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An abandoned dog has been rescued in Fochriw, sparking an appeal from the RSPCA.

The white terrier dog, believed to be around four or five-years-old, was taken to a vet after being found with a matted coat on February 18.

RSPCA inspector Keith Hogben, who collected the dog from the vet, said it was in a “real state” after being left in an “isolated area”.

He continued: “Juno, as we’ve named her, was severely matted and filthy so we believe she’d either been kept in poor conditions without the proper care required for a long-haired dog like her, or she’d been abandoned sometime earlier and had got into quite a state while out fending for herself.

“Poor Juno had to have her seriously matted coat clipped and shaved off as it was a tangle of knots and matts, as well as filthy and urine stained.”

He added: “Once the vets had removed her coat we could see she was very underweight beneath her mass of coat. She’s clearly been neglected for sometime.”

The dog is now being cared for by staff at the RSPCA’s Llys Nini branch in Swansea, with the charity appealing for information about her and where she may have come from.

Anyone with information can contact the RSPCA’s helpline on 0300 123 8018.

According to the RSPCA, there has been a spike in pets being abandoned due to the current cost-of-living crisis.

In 2023, there were more than 1,500 reports of animals being abandoned in Wales – with more than 16,000 reported across the UK.