Pain and suffering of bulldog left unable to walk revealed as Wolverhampton woman banned from keeping animals for 10 years
A woman has been banned from keeping animals for ten years after failing to investigate and address the cause of her dog’s poor bodily condition and inability to walk.
Modesta Vaisviliene pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court to an animal welfare offence, following an investigation and prosecution by the RSPCA.
The animal welfare charity visited the 37-year-old's home on Gatis Street in Wolverhampton after concerns were raised about the welfare of animals at her address by a member of the public.
RSPCA Animal Welfare Officer Ash Moore described what he saw when first arrived at the address and saw a French bulldog named Boss.
He said in his report to court: “Boss was in the rear garden and it was visibly very underweight with his full skeletal structure visible and struggling to walk on its hind legs.”
“When I touched his ears and stomach, he was clearly uncomfortable and showed signs of pain in the way of snapping and breathing heavily.
"Due to this, I expressed my concerns and asked to take Boss to see a veterinarian for an assessment.”
The RSPCA said the vet had found Boss was very thin and had a body condition score of just 1/9, as well as weighing just 10.1 kg when he should have been around 15 kg.
Boss was also experiencing mobility issues and struggled to walk, splaying his back legs, and had significant muscle loss in his hindlimbs.
He was also showing signs of pain, reacting to any manipulation of his spine, back legs, and abdomen, and he would avoid walking and was also suffering with toileting problems and kept urinating without seeming to realise.
X-rays showed he was constipated with a lot of faeces built up and euthanasia was recommended as the kindest approach because of the severity of his condition, which was carried out with the consent of Vaisviliene.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Ash Moore said: “Our plea to all animal owners is to make sure they always receive care and treatment they need when they need it.
"Boss was in urgent need of help but was left to suffer in pain and discomfort.”
Alongside the ten year ban from owning animals, which she can not appeal for five years, Vaisviliene was sentenced to a 12 month Community Order with 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 80 hours of unpaid work.
She was also ordered to pay £350 costs and a £114 victim surcharge at a sentencing hearing at Birmingham Magistrates Court on January 12.
