Many stray and neglected dogs go ungroomed, causing them distress as their fur becomes tangled and matted. But a haircut can make all the difference.

That was the case recently, after one dog covered in severely matted fur got a makeover that’s given him a new lease on life.

On July 16, the South Plains SPCA shared a post about the “worst case of dog neglect we have ever encountered.” A 6-year-old dog was covered in extremely matted, thick fur, and was in poor shape.

“The dog has rotten skin spots, hair matted to the skin so bad it is in grown into the skin, the nails are 2 inches long,” the SPCA reported.

“His hair growth was about five years of matting,” said Kim Moyers, president of the South Plains SPCA, told KLBK-TV. “It’s just awful that he was probably seen in different places and overlooked. I don’t see how he hasn’t been seen roaming in the condition he was. I’ve never seen anything like him. It was shocking.”

The South Plains SPCA took him in and named him Matt, after his matted fur. Despite the terrible condition they found him in, they resolved to fix him up and give him a second chance.

Matt reportedly yelped with pain every time they tried to cut his hair, so they had to sedate him. They cut through a collar and leash that was embedded in the hair, and shaved off a whopping three pounds of fur — the result of five years of neglect.