Man charged after feeding dog instant noodles

The man was found guilty of recklessly ill-treating an animal. Photo / Thinkstock

An Auckland man has been ordered to complete community service after his pet dog was found almost starved to death after being fed instant noodles.

Daryl Forse was found guilty of recklessly ill-treating an animal after his pet dog was found by an SPCA inspector at a Mangere property in October 2013.

The German Shepard crossbreed was found tied up without access to water and little food. A vet found the dog had been under-fed and left in severe pain for months suffering from extreme malnourishment, open sores, dermatitis and a heavy burden of fleas.

Forse told the court he had been unable to feed the dog well for some time and over the two months prior to the dog's removal by the SPCA had at times only fed the dog instant noodles.

Forse was ordered to forfeit any animals he owned and banned from owning animals for 10 years. He was ordered to complete 200 hours of community service and to pay legal and court costs of $1,130.

SPCA Auckland chief executive Andrea Midgen said the case was shocking.

"Not only did they not provide food, shelter or water, they failed to take their dog to the vet for basic medical care," Ms Midgen said.

The dog was euthanised on humane grounds due to severity of the emaciation, the likelihood of serious ongoing disease including organ damage and the pain and distress it was suffering, she said.

"Dogs simply cannot survive on human food or scraps. They must be fed quality dog food designed to give them the nutrition they need."