ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Dogs left to die, starving to death in cages, were found inside an Orlando apartment that was covered with animal waste and empty bags of food. Animal control officers were shocked at the deplorable conditions.

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The dogs are now being nursed back to health at Orange County Animal Services.

The windows are open in the third floor apartment now and, depending which way the wind is blowing, you can still smell a very strong odor. It was that stench that really ended up saving the two dogs.

Two-year-old Merlyn's Magic is the most pathetic looking. At 68 pounds, he's about half the weight a Great Dane should be and he has bedsores all over his body and ulcers in his mouth. It's a sign, vets say, of malnutrition.

His sister, Magical Princess, is not quite as skinny. But you can still see her ribs through her coat.

They were both rescued from the Metro Place Apartments on Monday.

Janell Collar saw the dogs taken away. "They were trying to play with the animal control people. They just looked like they wanted love. And they obviously weren't getting it."

Inside the apartment, cops found bags of empty food and animal waste everywhere. When someone complained, maintenance workers went inside.

Police arrested the dogs' owner, Meghan Powers (photo left).

We couldn't track Powers down to ask her how her dogs ended up in this condition. Her family didn't want to talk to us, either.

Animal control workers say they've never seen a case this bad or dogs this desperate for nourishment. Workers think they can nurse them back to health and find someone to adopt the pair.

As for their owner, Powers is charged with a misdemeanor and, if she's convicted, she may very well avoid jail time.

Here's what's ahead for those two Great Danes. They will be on IV to re-hydrate them for another two weeks. Meanwhile, the police could try to get Meghan Powers to give up her ownership or a court could force her to do that. That process could also take a few weeks.

Only after all of that is done will the dogs be eligible for adoption.