By Ayodele Oni
An Auckland woman whose dog was so obese it could barely move has been ordered to pay reparations of $1,222.15 and disqualified from owning dogs for 12 months.
The defendant was sentenced at Manukau District Court to two months imprisonment after she pleaded guilty for failing to meet the dog’s physical, health, and behavioural needs.
The dog, named Nuggi, came into SPCA’s care in October 2021 after a search warrant was carried out at the woman’s Manurewa property by Police.
A number of dogs, including Nuggi, were removed from the property and taken to an Auckland Council animal shelter.
Animal control officers noted that in the 10 metres that Nuggi had to walk from the property to the car, it had to stop three times to catch breath.
They also said its legs appeared to be collapsing under the weight of huge body.
Later that day, Nuggi was taken to SPCA’s Māngere Centre where it was assessed by a veterinarian.
It weighed 53.7kg and was so obese that it wasn’t possible to hear its heart with a stethoscope because the sound couldn’t penetrate the fat.
Its nails were overgrown, and has lots of skin tags, particularly on areas of contact such as his belly and elbows. Nuggi also has conjunctivitis.
SPCA Chief Executive Todd Westwood revealed that Nuggi’s condition was a huge shock to SPCA Inspectors and staff, who’re used to dealing with animals at the opposite end of the weight scale.
“Nuggi was easily one of the most obese animals we’ve ever encountered. It was so enormous that it could hardly walk and was clearly suffering as a result of the significant amount of weight it was carrying.
“Sadly, we see animals on a daily basis that are underweight, starved or malnourished, but it’s equally heartbreaking to see a helpless animal that’s been severely overfed,” Mr Westwood added.
The veterinarian noted that Nuggi struggled to move around, has difficulty breathing, was unable to cope with warm weather and was overall fatigued.
She concluded that due to the extra weight Nuggi was carrying, it would have suffered severe long-term discomfort and distress.
The defendant told SPCA’s Inspectors that she fed Nuggi 8-10 pieces of chicken daily, plus additional dog biscuits.
She said she exercised Nuggi by walking or making it spend time on the property outside.
“Part of being a responsible dog owner is providing your pet with an appropriate diet and daily exercise, which was clearly not the case here.
Nuggi was being drastically overfed, and instead of seeking help or amending the behaviour, its owner continued to overfeed him until it could barely walk.
This is unacceptable,” says Mr Westwood.
Nuggi spent around two months in SPCA’s care, where he lost 8.9kg – around 16.5 percent of his body weight.
Sadly, despite making progress with its weight loss, Nuggi died suddenly due to an acute haemorrhage from a ruptured mass on its liver.
A necropsy revealed further health complications, including liver disease and Cushing’s disease.
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