A five-month-old puppy is in need of surgery after cruel neglect left him unable to properly use his back legs.

Floyd can only walk by dragging his back legs behind him due to a deformity in his hind legs and spine, which vets think was caused by being confined to a very small space or cage for a considerable amount of time.

He was found in Rainham cowering and shivering in a roadside bush before being rescued and taken to Wigmore Veterinary Surgery in Maidstone Road.

Disabled puppy Floyd drags his back legs after neglect

The cruel restriction of movement together with malnourishment had taken its toll on the cute poodle-cross.

Floyd only has 50% movement in his back legs and with possible future surgery, he could achieve 80% movement.

The vet asked Medway rescue charity Animals Lost and Found in Kent if they could take care of him.

Natasha McPhee and Dee Potter, who launched the charity in 2016, went to see Floyd and found him with his head bowed down, afraid to look up at anyone.

For the next month, they pair from Gillingham set about rehabilitating the small, sad looking skin-and-bone puppy.

He was x-rayed, taken to physiotherapy and given hydrotherapy sessions.

They had to teach him to eat from a bowl and to accept their love and cuddles rather than being frightened of any contact.

For weeks Floyd clung to Dee, too scared to leave her side.

Eventually he learned to live without fear and become a happy, playful puppy.

Anim-Mates, a rescue centre based in Ash, near Dartford, offered to give him a permanent home at its sanctuary at Olivers Farm, with a promise to get him the necessary treatment to correct his mobility problem.

The group, which works closely with Natasha and Dee at Animals Lost and Found in Kent, has launched a fundraising appeal so the abandoned puppy can have the urgent surgery he needs to help him walk.

Teresa Bloomfield, who manages the sanctuary, said: “Floyd has settled in at the sanctuary and enjoys playing the other rescue dogs including Daisy-May, Nicky, Mavis and Marvin.

“The surgery Floyd desperately needs is expected to cost many thousands of pounds.

"We are only a small charity run entirely by volunteers.

"We hope the public will contribute to Floyd’s fund to a help give him a better and more active life.

Donations to Floyd’s Fund can be made by clicking here, or sent to Olivers Farm, Ash, Kent, TN15 7HF