A Port Kennedy man has been fined $4200 and banned from owning a horse for three years after failing to feed his six-year-old mare, leaving her emaciated.
The 41-year-old was convicted in the Mandurah Magistrates Court recently and was also ordered to pay $12,815 in care and legal costs.
The court heard RSPCA WA inspectors went to the man's property in Bouvard in December last year after receiving a report about a horse who appeared to be emaciated and had no food, water or shelter.
The offender told inspectors the horse, named Daisy, had become sick after eating weeds but was now "on the mend".
She had not been seen by a vet and the man said he and a neighbour had given Daisy ginger and warm water to help her digestive system.
While at the property, the inspectors noted Daisy was lethargic, with the outline of her ribs, hip bones and spine prominent.
They couldn’t see any hay in the paddocks, the hay shed was empty apart from small hay remnants on the floor, and the feed shed contained just a handful of horse muesli in a tub and empty horse feed bags.
The inspectors seized Daisy and took her to a vet clinic for immediate assessment.
She weighed just 363kg with a body condition score of 2/9 (5 being optimal).
The vet reported that no single underlying medical condition was identified that would account for Daisy’s severe loss of body condition
and that, based on the clinical findings, diagnostic investigations, and absence of significant disease, the most likely cause of her emaciated state was chronic malnutrition.
Daisy stayed under vet care for 11 days and gained 15kgs in that short space of time.
She was then placed with a foster carer and has now fully recovered.
Daisy has now fully recovered. PIC: RSPCA WA
RSPCA WA Inspector Manager Kylie Green said she’ll never get used to seeing emaciated animals.
“It’s impossible to comprehend how anyone could see Daisy in the state she was in and either think that’s okay, or know it’s not okay but do nothing about it,” she said.
“To think of poor Daisy standing in those bare paddocks day after day, starving but with nothing to eat is just heartbreaking.
“Daisy, like all animals, deserves better. They rely on us to look after them properly and if we can’t, to ask for help from someone who can.”
The maximum penalty for an animal cruelty conviction in Western Australia is a $50,000 fine and five years’ imprisonment.
The RSPCA relies on the community to report suspected cruelty and neglect.
Reports can be made on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or online at rspcawa.org.au
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