A woman in New Zealand was sentenced to jail for overfeeding her dog to death, failing to meet her pet’s physical, health, and behavioural needs.
According to the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), animal control officers found the obese dog, Nuggi, after a search warrant was carried out in the woman’s home in October 2021.
Several dogs were removed from the property, including Nuggi, and taken to an animal shelter in Auckland.
According to SPCA, officers noted that Nuggi had to stop three times to catch his breath in the 10 metres that he had to walk from the house to the car.
His legs also appeared to be “collapsing” under the weight of his body.
To the shock of the SPCA inspectors and staff, a vet who assessed Nuggi later that day discovered that the obese animal weighed 53.7kg.
Source: SPCA
It was also impossible to hear his heartbeat with a stethoscope due to the amount of fat surrounding his chest.
In addition to conjunctivitis, Nuggi’s nails were overgrown, he had several skin tags across his body, and he struggled to move and breathe.
SPCA Chief Executive Todd Westwood noted that Nuggi was “one of the most obese animals” the organisation had encountered.
“Sadly, we see animals on a daily basis that are underweight, starved or malnourished, but it’s equally heartbreaking to see a helpless animal that’s been severely overfed,” Mr Westwood said.
The vet concluded that Nuggi would have suffered “severe long-term discomfort and stress” due to the extra weight.
Per SPCA, Nuggi lost 8.9kg while under the care of SPCA.
However, despite making progress with his weight loss, the animal died suddenly after suffering from an acute haemorrhage from a ruptured mass in his liver.
An autopsy conducted after Nuggi’s death revealed further health complications, including liver disease and Cushing’s disease.
The woman confessed to SPCA officers that in addition to dog biscuits, she had fed her obese pet eight to 10 pieces of chicken every day.
She claimed she exercised him by walking Nuggi or making him spend time on the outside of her property.
However, Mr Westwood found her behaviour to be “unacceptable”.
“Part of being a responsible dog owner is providing your pet with an appropriate diet and daily exercise, which was clearly not the case here. Nuggi was being drastically overfed, and instead of seeking help or amending the behaviour, his owner continued to overfeed him until he could barely walk,” he said.
The woman was sentenced to two months in jail after pleading guilty and was ordered to pay reparations.
She was also disqualified from owning dogs for 12 months.
Also read: Man who abandoned 43 cats in Ang Mo Kio flat sentenced to 20 days’ jail
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Featured image adapted from SPCA.
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