When the RSPCA first saw Moses, they couldn’t even tell what breed he was.
The little senior dog was found after a worried member of the public called the charity about a dog on the outskirts of Derby. What staff found under all that fur would shock even experienced rescuers.
A coat like a “hardened shell”
Moses turned out to be a Shih Tzu, nine and a half years old. But his coat no longer looked like fur at all. It was soaked in urine and faeces and had set hard around his body. RSPCA inspector Pamela Bird described it as a “hardened shell”.
His tail was so badly matted that it stuck out at a right angle from his body. Hidden deep in the fur, close to his skin, the team even found a cocktail stick embedded in the mats.
The vet who examined him said it would have taken “a good couple of years” for his coat to reach that state.
Why Moses was left like this
The RSPCA traced Moses’s owner, who was elderly and suffering from serious ill health.
“It became clear that Moses had been part of the family for a long time, but his owner was trying to deal with significant health issues and things had become too much for him to cope with,” Pamela said. “As a result, Moses had not been receiving anything like the quality of care he should have, but his owner did the right thing by signing him over to us so we could get him the treatment he desperately needed.”
More than two hours on the table
Shaving Moses was slow, careful work. Because of his age, he was sedated in a way that was sensitive to him, and there were sore patches under the mats.
It took a team of three people more than two hours to shave off his entire coat. The fur they removed weighed more than half a kilo.
“The scale of what we were dealing with became apparent once the veterinary team had started work on Moses’ coat; it was caked in urine and faeces and smelt awful,” Pamela said. “We all became more and more shocked by what we were seeing and the realisation at what this poor little dog had endured.”
She added: “It’s one of the worst cases of matting I’ve ever seen, but despite this hardened shell of foul-smelling fur which he was carrying around, which must have been incredibly uncomfortable for him, Moses was one of the most lovely natured dogs you could ever meet.”
Mid-shave photos showed half the matted coat still attached, and a pile of removed fur on the table beside him.
Anaemia, sore skin and special baths
Moses’s problems weren’t only on the surface. He was also treated for anaemia before being moved to the RSPCA’s Abbey Street Animal Rehoming Centre in Derby, run by the charity’s Derby & District branch.
Without his heavy coat, he had a lot of adjusting to do. “It’s taken Moses a little while to get used to having so little fur, and his skin was hypersensitive where it had been pinched underneath; even gently touching his back would irritate him at first,” said animal care manager Lucy Bell.
To help, staff gave him special baths to soothe his skin, and he enjoyed them.
A handsome little senior
Once free of the shell, Moses could finally move around properly. “Now he realises he can finally move around properly without his coat weighing him down, he’s getting happier and happier every day and we all think he’s so handsome,” Lucy said.
The after photos from 2022 showed him shaved and bright-eyed in an orange collar on the centre floor, and cuddled by a staff member in an Abbey Street RSPCA top.
“We’re really beginning to see his playful side come out, despite the fact he’s a little more mature in years,” Lucy said.
What was next for Moses
When his story was published in July 2022, Moses was at the Abbey Street centre, looking for a home. People could register their interest through the centre’s website.
“It’s been a team effort to get him to where he is now and we’re so pleased that we’ve been able to help give him this second chance as we think he’s going to make someone a wonderful, loving pet,” Lucy said.
This article retells that 2022 report. We do not have a later public update on whether he was adopted after it was published, and we will not invent one.
Why Moses’s story matters
Moses’s case is a reminder that neglect isn’t always cruelty by choice. Sometimes an owner simply becomes too ill to cope. If you know an elderly or unwell neighbour struggling to care for a pet, a kind word, an offer of help, or a call to a local animal charity can stop a dog from ending up like Moses.
A senior dog who spent years under a hardened shell was, by the time his story was first shared, soft-skinned, playful and handsome, and waiting for someone to choose him.
From a dog whose breed you couldn’t even see, to a bright-eyed Shih Tzu who could finally move freely again, Moses’s makeover was about more than a haircut. It was about giving a lovely-natured senior a second chance.
Story retold from public reporting. Credit: RSPCA Derby & District branch / The Mirror. Images are the property of their owners and appear only with permission.
