WALTHAM, Mass. -- Veterinarians, shocked by one of the most extreme animal neglect cases they have ever seen, are looking for the owners of a Pekinese dog that they say died after becoming immobile, trapped by his own fur.

The male Pekinese was found abandoned and unable to move or walk because of severe matting of its fur in Waltham on March 6. The dog was taken to the Good Samaritan to Kindness Animal Hospital for care but could not be saved and died a few days later.

"It was just one big ball of fur, feces and urine. He was responsive at the time, but he couldn't move or stand up," said Susan Rosenblatt, chief of staff at Kindness. "This is probably one of the most extreme cases of neglect we've encountered in our practice."

The Pekinese was between 9 and 12-years-old, tan and blind in his right eye. The dog's fur had grown and become so completely matted around its body that the dog was trapped within itself.

"The mats were so big and thick that an open safety pin, which appeared on an X-ray we took, couldn't be found after we clipped his fur," Rosenblatt said.

Rosenblatt spent an hour clipping the dog. When she was done, he weighed nearly 4 pounds less.

"His ears, which are normally less than 3 inches long, were nearly a foot long with the mats. Matted fur also pulls on the skin, causing a great deal of irritation and pain," she said.

The dog's muscles had atrophied because it was unable to move for so long and his nails had grown in a complete circle because they had not been cut in years, the vet said. The dog died of pneumonia.

"We just wanted him to know the gentle touch of a human. I think he did know that," said Rosenblatt, who was at his side when he died.

The veterinary staff at Kindness and other animal welfare advocates asked for the public's help to find the dog's owners. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information. Anyone with information can contact Kindness Animal Hospital at 781-893-2800 or e-mail kindnessah@gmail.com.