blue piece of nylon string with no food, water or shelter.

RSPCA inspector Tina Nash rescued the dog and rushed her to RSPCA Leybourne animal centre in Kent, where it was discovered that she was around five to seven years old and suffering from a number of health issues, including cataracts in both eyes that have left her almost totally blind, as well as ear infections.

Three weeks later, Delphine is in a stable condition and is receiving lots of TLC and veterinary attention at RSPCA Leybourne.

“When she first came into our care she was very nervous, very quiet. It's a very daunting experience for any dog but especially a blind dog,” said animal care assistant Simon McArdle, who has been working with Delphine since she came into RSPCA care.

“The first couple of days we had her we had to carry her around, but we've been building her confidence slowly, giving her lots of gentle strokes and talking to her constantly so she becomes familiar with our voices. It's all about taking it at her pace. She's doing better and better each day,” he added.

The RSPCA say now Delphine is on the mend she’s really started to come out of her shell and is a very sweet and affectionate dog, who really loves people.

The RSPCA have paid for extensive veterinary care for Delphine and have arranged for her to see a specialist veterinary eye surgeon, in the hope that her sight can be restored.

“The thought of her having her sight back, it would help fully bring her personality out. It would be amazing to see where she has come from to where she could potentially be,” said Simon.

The RSPCA rescued nearly 9,000 dogs in need of help last year, according to new figures launched to mark the start of the 20th RSPCA Week (31 May - 7 June 2015).

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