SPCA reveals worst animal abuse cases
Horses suffering from severe cases of neglect – including starvation and untreated parasitic infections to the point where they could not even stand up – have featured among the worst cases of animal abuse on this year’s SPCA List of Shame.
The annual list comes days after miniature pony Star died, after being stabbed 41 times.
Ranking fifth on the list was Cashew, a pony with chronic laminitis, a painful condition caused by untrimmed hooves.
He was seen rocking left and right and laying on the ground to alleviate the pain, which was found to be at the highest possible pain level recognised by vets. He ultimately had to be euthanised.
His owner Peter Michael Walters, a former pony club president, was found guilty of illtreatment. It was his second conviction for abusing Cashew, having previously been found guilty in 2010. He had a further animal cruelty conviction back in 1999.
Another horse, a chestnut gelding, was found starving, covered in insects, with all its skeletal features showing. It was so weak it was struggling to stay upright and could barely walk, was suffering from gum ulcers and a parasite infection.
Vets concluded the horse would not survive more than another week, and made the decision to euthanise.
The owner was charged with reckless ill-treatment of an animal. Dogs and cats
Other disturbing cases included dogs beaten with weapons, kittens left to die in rubbish bins, and two poodles who were so neglected they didn’t even look like dogs any more.
Elderly poodle cross dogs Daisy and Lola were named the worst case of the year. They were rescued by an SPCA inspector from an owner who had neglected them for the better part of two years. Their coats were extremely matted and overgrown, they both had arthritis, extensive dental disease, were deaf from infection and nearly blind.
They have since received extensive surgery, had infections treated, and have been adopted together into a new home.
Dogs were the most represented animal on the list, taking up 10 of the 15 spots on the list, including a case where the SPCA seized 40 german shepherds from a puppy farm where they were kept on short leashes, tangled in urine-soaked newspaper and living among their own waste.
A stranger entry on the list this year was several sparrows, pigeons, and other birds which were found decorated with tinsel and other trinkets tied around their necks, restricting movement and causing some to die of starvation.