Man prosecuted after failing to treat his dog for obvious hip injury 

A man has been charged with failing to meet the physical health and behavioural needs of an animal after he failed to take his dog to the vet despite an obvious and painful injury to her hip.

He was today (Friday 13 March) convicted and fined $1200 to SPCA in the Whangarei District Court.

In February 2024, SPCA Inspectors attended a property in Northland and came across a five-month-old bearded collie-cross named Sally.

She was underweight, with her ribs and hip bones clearly visible. Inspectors also noticed her right hip was misaligned with her left, and she walked with an obvious limp.

Inspectors took Sally into their possession and she was examined by a veterinarian who found she was extremely emaciated, with no palpable body fat and a loss of muscle mass. She only weighed 6.4kg - about 4kg below normal weight.

Veterinary examination also confirmed that Sally had a dislocated hip with significant secondary damage to the pelvis. The injury was assessed to be several weeks old. The vet said the injury would have been painful at the time it occurred and would have caused ongoing pain. Sally was also infested with fleas and ticks.

Surgery was required to restore pain-free mobility. The vet said prompt veterinary treatment could have reduced the acute pain if she had been seen after her injury.

Sally also gained five kilograms in SPCA care – a 78 per cent increase in bodyweight since she first came in.

When asked about how Sally had been injured, the defendant said Sally had gone missing, and she returned one week later, underweight and limping. He told SPCA he didn’t believe Sally was in pain, as she didn’t yelp when touched and ran in the paddocks chasing cows.

SPCA CEO Todd Westwood said it was disappointing that the defendant didn’t take Sally for veterinary treatment despite obvious signs of pain and discomfort.

“It’s hard to imagine the pain and distress that Sally would have felt throughout the weeks without veterinarian treatment or pain relief. Sally’s hip was dislocated, and it would have been obvious to anyone that she needed help.”

The defendant told SPCA he had considered taking her to the vet but didn’t. As well as a fine, he was also ordered to pay $120 in costs and $250 in legal costs.