NORTHWEST FORSYTH — Forsyth County Sheriff's deputies executing a search warrant Wednesday at a mobile home in northwest Forsyth found 27 dogs being held in what were described as deplorable conditions.

The residence on Franklin Goldmine Road off Canton Highway (Hwy. 20) was discovered after a man showed up earlier that day at an area hospital in a bad — but unspecified — condition, according to Forsyth County Sheriff’s Cpl. Robin Regan.

Hospital staff decided to alert the sheriff’s office based on what the man told them, Regan said, leading to the search warrant.

One of the dogs was dead when deputies got there Wednesday night, according to Regan.

It was not immediately clear whether a necropsy has been scheduled to determine the dog’s cause of death, said Epifanio Rodriguez, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.

“There was feces everywhere,” Rodriguez said of the home. “You could tell they were urinating inside.”

Personnel from the county’s animal shelter took the surviving dogs — all Jack Russell Terriers — to the facility in north Forsyth, where they are being treated.

Details about why the dogs were being held and to whom they and the house belonged have not been released.

Charges are likely, officials said. The incident remains an open criminal investigation, though the man has not been officially named a suspect.