Lower Hutt couple with maggot-infested and emaciated dog banned from owning animals for five years

Bobby's leg was badly wounded and his body was emaciated. Photo / Supplied

Warning: graphic descriptions

A Lower Hutt couple have been banned from owning animals for five years after their dog was found with maggots crawling in its wounded foot.

The couple favoured traditional Chinese medicine over seeking veterinary treatment, leaving the dog to suffer horrific wounds until he was seized and euthanised.

Pu Cheng Loong and Shu Zheng Loong's 9-year-old Rottweiler Bobby was found by an SPCA inspector in November last year after someone made an animal welfare complaint.

Bobby was underweight, with his ribs, spine and hips protruding. His right hind leg was also grossly deformed, swollen, and had a large open wound. It appeared as though the foot was missing entirely, with maggots crawling in the pits of its flesh, and he was able to move only short distances by hopping.

Bobby's eyes were oozing green discharge and his nose was dry and cracked.

Bobby was taken in to the possession of the inspector for veterinary assessment where he was assessed as being emaciated, with generalised muscle and fat wastage.

The mass in his leg was revealed to be a squamous cell carcinoma and was fly-blown with multiple pockets of maggots and purulent discharge. The vet assessed that it had started as a small painful mass on the toe and grew slowly. This meant that it would have been present for many months to be as extensive as it was.

On the left side of his body were multiple calluses, showing that Bobby had been lying on his left side on a hard surface for long periods of time. To prevent further suffering, Bobby was euthanised.

When interviewed, the defendants said they had noticed Bobby was losing weight and he had a sore foot in August.

They said the wound had started small and gotten worse over several months, but that they had not sought veterinary treatment for him, instead using traditional Chinese medicine as a treatment, and thought this had improved the leg.

By October, Bobby had started limping, and the wound on his foot was causing the skin to peel.

"It is totally unacceptable and heart-breaking to think that Bobby spent his final months living with such massive discomfort and pain," said SPCA chief executive Andrea Midgen.

"Bobby's owners failed him. They knew he was getting worse but didn't take him to the vet. If a pet requires medical treatment, it is the owner's responsibility to ensure they receive the help they need."

The couple pleaded guilty to the offending and were last week disqualified from owning animals for five years, ordered to pay a $400 fine each, and to pay $150 in legal costs and $631.95 reparations.