A British bulldog found by a dog walker on a remote part of Dartmoor is looking forward to a much brighter future thanks to prompt teamwork by three local organisations.

The frightened dog was brought to Margaret Green Animal Rescue at Wingletang near Brentor by West Devon Borough Council's dog warden. 

Nikki Ging, of the animal charity, said: 'She looked very neglected and the staff found her to be in a lot of discomfort due to a very bad infection in her eye — she was unable to open one eye and her other eye looked very sore.'

Ethel, as she is now called, was taken to Westmoor Veterinary Centre in Tavistock where it was realised she was suffering from Entropian in both eyes.

Entropian is a condition where the eyelid rolls inwards, on her lower lids in this case, causing her eyelashes to scratch the surface of the eye.

It is a condition which, sadly, is seen in dogs that have exaggerated facial folds, and causes a lot of pain.

If left untreated, it can cause blindness and in Ethel's case, she also had an ulcer on the eye that she found too painful to open.

Vet Chris Jones decided she needed surgery as she could potentially lose her sight, and Ethel was operated on two days later.

Chris removed a section of skin on both lower lids and used skin sutures to force the lids outwards into a more normal position. 

Ethel also had extra hairs on her eyelids that should not have been there so they were removed too.  A temporary contact lens was put in to protect the ulcer on the cornea from being scratched, allowing it to heal.

Nikki said: 'Since the operation Ethel has come on in leaps and bounds and loves nothing more than playing with the other dogs in our care. 

'However, she is still very nervous of strangers and the staff at Margaret Green Animal Rescue feel that she will never quite lose that trait, but each day you see an improvement which makes the job all the more worthwhile.

'Working closely with West Devon Borough Council allowed the rescue centre to bring Ethel back to full health which will mean she can be rehomed and have a really happy life with a caring, loving owner.'

Anyone who would like more information about the cats and dogs for rehoming, should contact Margaret Green Animal Rescue on 01822 810215 or visit their website www,margaretgreenanimalrescue.org.uk