Gizmo was left in such a terrible condition rescuers struggled to make out what breed he was. They are now appealing for someone to come forward and foster him

A dog found covered maggots who rescuers heartbreakingly say has never had anyone treat him nicely is now in need of a special new owner.

A foster carer is desperately needed for neglected 12-year-old Gizmo, who was saved after being discovered with his eyes shut together with his own faeces.

The dog was found in County Derry, northern Ireland, on Monday, according to Belfast Live and an appeal has been launched to find him a new home.

He was filthy, in pain, suffering various infections and was unable to see or move properly due to his infected skin.

Now the charity who came to his aid hope someone can make his life a whole lot better.

They believe Gizmo may had been dumped and after the horrifying mistreatment they want to put him back on the right path.

A spokesperson for Friends of Rescue said: “Once he was safe in the garden, he hid behind the shed. It’s hard to even make out what kind of dog he is, as he was just a lump of smelly infected dog hair.

“Immediately the finder brought him in and shaved off some of that hair. His eyes were stuck together with poo and he had pus oozing from different parts of his body.

“The poor wee pet had poo and sores on his back end and he was suffering from maggots… just horrendous.

“The finder took off what they could, but had to be careful as they didn’t know what they were shaving since he is covered in masses which could have been mistaken for matts.

“On Monday we took him to our vets for a check over but he is so sore and frightened that he didn’t like to be touched. His scrotum is swollen to three times the size it should be and it’s oozing pus. He also has four or five big lumps on his belly.

“And his eyeballs are so scraped and damaged it’s unlikely that he can see. That’s all we could tell from the immediate check as it was too stressful and sore for him to be touched.

“On Tuesday we had to sedate him to get a proper look at him and the plan was to neuter him while he was under if all was OK.

“Unfortunately he is just so extremely infected, his testicles in particular, that it just couldn’t be done.

“So he got his bloods taken to ensure his organs are functioning OK but the rest we will have to put on hold until we start clearing these infections with medication.

“Our favourite vet nurse in the world Rosie gave him a bath and clipped him and although he was a little cross with her, he did well under the circumstances.”

Whoever steps forward to adopt the dog will need to be patient.

They added: “As you can understand this wee man is extremely shut down. He doesn’t want anyone near him and who can blame him – as you can see from our pictures he just wants to be invisible.

“We don’t imagine anyone has ever been nice to him before but we think that he knows we mean well and we are trying.

“We really need a foster for this boy to help him on his journey, and we are appealing for a foster family who will allow him to rest, recover and just live in their house until such times as he knows you mean him no harm.

“We don’t know how he is with other dogs or cats. Any children in the home are very dog savvy and mature enough to understand he needs his space.

“We really want to start his journey on the right foot with the right foster. He is chipped and the name on the chip is Gizmo and he is 12. We would ask for anyone to get in touch with us if they have any information.

“For now, we have welcomed him to Friends of Rescue and we hope a new name and a new life awaits him.”

If you feel you could help this little dog or support Friends of Rescue, please click here and send them a message.