An Auckland woman has been prosecuted by the SPCA after failing to meet her dog Nuggi’s physical, health and behavioural needs which led to his death.
Nuggi, who weighed in at 53.7kg, was found when police carried out a search warrant at his owner’s Manurewa home in 2021 and was taken in by the SPCA.
A number of other dogs removed from the property were taken to an Auckland City Council animal shelter.
Animal control officers noted that in the 10 metres that Nuggi had to walk from the property to the car, he had to stop three times to catch his breath and his legs appeared to be collapsing under the weight of his huge body.
The SPCA said when Nuggi was first assessed by the veterinarian he was 53.7kg and was so obese that it wasn’t possible to hear his heart with a stethoscope because the sound “couldn’t penetrate the fat”.
“His nails were overgrown, and he had lots of skin tags, particularly on areas of contact such as his belly and elbows. Nuggi also had conjunctivitis,” the SPCA said.
SPCA Chief Executive Todd Westwood said Nuggi’s condition was a huge shock to inspectors and staff, who usually dealt with animals at the opposite end of the weight scale.
“Nuggi was easily one of the most obese animals we’ve ever encountered,” Westwood said.
“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.”
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The owner told SPCA’s inspectors that she fed Nuggi eight to 10 pieces of chicken daily, plus additional dog biscuits.
“She said she exercised him by walking him or making him spend time on the property outside,” the SPCA said.
Westwood outlined that being a responsible dog owner means 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. This is unacceptable.”
After spending two months at the SPCA, Nuggi lost 8.9kg – around 16.5 per cent of his body weight.
“Sadly, despite making progress with his weight loss, Nuggi died suddenly due to an acute haemorrhage from a ruptured mass on his liver. A necropsy revealed further health complications, including liver disease and Cushing’s disease,” Westwood said.
The woman was sentenced at Manukau District Court to two months imprisonment, ordered to pay reparations of $1,222.15 and disqualified from owning dogs for 12 months.
This article was originally published on Stuff.co.nz and has been reproduced here with permission.
