Three abandoned puppies discovered in a layby days before Christmas have met up for the first time since finding their forever homes.

Ivy, Lacy and Mistletoe were found by a lorry driver in some bushes in Colchester on December 21 last year when his vehicle broke down.

The driver alerted the partner of a student veterinary nurse at Moreton Hall Veterinary Centre in Bury St Edmunds and brought them in.

Nicola Rigden, the practice manager, said: “If the lorry hadn’t broken down, they might not have been found in time – it was very lucky."

Missy and Lacy at the time they were discovered by a lorry driver. Missy and Lacy at the time they were discovered by a lorry driver. (Image: Stowe Veterinary Centre)

Staff found the puppies to be malnourished and have extensive mange, while one of the rescues had lost most of her coat and had a deformity in her front legs due to a lack of vitamins. 

Ivy as a puppy when she was first discovered. Ivy as a puppy when she was first discovered. (Image: Stowe Veterinary Centre)

The practice manager added: “It was so sad to see how badly the puppies had been treated by whoever abandoned them. It was so different to the cases we normally see. We were determined to do all we could to make them better and give them a fresh start, and immediately took them in.”

Due to the mange, the puppies could not be rehomed straight away and spent the Christmas holidays being looked after by staff at Stowe Veterinary Centre, a sister practice of Moreton Hall.

The teams' involvement would not stop there with all of the pups taken in to the home of Moreton Hall's veterinary surgeon Martin Barrow and his wife Lesley for the New Year.

The couple would adopt one of the pups, who they named Ivy.

Lesley Barrow said: “Ivy has come along so much in the time we’ve had her. She loves running, playing, digging, chewing – and all the things you’d expect from a puppy. It is so nice to see that her legs are no longer bow shaped and she is in good health. 

“The transformation has been remarkable and it just shows what can be done. We’re so pleased for all three puppies to have found loving forever homes. They are a bundle of joy and have made us very happy too.”

Missy, Ivy and Lacy enjoyed a recent play session together at Ipswich Veterinary Centre.Missy, Ivy and Lacy enjoyed a recent play session together at Ipswich Veterinary Centre. (Image: Stowe Veterinary Centre)

Lacy would be adopted by practice receptionist Chloe Howlett and Alex Howlett, and Missy, which is short for Mistletoe, was adopted by Andy and Ann Sedgwick, whose daughter works as head veterinary nurse at Stowe Veterinary Centre.

The three puppies came together and enjoyed a play session at Ipswich Veterinary Centre on August 4.