Dog found in 'horrific' condition on the mend on Vancouver Island

A neglected dog found on Vancouver Island is recovering after extensive emergency care, and the BC SPCA says it's investigating the incident.

The Victoria-based RainCoast Dog Rescue Society found the dog on Saturday, when co-founder Jesse Adams was responding to a tip about an animal in distress.

The dog, who was later named Faith, was found cowering under a porch with a large open wound on her throat.

She was exposed to the elements, including frigid rain and wet snow, and was laying in a hole she had dug in the ground.

"When I found her, it was absolutely horrific," said Adams.

"She had a giant, giant trauma to her neck – the wound was just very, very nasty – and she wouldn't even look up to me," he said. "There was no relation between positivity and humans. At that point, I knew I had to act immediately."

Adams rushed the dog to an emergency vet clinic on the West Shore.

He's been back to visit her every day since then, and says she's starting to make a strong recovery.

"They had to do deep cleaning to the wound," he said. "Obviously, remove some of the necrotic tissue that was there as well."

"She had to get blood work, a series of tests, to see what was going on within her body and so forth."

Adams says vets have also had to use x-rays and examine her organs for potential problems.

"Pretty much the most extensive testing that you can do, outside of a CT [computed tomography scan]," he said.

Faith is expected to be released from the clinic in the next few days. After that, she will live with a medical foster for the next few months.

It's not yet clear when she will be ready for adoption.