A woman has been sentenced and her “emaciated” puppy euthanised after the SPCA said the five-month-old was found struggling to walk — having suffered from a hip fracture, bullet in the leg, and a stomach full of fishbones.
The woman was sentenced to nine months’ supervision and 100 hours of community work, after pleading guilty to a charge of ill treatment and failing to provide proper and sufficient food to an animal, according to the SPCA.
She appeared in the Tauranga District Court earlier this month.
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The animal welfare charity said its inspectors were called to the property in June 2024 and discovered the pitbull cross puppy, known as Patchy.
“The puppy stood with his right hind leg off the ground and had an obvious limp when encouraged to walk. He was also severely emaciated.”
An SPCA spokesperson said the defendant in the case told inspectors that she didn’t take Patchy to the vet because she couldn’t afford it.
A later veterinarian exam found a hip fracture and a bullet lodged in Patchy’s leg.
“The veterinarian concluded the fracture was the cause of ongoing severe pain and reduced the puppy’s mobility. It was estimated to have occurred about two weeks prior.
“The bullet wound would have been painful at the time of injury, but was no longer causing pain, as it had healed.”
The woman said she knew the puppy was in pain and put an antibiotic and paracetamol in his food, according to the SPCA.
Due to the “severity of his injuries and the severe emaciation caused by inadequate nutrition, the decision was made to humanely euthanise Patchy”.
“A post-mortem exam revealed that his stomach was filled with more than 100 fishbones and large pieces of fish scales.”
The defendant was disqualified from owning animals for three years and ordered to pay reparations of $828 and $250 towards legal fees, the spokesperson added.
SPCA chief executive Todd Westwood said the neglect in the case was unacceptable.
“A puppy’s early start to life is a time where it should be the most joyous. At five months old this puppy was suffering in pain, misery and starvation,” he said in a media release.
“The owner had every opportunity to seek help from a veterinarian or SPCA for food or assistance with vet treatment, but chose not to.
“As a result, Patchy’s life ended before it even began.”
