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17
Apr
Suspended prison sentence for Harrogate man who neglected his emaciated dog
A Harrogate man who left his starving dog to suffer for weeks has been given a suspended prison sentence and disqualified from keeping animals for 10 years.
Laurance Silver, 48, failed to give two-year-old Esther adequate nutrition or seek veterinary treatment for an injury to her hind leg.
The emaciated dog was discovered at his house in Thomas Drive, Killinghall on July 17 last year after concerns had been raised with the RSPCA for the welfare of a dog at the address.
Silver was given a 12-week custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, when he appeared at York Magistrates Court on April 9.
He had previously pleaded guilty to one Animal Welfare Act offence following an investigation and prosecution by the animal welfare charity.
He was also given a two-week consecutive custodial sentence, suspended for the same period, for a non-related offence.
Esther was emaciated when first seen by RSPCA inspectors.
The court heard the defendant told RSPCA inspector Emma Stainthorpe that they had both fallen down the stairs three days prior and Esther had been limping ever since but he thought she was getting better.
In her written statement to the court the Inspector said:
Mr Silver brought a tri-coloured bull terrier cross named Esther through to the passageway. She was very thin. I could clearly see her spine, ribs and pelvic bones and she was holding up her rear left leg.
I said that she looked very thin and Mr Silver said he hadn’t noticed until I had just pointed it out. I explained that I was concerned about her condition and asked if I could take her to see a vet.
'Severely underweight'
Esther was taken straight to a local veterinary practice by the inspector. The court was told she passed faeces containing pieces of material on the way there.
The vet who examined her confirmed she was suffering and she was seized by the police under the Animal Welfare Act and handed into the care of the RSPCA.
In her evidence to the court, the vet said:
Esther was severely underweight with a body condition score of 1/9. Her ribs, spine and pelvic bones were visible and she had minimal muscle mass. She was moderately lame on her left hind limb but was weight bearing. In my opinion, the body condition score and clinical examination of Esther indicated she was suffering and was a welfare concern due to her owner’s negligence.
To reach this low body condition score she had likely been deprived of adequate food over a long period of time or the underlying cause of her poor condition not investigated and addressed by a veterinary surgeon.
This level of emaciation from a normal body condition would take at least three weeks if food was completely withheld. In this case, the period of suffering is likely to be much longer if Esther was given some food, but not sufficient food, to meet her nutritional requirements.
Esther is now back in good health.
Esther after treatment
Esther's left hind limb was causing her discomfort and she required pain relief. Her extremely low body condition score and lack of muscle could have contributed to her sustaining the injury and as soon as she showed signs of pain, advice and treatment should have been sought, added the vet.
Recovering with RSPCA
Magistrates told Silver, who was also ordered to pay costs of £400 and a victim surcharge of £154, that he had made no attempt to resolve Esther’s distress and she had suffered for a significant period from malnutrition.
His solicitor said his client had no previous convictions and should be given credit for his guilty plea and had shown remorse.
A deprivation order was also made by the court in respect of Esther, who remains in RSPCA care and is recovering.
Speaking after the case, Inspector Stainthorpe said:
Esther was given the lowest possible body condition score because of her owner’s failure to provide her with an appropriate diet.
Any reasonable person would have presented their animal for veterinary assessment if they failed to gain or maintain a healthy weight or started visibly limping – Silver took no action whatsoever on either count and Esther suffered unnecessarily for weeks as a result.
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