WORTHINGTON, OH (WCMH) — Ruby, the severely emaciated dog rescued from a southern Ohio home in January, has died.

According to a spokesperson with the Ohio SPCA, Ruby died this morning after receiving more than a month’s worth of care at MedVet in Worthington.

The Ohio SPCA says, the dog, Ruby, was rescued January 5, after being left chained outside of a home in Scioto County without access to food for a long period of time. She was vomiting and had a high white blood cell count, indicating infection. She was unable to nurse three puppies that she recently gave birth to.

One of the week-old puppies was also found and recovered. It is being bottle fed at a veterinary clinic in Scioto County. Two other puppies did not survive.

Noah Turner, operations director and response team leader for the Ohio SPCA, described the situation as “obviously deliberate neglect.”

“When we come across an animal like this, it’s really hard to understand how somebody can be inside their home while they have an animal outside of their home that looks like this,” Turner said Thursday. “This animal has no fat reserves left on its body. It’s completely underweight. All bones are exposed. There was no nutrients inside of the mother dog to care for its babies or anything like that.”

Turner said the dog appeared to have been in that condition for some time and emphasized the importance of people reporting animal neglect or cruelty if they see it.

The Scioto County Sheriff is investigating the case. It is not yet clear what charges could be filed.