Charges laid after emaciated dog found with football in stomach

Two people have been charged with animal cruelty after an emaciated boxer was seized in Vancouver last January.

The BC SPCA said Cedric was so thin, "every single one" of his ribs stuck out from his side. The dog also had a deflated football inside his otherwise empty stomach.

"He was just skin and bones, definitely the most emaciated dog I have ever seen in my 30 years rescuing animals," Jodi Dunlop, the manager of the BC SPCA's Vancouver branch, said in a statement.

Animal cruelty charges against Amy Hui-Yu Lin and Glenn Mislangwere announced Tuesday.

Around-the-clock recovery routine

The boxer had a body condition score of just one out of nine when he was rescued in January. The shivering dog'sbody was covered in pressure sores, and surgery was required to remove the football.

Dunlop, who fostered Cedric after the seizure, said she spoon-fed the animal "around the clock" to bring him back to health.

"I fed him a tablespoon of food every few hours, monitoring him carefully to make sure he didn't ingest more than he could handle," she said.

The three-year-old boxer made a "full recovery" after several months of intensive care. He has since been adopted into "a loving family," according to the agency.

The dog was presented with an Animal Courage Award in May, "in recognition of his resilience in the face of suffering."

If convicted, Hui-YuLin and Mislangcould face a fine of up to $75,000, two years in jail and a lifetime ban on owning animals.