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CONTENT WARNING: This story contains graphic details of animal neglect.
A dog owner who left her pet to die in a shed after it suffered wounds following a suspected dog attack has been slammed by the SPCA.
At the Wairoa District Court this week, the woman pleaded guilty on a charge of failing to ensure her animal received treatment, and was sentenced to 150 hours’ community work and disqualified from owning dogs for three and a half years.
The SPCA was called to a property in Hastings in January last year after receiving a call about the dog.
They were met by the owner and discovered her American bulldog cross, Tahi, lying in a shed at the back of the property. His left hind leg was swollen from the foot up to the thigh. The skin around the leg area extending towards his foot was severely damaged with exposed flesh and infection.
The inspector told the woman the dog required urgent veterinary attention, and she surrendered him to SPCA.
An SPCA spokesperson said the vet found the animal was “depressed, barely responsive and severely emaciated”.
Due to the extreme pain and infection, Tahi was euthanised immediately.
Both eyes were sunken, which indicated serious dehydration. He could stand for only short periods before collapsing on his side, and he refused to walk.
The vet concluded he had suffered numerous wounds, probably from a dog attack, and these had become infected. The lack of treatment of the infected wounds most likely caused several inflammatory conditions.
“Sadly, due to the extreme pain Tahi was in and the extent of his infections, the decision was made to euthanise him immediately to end his suffering,” the spokesperson said.
The owner said her dog was always roaming and getting into fights with other dogs, but his wounds usually healed.
However, in late December he arrived home with a large cut across his left hind leg, as if it had been sliced open. She told inspectors she had tried to treat the wound by washing it and putting a bandage on it. But Tahi’s condition continued to deteriorate and he stopped eating, drinking and sleeping.
She said once the wound became infected, he had started living in the shed. She didn’t think he was going to make it and the best thing would be to have him put down.
She told SPCA she didn’t seek veterinary treatment because she thought she could treat the wound herself by washing it. She said when she saw maggots in the wound, she didn’t contact a veterinarian because she didn’t know if they would be open on a weekend.
SPCA chief executive Todd Westwood said there was “no excuse” to let the animal’s condition deteriorate.
“Tahi was seriously injured and instead of getting it seen to, he was left in a shed where he lay suffering until someone notified our team. In this time his wounds became horribly infected, he was starving and dehydrated,” Westwood said. “The owner knew this, yet still didn’t seek vet treatment of any kind. This is unacceptable, cruel and neglectful.”
The woman was also ordered to pay reparations to SPCA of $2575.90 and $400 legal costs.
