TINTON FALLS — Patrick was starved for so long he was no longer able to walk and his skin had sunk into the cavity of his hip bones and spinal column. Then sometime last week, the 1-year-old pit bull was put in a garbage bag and tossed down a trash chute at the Garden Spires apartment building in Newark.

But that probably saved Patrick’s life because a custodian saw the bag move as he was emptying the trash.

"His eyelids were moving a little. But he was just lifeless — his body hung there when we picked him up," animal control officer Arthur Skinner said, of the dog’s condition when he was found last Wednesday.

Patrick was taken to Garden State Veterinary Specialists in Tinton Falls, where he’s being nursed back to health.

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Hospital staff say it’s one of the worst cases of abuse they’ve seen.

"He’s the worst I’ve ever seen as far as starvation, skin and bones go," said Katharine Palmer, an emergency critical care specialist at the animal hospital. "The first couple days after he came in he wasn’t able to stand or bear weight he was so weak."

Slowly, though, Patrick is recovering.

Seven veterinarians and several veterinary technicians have been nursing Patrick around-the-clock, feeding him intravenously and warming him with heated blankets.

"The recovery is remarkable," hospital administrator Patricia Smillie-Scavelli said.

By Monday, Patrick, who was named by hospital staff on St. Patrick’s Day, was able to sit up and walk. He’s now off IV fluids and eats carefully measured canned dog food.

"As much as we’d like to feed him everything he wants, we can’t," Palmer said.

Patrick spends most of his time in his cage, napping next to stuffed animals donated by the hospital’s staff. He doesn’t bark or wag his tail, but lifts his head whenever someone passes by.

"He actually likes the touch, he looks for it," Smillie-Scavelli said.

Officials from the Monmouth County Humane Society have offered a $2,000 reward for information leading to the dog’s abuser.

Palmer said Patrick will remain in the intensive care unit for a few more days before being transferred to the regular ward. After that, he will go to a pet foster care program and will be available for adoption.

While many abused dogs can be skittish or aggressive, Patrick is not, Palmer said.

"He is so loving in return," she said.

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