An Oklahoma woman who forced her two starving young children to eat dog faeces has avoided facing time in jail.
Mary Elizabeth Moore was charged in April when her two children, aged 3 and 5, were hospitalised with severe malnutrition.
In hospital, the pair needed nasal feeding tubes and developed re-feeding syndrome before managing to gain any weight.
But it was the eldest child who revealed the horrors of what their mother had put them through.
The 5-year-old detailed the graphic abuse they suffered, including being made to eat dog faeces.
Doctors found parasitic pinworms in the children's stools.
When the children arrived at the hospital, the 5-year-old weighed just 11.8kg and the 3-year-old 8kg.
Sheriff Tracey Shaw says it was one of the most disturbing cases he's ever witnessed.
"This is definitely an extreme case of child neglect. It's one of the worst that I've seen."
Authorities said Moore had a history of neglecting her children.
They said the siblings were suffering from "protein-calorie malnutrition" and "not being provided enough calories".
The children's mum originally denied all allegations but soon took a plea offer from prosecutors.
The two siblings have since been placed in state custody.
Moore was given two seven-year suspended prison sentences on Friday after pleading no contest to child neglect charges.