Abandoned Dog Has 9 Pounds of Matted Fur Shaved Off During Dramatic Makeover: 'This Poor Baby'

An elderly pooch has been given a fresh start after undergoing a dramatic — and potentially life-saving — makeover.

Master Roshi, a 17-year-old shih tzu mix, underwent a major transformation when he had nearly nine pounds of tightly matted fur shaved from his body, according to a post shared by the Hope for Life Rescue shelter in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Wednesday.

The animal shelter said Master Roshi was in bad shape when he first arrived at their location, and the person who dropped him off refused to provide any information about the pup’s owner or how the canine’s fur came to be so entangled.

“We are so saddened at the state that this poor dog came to us,” the rescue wrote alongside a video of the dog. “We couldn’t even tell if he had eyes as he was so badly matted around his face and throughout his body.”

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The shelter said employees immediately got to work on cleaning up Master Roshi. When they finally trimmed off all his knotted hairballs after a three-hour grooming session, staffers found that the dog was blind, deaf and had trouble walking.

“This poor baby tried to stand up to have a bowel movement and he fell backwards,” a follow-up comment from the shelter read. “I held him up so that he could finish doing his business.”

The post continued, “His legs are extremely weak and although he tried to walk he was only able to take a step. He is now at Pet Care Vet getting a complete senior work up. We [pray] the bloodwork will be ok.”

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Due to the large amount of matted fur on his body, Hope for Life Rescue founder Paulina Cushman told WTKR she suspects Master Roshi had been neglected for some time before he was brought to the shelter.

“That didn’t happen overnight and it didn’t happen in a short few months. It’s probably been well over a year or two for him to get that bad,” she said.

“I don’t understand why people don’t cry out for help instead of letting the neglect go this far. Anybody would be willing to take and help a dog rather than waiting until it gets this far.”

According to the shelter, Master Roshi will be available for adoption pending his bloodwork results.