They were horrific injuries which would have melted even the hardest of hearts.
With burnt skin peeling off her face and vicious bite marks to her body, Delilah the terrier was pictured just moments from death.
Her brutal wounds, thought to be from badger baiting, left her unconscious and suffering with hypothermia.
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Miracle: Delilah the terrier has made an incredible recovery after she was abandoned without food for days and suffered vicious bite marks and burns following a badger baiting incident
Injured: Medics had never seen anything like her injuries and would have immediately put her down if her owners could be traced. She is pictured after recovering from successful treatment
Vets were left horrified by her injuries and even admitted they would have put her down if she was taken in for treatment by her owners.
But now, following life-saving treatment, the 18-month-old Patterdale Terrier has made an astonishing recovery.
Veterinary nurse Julie Fox, 33, who helped to treat her at Spa Vets in Gloucester, said: 'I've been a nurse for 15 years but I've never been as horrified as when I first saw Delilah.
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'Her face was peeling off and there was blood everywhere, if she was brought in with her owners we would have administered euthanasia straight away.'
Delilah's brutal wounds are thought to be from badger baiting. In the illegal sport fires are started at all but one of the exit holes of the badger sett and dogs are sent down to chase them out.
Delilah was unconscious when she was handed in by dog walkers on January 17, she was suffering from hypothermia and hadn't eaten in days.
Delilah LOVES playing with her toys
Horrific: Delilah the terrier's injuries shocked experienced vets who feared she would not survive the terrifying ordeal
Vets wrapped her in foil blankets, surrounded her in heat pads and gave her a hefty helping of dinner - within hours she had regained consciousness and sat up.
Happy: The 18-month-old pattadale terrier is now a bouncing bundle of joy and has even managed to gain her sight back. She is pictured with one of the vets
They performed a life-changing operation on Delilah to give her new eyelids - the complex procedure left her needing 80 stitches and she was hospitalised for 48 hours.
Although vets are confident that she will be able to continue her road to making a full recovery, the trauma she experienced is a disturbing nightmare she will never forget.
Delilah is now happy and content living with Miss Fox.
She said: 'I'm a sucker for a sob story and I'd recently lost a dog of mine so I wanted to take her home - if I didn't then umpteen of my colleagues have volunteered to do the same.
'Since I've had her at home she's made a remarkable recovery.
'She's full of life, she follows me everywhere and loves playing with my other dogs.'
Miss Fox believes that Delilah's injuries were a result of illegal badger baiting in the nearby countryside, and it's not uncommon to find owners discard dogs seriously wounded while hunting.
She said: 'As no owners came forward and no fires in the area were reported to the fire service, I'm 99 per cent sure that she was used for badger baiting.
'Owners abandon injured animals as they know the bloody activity is unlawful - but we have the animal's interests at heart and they should always be taken to vets.'
Content: Delilah now lives with one of the nurses from the veterinary surgery where she was treated