Burned puppy with broken leg loves life in his new Wisbech home and now enjoys walks at the Sandringham Royal Estate

Last Christmas Milo the puppy was in pain and scared – but this year he is loving life with his new adopted family and can look forward to a festive season of fun with his playmate Molly the Labrador.

Milo was taken to the vets by a member of the public who claimed to have found him wandering the streets in Norfolk.

He was limping on a fractured leg and was covered in scald burns.

RSPCA inspector Emily Astilberry was called to a veterinary surgery in Norwich on January 12 after the six-month-old Staffie cross was brought in with suspicious injuries.

In her witness statement, she said: “Milo was friendly but nervous. He wanted fuss but was unsure about approaching me at first.

“I could see immediately that he was underweight, he was limping on his back right leg and he was covered in sores that were open and infected, oozing a smelly discharge.

“The sores started at his left ear, which was open, red, crusty, and looked extremely painful. They tracked down over the back of his neck and all the way down his back, ending a few inches above the base of his tail.

“Milo was obviously in a huge amount of pain. I could see that he was struggling to settle and that his skin was twitching.

“When anyone tried to touch him anywhere over his head or back, he would cry out in pain and as the wounds were so extensive, this made it difficult to have any physical contact with him at all.”

Vets found Milo was covered in sores that were “crusting” and filled with pus. In a witness statement, the vet said he was “underweight and extremely scared”.

The statement added that he had “extensive wounds” which “due to the severity and the stage of infection of the lesions, it was clear that had not been properly looked at or looked after”.

The vet said it reminded them of dogs they had treated before in South Africa in which they’d had “boiled water tipped over them”.

It later transpired the woman who handed Milo in had been called by a relative’s friend to say her dog was sick and needed help.

The woman went to see Milo and convinced the owner to let her take him straight to the vet, but they asked her to lie about where Milo had come from. She later admitted to the RSPCA officer what had actually happened.

The owner signed Milo over so that once he had recovered from his injuries, he could be rehomed. He spent four months with the dedicated team at RSPCA Block Fen Animal Centre at Wimblington, Cambridgeshire before being adopted by John and Ann Crane, from Wisbech.

The RSPCA has released details of Milos’ rescue and rehabilitation as part of its Join The Christmas Rescue campaign which calls on the public to make donations to help save other animals in need this winter.

The retired couple had been looking for a companion for their 16-month-old Labrador Molly and fell in love with Milo after reading about his story. They have had him since May.

John said: “I spent over a month looking for the right dog and when we saw Milo’s story we felt we needed to get him and show him the love he’d missed out on for so long. His story tore me apart.

“He’s settled in really well, he’s an absolute nutcase. He’s only a little boy but he’s very strong and pulls like a tank - he must be feeling better.

“We walk a lot at the Sandringham Estate, which is lovely, and when we go out Molly and Milo are glued at the hip.

“We also take them to off-lead dog fields, and they go ballistic. If he gets tired on his leg then he just runs on three. It doesn’t slow him down.”

While he has recovered from his injuries, Milo does have some scars.

John said: “We still treat the sores on his back but the fur is growing back now. He still has scars on his head and ear which we clean and put cream on.

“And we got him a special sun cream to make sure he doesn’t burn during the summer, especially on his scars.

“We take him to the groomer with Molly and his coat is extra soft now - and all his spots are starting to show on his coat!”

Milo is loving life in his new home - without any worries in the world. He enjoys chasing pigeons in the garden, digging holes, playing with squeaky toys, and snoozing on the sofa in the evening.

John added: “Milo is so playful and mischievous; there are so many holes in our lawn. He goes out every morning to dig and then comes back in with a stone or root he’s uncovered.

“He loves to chew and has more antlers than a deer, and he has squeaky toys galore. Come 9pm we have to hide all of the toys because we’ve usually had enough of constant squeaking by then.

“He doesn’t like being alone and he follows me around.

“We are so grateful to the RSPCA which is why we are supporting their Join The Christmas Rescue campaign so other pets in need - like Milo - can be saved.”