A man from Arbroath has received a £150 fine and a two-year ban from owning or keeping animals following a Scottish SPCA investigation.
45-year-old Jason Louis McAndrew of Marketgate, Arbroath, pled guilty to failing to provide veterinary care for his nine-year-old Belgian shepherd, Mac, at Forfar Sherriff Court on 4 August.
Scottish SPCA inspector, Karen Cooper, said “On 22 October 2020 we received a call to our helpline from a member of the public who was concerned about an injured dog at a location in Arbroath.
“The dog was taken to a nearby veterinary surgery. Mac was later transported to a Scottish SPCA animal rescue and rehoming centre for further care and attention.
“Veterinary examination revealed wounds down his legs and around his scrotum, where the top layer of skin was no longer present. The wound was clearly very tender as Mac was unwilling to let anyone near it. All of the wounds were infected and weeping discharge which had become matted in to the hair around them.
“There was an obvious pungent smell coming from Mac and he was extremely sore because of his wounds.
“Later test results showed that Mac had an auto immune condition where his body was attacking its own skin. This was likely to have been a condition that built up over time and was present for months if not years.
“His condition was potentially treatable and leaving his condition untreated led to Mac being caused unnecessary suffering for a prolonged period of time.
“On 26 October McAndrew agreed to sign Mac in to the care of the Scottish SPCA. Sadly, the difficult decision was made to put Mac to sleep on veterinary advice due to the extent of his injuries.
“We would have hoped to have seen a lengthier ban as McAndrew was responsible for the welfare of Mac and sadly his needs were not met.
“We understand that veterinary treatment can be expensive, but ignoring Mac’s condition was not the way to handle the situation and caused him an unnecessary amount of suffering."
