Eastdean Drive Seacroft: Emaciated dog put to sleep after being found with painful eye condition in Leeds
An emaciated dog had to be put to sleep after she was found emaciated and suffering from a painful eye condition in Leeds.
The underweight mastiff, named Ella, was rescued from a property on Eastdean Drive in Seacroft - but, after undergoing multiple surgeries, a vet advised that she should be put down to end her suffering.
Her owner, Laurie-Ann Connelly, 22, has since been banned from keeping animals for a decade. It came after an investigation from the RSPCA, in which Inspector Demi Hodby visited her house in October last year.
She said: “There was a strong smell of faeces and urine around the rearside door and around the open window at the back, however, the view via the window was blocked with what appeared to be a fridge so I was unable to assess the conditions inside the kitchen area.”
The owner eventually opened the door but would not let the officer inside. However, Connelly did let the inspector see Elsa, a grey female mastiff type dog.
Inspector Hodby added: “The dog was in an underweight body condition. Her head was sunken in on both sides of her head and all bones in her body were visible. Because the dog was underweight she had a large amount of excess skin on her face.
“It was difficult to see her eyes and she didn’t appear to be able to see very well when she was moving around. Her claws on all four paws were overgrown and she appeared to have sores on the back of her legs and neck.
“The owner commented that due to her condition she had been too embarrassed to take Elsa for a walk. When asked she advised the dog was not currently under any vet treatment.”
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Inspector Hodby immediately took Elsa for vet treatment at the RSPCA’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital where the vet advised that she would need entroption surgery - a procedure to the eyelid - within 10 days but was not currently fit for an operation due to her emaciated state.
The vet report concluded: “I would expect a responsible pet owner to seek veterinary attention should their pet become underweight. This would have affected Elsa by feelings of lethargy, weakness and hunger. It is likely that this condition developed over a minimum period of two weeks.
“Having entropion in both eyes would’ve been painful and caused constant irritation due to the eyelashes and eyelid rubbing on the surface of the eye. It would’ve also negatively affected her sight.”
At the sentencing at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court on April 28, no mitigation was provided but the hearing was told that Connelly was very emotional and remorseful.
She was sentenced to a community order which included 60 hours of unpaid work and 24 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
She was also disqualified from keeping all animals for 10 years and ordered to pay costs of £136 and a £114 victim surcharge.
Elsa was signed over into the care of the RSPCA in October last year however, despite the best efforts of the vets who cared for her, due to the severity of her eye condition which required multiple surgeries and severe hip dysplasia she was put to sleep on the advice of a vet in order to end her suffering.