A dog named Elphie was one of 65 animals seized by the New Brunswick SPCA from a residence in northern New Brunswick last month.

Elphie and her two puppies are thriving now, thanks to her foster parents, but their lives were much different just four weeks ago.

"I've been doing this for a long time," said Stephanie Shipley, Elphie's foster parent. "We have fostered over 830 animals, and this was probably the worst hygienic case I've seen."

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Shipley said the fur was so matted the dog couldn't eat or defecate. Her paws were matted with feces and hair, and she lacked so much muscle mass that she struggled to walk and climb stairs.

The two surviving puppies from her litter of six were also emaciated.

Emotionally, Elphie didn't seem

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