This woman starved her dog so badly vets couldn't tell what breed he was

A severely emaciated XL Bully called Marlow died in an "horrific" case of neglect due to the heartless actions of his owner. Carys Scott, of New Chester Road, Birkenhead, badly neglected Marlow, causing the "happy" dog's weight to plummet to less than half of what it should have been.

She appeared at Wirral Magistrates Court today, having pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, contrary to the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The court heard the 31-year-old failed to address the poor physical condition of beige-and-white Marlow, who became severely emaciated and struggled to walk and drink.

The RSPCA was alerted to Marlow's case on March 23 this year, then the pup was taken to Birkenhead Kennels on Corporation Road by a woman who claimed she had found him in Port Sunlight River Park.

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However, RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes later discovered Marlow had not been dumped and the woman who said she had found him was a friend of Scott’s.

Marlow was taken for urgent veterinary treatment, where he was given a body condition score of one out of nine. There were pressure sores on his wrists, ankles and hips due to lying down for a long period of time, and he had healing puncture marks on his nose. Reduced neurological reflexes were noted on all four limbs and both ears were inflamed where they had been cropped - a painful procedure that is illegal in England and Wales.

Sam Simpson, of the Friends of Birkenhead Council Kennels, posted harrowing images of Marlow to the group's Facebook page. She said: "He was in an awful state. He couldn't stand. He was wrapped in a quilt cover and the person was carrying him in. We treated him as a stray and we had no reason to question it.

"He was completely emaciated. It was the worst I've ever seen, and we have seen some bad things here. His nails were overgrown. He was just 17.4kg when he should have been about 40kg, so that's a big difference. He was so emaciated we didn't even know what breed he was at first."

Scott told Inspector Joynes that Marlow had lived with her for three years previously as he had been owned by her former partner, but the dog had bitten a family member and been rehomed.

She said Marlow had been "dumped" back at her address in February and she had taken him in. She said she kept the dog in her kitchen and had fed him and helped him to stand, but he was unable to walk, wouldn’t drink, and kept falling over. She said she didn’t want to take Marlow to a vet because of the ban on XL Bully dogs and financial limitations, and attempts to contact the PDSA for help had failed.

Tragically, Marlow had to be euthanised just four days after he was brought in. A post mortem concluded there were no obvious gastrointestinal diseases seen that could explain Marlow’s emaciated body condition.

A vet who gave evidence in the case said: “Marlow was in very poor condition reportedly weighing 17kg on the post mortem examination. The average male entire XL bully is reported to weigh over 35kg. Regardless of the cause of the loss of body condition I would expect a reasonable owner to notice and act upon this. Ms Scott noticed the dog was in poor body condition, yet failed to seek veterinary advice or attention.

“It is my opinion that Marlow suffered unnecessarily in Ms Scott’s care. I am concerned that the dog arrived into her care in mid February recognised to be in poor condition, yet help was not sought until the March 23. Therefore Marlow suffered and deteriorated over a minimum period of thirty days to a point where he was emaciated, collapsed and unable to rise. Regardless of the cause of the poor body condition or any limitations in place, help should have been sought much sooner to alleviate his suffering.”

Sam said: "It was very upsetting. It was the worst thing that any of us had ever seen. We're here for the welfare of dogs. When dogs come in and sometimes they are in a state, neglected, we can turn their lives around and give them the care and treatment they need, and it's a good feeling seeing them going off to their new homes. When you can't fulfil that, it's heart-breaking.

"He was a happy boy until the end, and his tail was wagging even though he couldn't stand up. Considering what he'd been through, he still had trust in people."

Scott was given a 12 months community order, a £194 fine, and was banned from owning animals for 10 years. Sam said: "For all of us there's some relief that justice has been done, but at the same time these things shouldn't be happening. It's still very said. All dogs are reliant on us for everything, and to not even feed or give a dog water or see to its basic needs is horrific."