The devastating story of a an abandoned, seriously ill dog found outside Queen’s Road Peckham station has touched the hearts of thousands of well-wishers.
On the morning of Tuesday, October 1, one of John Hankinson Veterinary Clinic’s nurses found the very ill animal on the roadside, barely able to stand, as rush-hour commuters passed him by.
A vet was immediately sent in the animal ambulance and the desperate pet was whisked back to the surgery for treatment, where he was named ‘Edgar’.
The surgery shared a post on its Facebook page appealing for help tracking down Edgar’s owners and finding out how he came to be in such a terrible state as he was found collarless and without a microchip.
Within days the post had received nearly 2,000 comments and 3,000 reactions, with hundreds offering to take the tragic canine into their loving homes.
But despite the outpouring of support, and Edgar’s condition initially stabilising, an X-Ray showed up one of the worst cases of spinal arthritis the surgery’s team had ever seen, believed to be linked to a neurological condition. He also had a cancerous tumour on one leg.
In a post, veterinary nurse Kerry updated the thousands who were following Edgar’s story: “Edgar was in pain and would never have improved. He struggled to get up unaided and he would have only got worse.
“Three vets have given their opinion as a team that his welfare is at serious risk and decided he needed to be let go as he was suffering.
“He had three days of pure love, and ate chicken as he feel asleep on my lap.
“We are all heartbroken here and I am writing this post while tears roll down my face.
“I am so proud of this practice and we all came to together to give him the love he always deserved.
“He left this earth knowing what it felt like to be kissed, cuddled and having the best food.
“We consulted an animal hospice and they would feel uncomfortable due to the lack of function of his back legs and risk of pain.
“I didn’t find Edgar, Edgar found me and asked for help and that’s exactly what we did, helped end his suffering. Rest in peace Edgar, we will miss you.”