Gateshead woman given five year animal ban after leaving bulldog to starve 'for months'

A Gateshead woman has been given a five-year animal banning order after leaving an 11-month-old dog to starve in a "filthy" cage.

American bulldog Nala was so weak she couldn't stand for longer than half a minute without falling over after she was found emaciated in a filthy cage at a home in Gateshead by police last August. She was given a body condition score of just one out of nine.

According to the vet who examined her, she had been suffering from hunger for "weeks to months." Kirsty Keogh-Laws, the RSPCA inspector who investigated the case, described Nala as the thinnest dog she had ever seen alive during her 14-year career.

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Nala's owner, Toni Rowland, 26, admitted to two animal welfare offences following a prosecution by the animal welfare charity. At a sentencing hearing on April 9, South Tyneside Magistrates Court heard how Northumbria Police had found the dog in a urine-soaked cage in a bedroom at a property in Leeming Gardens on August 27 and rushed her to the veterinary practice.

Due to her emaciated condition, the RSPCA was contacted and an investigation started. In written evidence to the court, Inspector Keogh-Laws, who saw her at the vets, said: "She was desperately skinny and I was able to see every bone in her body.

"Her rib cage was visibly protruding from her body and I could count the bones along her spine. Her legs and back end were stained yellow with a strong smell of urine and she was unable to stand for longer than around 30 seconds or so without falling to the ground.

"I could see pressure sores on the pads of her feet and on her elbows. She was friendly despite being visibly very weak."

The court heard that the team at Vets Now ran blood tests and instigated a feeding plan, aimed at preventing refeeding syndrome, which can be fatal. Nala was cared for by a veterinary nurse from the practice before being transferred to the RSPCA rehoming centre for ongoing care last November.

One of the vets who examined her said in her evidence: "She was in an emaciated body condition and showed no signs of other systemic illness to account for this. Her poor muscle tone and the weakness we observed after admission would make it likely that she hadn’t been able to exercise.

"It is likely she had to lie in her own faeces and urine for a prolonged time. This would have caused physical discomfort and mental distress. Her body condition would lead me to think she hadn’t been fed appropriately and suffered from hunger for weeks to months."

In addition to the five-year disqualification order Rowland, now of Dundas Way, Gateshead, was also given a 12-month community order with 20 RAR days and told to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. Magistrates were told she was suffering from mental health problems at the time and was unable to look after herself and Nala suffered as a result.

When Nala arrived at Felledge Animal Centre in Chester-le-Street, she would urinate on the floor when staff called her name, so they stopped using it. Thankfully, there has been a happy ending for Nala, who has since been renamed Penny and rehomed with 27-year-old Beth Atkinson, who described her as "my world".

Inspector Keogh-Laws praised Northumbria Police and vets for their support in the case, adding: "Without a doubt she was the thinnest dog I have ever seen alive. She couldn’t stand unaided at the vets for more than 30 seconds and was quite literally wasting away in a filthy cage.

"She was a very poorly dog when she first arrived at Vets Now in Gateshead and the team there were instrumental in her recovery. I think we were all hoping for the best but possibly fearing the worst, but they did a wonderful job. To see Penny now in her new home, transformed and living her best life with Beth, is just incredible."