Jerry the chihuahua had been left ‘for years’ with deformed knees (Picture: SWNS)

A chihuahua’s knees ‘fused in all the wrong places’ from severe neglect and he now walks ‘like a spider’.

Little Jerry had been ‘struggling for years’ with his condition before the RSPCA found him near the town of Saint Columb Major in Cornwall.

The charity’s Sammy Howard said: ‘When we first saw Jerry, our hearts broke. We can only imagine the pain he must have been in.’

He was rescued alongside 17 other dogs, cats and a large number of exotic animals.

It’s believed their owner could no longer cope with the responsibility.

The RSPCA took Jerry to a specialist vet who said he needed surgery on both of his back legs.

Jerry will also need months of physiotherapy to ensure his surgery is successful.

RSPCA workers said seeing Jerry walk the way he did ‘broke their hearts’ (Picture: SWNS)

Jerry needs specialist surgery and months of physiotherapy (Picture: SWNS)

The RSPCA wants to give Jerry a new life (Picture: SWNS)

But this will be extremely expensive so the charity is appealing for donations to raise £2,000.

Jerry’s final vet bill will likely be even more, but this will at least cover his initial surgery.

Mr Howard said: ‘As sad as it is to witness, this only drove us to give him a better life, but, without public support, we cannot do this.

‘We know times are tough, but we need financial support for Jerry to give him a normal life.’

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Little Jerry would have been ‘struggling for years’ with the pain.