Woman jailed, fined after overfeeding dog with 8 to 10 pieces of chicken daily led to his death
A woman from New Zealand was jailed and fined after overfeeding her dog with eight to 10 pieces of chicken a day that resulted in his eventual death.
Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), in its blog post, said the woman, whom it didn't name, was sentenced by Manukau District Court to two months imprisonment.
She was also ordered to pay reparations of $1,222.15 (P71,000) and was disqualified from owning dogs for 12 months.
The woman's dog, Nuggi, came into the SPCA's care in October 2021 following a search warrant into her property in the Manurewa suburb.
Nuggi and other dogs were moved to an animal shelter in the city of Auckland.
Animal control officers noted that Nuggi had to stop three times to catch his breath in the 10 meters that he had to walk from the property to the car. His legs also appeared to be "collapsing under the weight of his huge body."
Nuggi was taken to the veterinarian later on and was found to weigh 53.7 kilos. Due to his weight, the SPCA said it "wasn't possible to hear his heart with a stethoscope because the sound couldn’t penetrate the fat."
The dog's nails were overgrown, and he had lots of skin tags, like in on belly and elbows. He also had conjunctivitis, or the infection of the thin, clear layer that covers the white surface of the eye.
Nuggi "struggled to move around, had difficulty breathing, was unable to cope with warm weather and was overall fatigued" and because of this, he would've suffered "severe long-term discomfort and distress."
The woman admitted to feeding Nuggi eight to 10 pieces of chicken every day, on top of dog biscuits. She said she also "exercised" Nuggi by walking him or making him spend time on the property outside.
The SCPA spent two months caring for Nuggi, who lost about 8.9 kilos or 16.5% of his body weight.
Still, he died of acute hemorrhage from a ruptured mass in his liver, the SCPA noted. Necropsy also revealed further health complications, including liver disease and Cushing’s disease, or when the body overproduces cortisol or the stress hormone.
“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,” said SPCA Chief Executive Todd Westwood.
“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," Westwood added.
