The dog, named Elmo, had been treated so badly during his life that vets concluded every bone in his body had broken at some point.
John Littlewood, an RSPCA animal welfare officer, who went to find Elmo in the cemetery in Prenton after being informed by a member of the public, said he strongly believed “he was dumped and left to die in the cold”.
“When Elmo was found, he was covered in faeces and smelled of stale urine, and had severely overgrown claws."
Mr Littlewood took him to the vet, suspecting “he had two broken back legs”.
“I was shocked when the vet came back to say there was almost no bone in the dog’s body which had not been broken, he had broken hips, broken ‘wrists’ and cartilage damage.”
According to vets, it is possible that some of the injuries sustained by Elmo dated back several years, inflicting long-term pain on the dog.
Mr Littlewood said he had never witnessed a dog as badly injured as Elmo. “It’s difficult to imagine the pain and suffering this poor little dog has endured.”
“I have dealt with some shocking cases but this is the most severely injured dog I have ever helped, even when I’ve dealt with dogs hit by cars their injuries have not been as extensive as this.”
He urged anyone with any information about the owner to get in touch.
According to the RSPCA, no one has yet come forward.