'Every bone was visible': West Yorkshire man starved his Lurcher and German Shepherd dogs (Trigger warning)
Trigger warning - animal cruelty: A West Yorkshire man has been sentenced to a lifetime ban on keeping all animals after starving his two dogs, Rocky and Max.
Both dogs were emaciated with lowest-possible body condition scores. RSPCA Inspector Leanne Booth said of German Shepherd Max: “All his bones were visible.”
Following an RSPCA prosecution, Ryan Scandrett, 37, of Stirling Crescent, Bradford, was also given a 12-month Community Order requiring 180 hours of unpaid work in the community, and ordered to pay costs of £600 and a victim surcharge of £114.
Scandrett was sentenced at Bradford Magistrates Court on August 6 after he pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the two dogs, contrary to the Animal Welfare Act.
In late September last year, the RSPCA visited the Stirling Crescent address to carry out animal welfare checks after concerns about two dogs were reported to the charity.
There was a large crowd of people looking visibly angry and upset outside the property, said an RSPCA statement In a nearby parked car were two dogs that appeared severely emaciated and very unwell. ‘Rocky’ was a young male brindle lurcher, and ‘Max’ was a young male black/brown shepherd-type dog who couldn’t stop retching.
They were both signed over into the RSPCA’s care by owner Scandrett and taken to a vet for examination and treatment. Sadly, despite the vet surgery’s efforts, they further deteriorated to such an extent that the difficult decision was made for both dogs to be put down on humane grounds to prevent further suffering.
RSPCA Inspector Leanne Booth said: “As I turned onto the road I was met with a large crowd of people and several police officers. Some of the members of public who had gathered were crying, some were angry and others could be heard talking on mobile phones saying how disgusting it was … one of the dogs was called Rocky.
“He was [sitting] upright, it was very dark but under the street light that was shining into the vehicle I could see he was in extremely poor condition, all his bones were visible.
“I asked if the dogs could walk, I was told they could but they were very unsteady when walking, especially the shepherd [Max]. I picked Rocky up and carried him to my vehicle, for a dog of his breed and size I was surprised how light he was. As I was carrying him I could feel every bone in his body..”
Max was then carried to the RSPCA van and placed in another kennel. There was “foul-smelling” saliva hanging from his mouth, and he was extremely emaciated. Even though he had a thick double coat all his bones were clearly visible, and his ribs, spine, hips, leg bones, shoulder blades and skull were clearly visible - unusual in double coated breeds such as shepherd-type dogs.
Inspector Booth rushed the two dogs straight to the vet for a clinical examination. Both of them were exhausted and weak. Rocky was unable to stand, just wanting to lie down, and then he began vomiting, bringing up pieces of a raw chicken carcass. Max was unable to rest as he was still retching.
The vet found that the dogs were ‘lethargic, depressed and weak’ and both were emaciated, with a body condition of one out of nine on a scale where one = emaciated and nine is obese. ‘Bony prominences’ were all clearly visible from a distance on both dogs - visible even through Max’s thick coat - and there was an absence of subcutaneous fat.
They were given blood tests, provided with food and water, and put on intravenous fluids and other medication to treat nausea, calcium depletion and other medical issues.
Both dogs continued to vomit while hospitalised overnight and they rapidly deteriorated, becoming bloated and gasping, all contributing to the difficult decision to put down both Rocky and Max to stop their suffering.
The vet said that the dogs’ weakness, lethargy and malaise, as well as their difficulty moving around and performing normal behaviours, was due to chronic malnutrition. She added that they would have experienced discomfort because they couldn’t lie down comfortably’ and they would have found it difficult to maintain their body temperature. Their immune systems were suppressed and they would have experienced severe hunger and gastrointestinal distress due to chronic malnutrition. Both dogs were also feeling frustration, anxiety and depression.
She concluded that they had been suffering for at least two weeks, but potentially much longer. Inspector Booth added: “It is a pet owner’s legal responsibility to properly look after any animal in their care. Poor Rocky and Max were starved by Scandrett to the point where they had no chance of recovering - and he failed to seek veterinary treatment which could have alleviated their suffering. For those with concerns about the health of their pet, please check our online advice about finding a vet.”