Bramley: Leeds couple banned from owning pets after dog left to go bald and bleed from untreated mange

The innocent pooch, a crossbreed named Teddy, was left in “severe discomfort” as a result of a chronic skin disease that experts said would have been ongoing for at least a month.

His owners Robert, 56, and Melanie Charlton, 52, of Fairfield Street in Bramley, failed to seek veterinary help for the pup - and were handed fines as well as a 10 year ban on keeping animals at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court on June 27.

The court heard how an RSPCA inspector visiting their house found Teddy in a coat, jumper and cone collar, with crusty eyes and severely inflamed skin.

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Animal Rescue Officer Connie Brown said: “Upon arrival I noticed immediately the dog’s manner was subdued as he did not react to my arrival and his nails were overgrown.

“Teddy was wearing a black waterproof coat and a plastic cone collar with a red woolly jumper underneath.

“I asked Melanie to remove these items of clothing so that I could assess the dog. I was then able to see he had extensive hair loss all over the body except for the head. The skin was thickened and appeared to have been bleeding in places, mostly on the back. It was also hot to touch and the dog’s eyes were crusty and cloudy.

“Teddy appeared uncomfortable and was attempting to scratch and bite himself. I asked the owner if he had received any veterinary treatment for this issue, to which she replied no. I advised her that he needed to see a vet immediately.”

Teddy was signed over into RSPCA care and with the owner’s consent taken straight to the charity’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital where he was examined. In her written statement to the court the vet who saw him, she said: “When Teddy arrived he was constantly nibbling and scratching and had caused himself to bleed.

“There were chronic changes present to his skin such as severe thickening, reddening, active bleeding and scabbing, indicating that the disease had been left untreated for several weeks.

“I started Teddy on analgesia, treatment for mites, antibiotics, eye drops and gave him routine vaccinations. I performed skin scrapes to identify the mites and sent confirmatory blood samples to the laboratory. The result confirmed sarcoptes antibodies were present, meaning a positive sarcoptic mange diagnosis.

“Given the severity of Teddy’s condition on presentation, in my opinion he will have suffered for four weeks as a minimum, likely longer. I would expect the average owner to notice that he was in severe discomfort and to take action to alleviate this.”

Teddy remained at the hospital and responded well to treatment before being transferred to the Halifax-based branch’s rehoming centre on April 24. Thankfully, the pup is now enjoying his new life after being nursed back to health.

Animal Centre Manager Claire Spencer, said: “We gave Teddy special medicated baths twice a week. It took about a month for us to get a clear result and then his skin and fur started to look much better.

“He was a really gentle, loving dog and it was so upsetting to see the distressing state he was in. Once he had been signed off by a vet it didn’t take long for us to find him a wonderful new home and he was adopted on June 15.

“We’re so pleased he made a full recovery and is now in good health and enjoying life once again.”

Teddy’s former owners, who cannot contest the disqualification order for five years, were both fined £60 and each ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £24 and costs of £200 after pleading guilty to an offence under the Animal Welfare Act.

In mitigation the court was told they had tried to look after Teddy and manage the situation as best they could but had not realised it was a skin condition. They had never heard of sarcoptic mange and had tried treating him for fleas.

Speaking after sentencing, RSPCA Inspector Rebecca Goulding who led the investigation, said: “Teddy had suffered for weeks from chronic skin disease for which no professional help had been sought. We all have a responsibility to the animals we take on and that includes seeking timely and appropriate veterinary intervention.

“With the right care, Teddy came on in leaps and bounds. He looks like a different dog now and our fantastic team at Halifax did a wonderful job to get him back to full health and into a loving new home.”

The RSPCA’s Halifax, Huddersfield, Bradford & District Branch has rehomed 222 animals this year including 54 dogs, 145 cats and 23 small animals. The branch is a self-funded charity helping unwanted, abandoned and neglected animals across Halifax and the whole of the Calderdale, Huddersfield and Bradford areas.