As dog owners, we usually do our best to ensure our pets are healthy, cared for, and loved. We take them to the vet to get medical care and offer them food, shelter, and warmth.

Some dogs, however, are not so lucky. Take Toby, for example.

The seven-month-old puppy was found “lifeless” in a dam in De Doorns.

The person who found the dog immediately contacted the South African rescue group Sidewalk Specials for help. The Good Samaritan recognized that Toby’s situation was dire and he needed care ASAP if he was going to survive.

Rescuers with Sidewalk Specials retrieved the dog and discovered his tongue had been cut as a method of “deworming.”

According to them, there’s an old wive’s tale that claims cutting the tongue ligament “deworms” a dog and helps them grow stronger. In reality, it causes “extreme pain and suffering” and has no deworming effect.

Poor Toby was too weak to walk and refused to eat or drink. He would need emergency hospitalization if he was going to survive everything he’d been through.

In an update on Facebook, Sidewalk Specials said that Toby is “healing well” and responding to treatment. He’s got a long road ahead of him, but it’s likely he’ll survive and make a full recovery!

Check out the video below:

Warning: The following video contains graphic images that may be unsuitable for some viewers.