Holywell man banned from keeping animals after dog left untreated following fall

Nation.Cymru staff

A Holywell man has been disqualified from keeping all animals for five years after he failed to provide veterinary treatment for his lame French Bulldog.

The offence was that he failed to meet French Bulldog Diego’s need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury or disease by failing to provide prompt and effective professional veterinary care and attention for the lameness of its left forelimb.

The court heard that the RSPCA received reports of concern for Diego and this led to RSPCA Inspector Jenny Anderton attending the address of Dynowski on 14 December last year.

There she met Daniel Dynowski who identified himself as the owner of the dog named Diego and told her that he had fallen down the stairs two weeks ago.

On meeting Diego Inspector Anderton said she could see that “one of the front limbs of the dog appeared abnormal and the dog was reluctant to place any weight on this leg”.

Inspector Anderton was given permission to take Diego to the vets for an examination as Dynowski confirmed the dog had not seen a vet.

Vet statement

In a statement provided to the court, the vet said that Diego was “was struggling to walk, non weight bearing on the left front limb with only the occasional toe touching the ground.”

The vet said: “The leg was painful when I tried to examine it, so I informed the officer this dog would need to be sedated for further checks and radiographs.”

Diego’s weight was 10.7 kg and body condition was lean and was suffering from ear disease.

Radiographs revealed a condylar fracture at the front left leg. The vet said this type of fracture is relatively common “but a serious break at the bottom of the humerus (upper front leg bone), which disrupts the elbow joint”.

They added: “It causes severe and sudden onset of front leg lameness, significant swelling and pain. Urgent surgical repair (using screws/plates) is typically required to restore joint function. The fracture was likely at least 10 days old as signs of remodelling and callus formation were visible.”

The vet said they offered to refer the dog for orthopedic surgery with a specialist at the owner’s cost. Although due to all findings and other orthopedic issues Diego would not cope well after potential amputation of the left front limb.

In the opinion of the vets euthanasia “would be in the best interest” in case surgery was not an option. The vet said: “Small dogs generally cope well with limb amputations if their body condition is within norm and if they do not have issues with remaining limbs.”

But the vet said that as Diego unfortunately struggled with both hind limbs issues, options were discussed with the owner who consented for euthanasia.

Dynowski later told RSPCA Inspectors that he was administering paracetamol to the dog as pain relief after noticing signs of injury.

‘Not necessary’ 

The vet said: “He also confirmed the dog has not been seen by the veterinary professionals, because in his opinion that was not necessary.

“The owner claimed he could not afford to take Diego to the veterinary clinic and did not ask anybody for help with this issue.

“In my opinion the owner failed to provide care for this dog. Diego was not taken to the veterinary surgeon to address the injuries, therefore fracture was not diagnosed. For two days no pain relief was provided, which caused acute suffering.

“After two days the owner started administering human medication without
discussing the dose with veterinary professionals.

“The owner was aware Diego was injured and did not provide adequate care to it.”

He was sentenced at Mold Magistrates’ Court on Friday 31 July and was handed a £400 fine, ordered to pay a £160 victim surcharge and £500 costs. He was disqualified from keeping all animals for five years.

Following sentencing Inspector Anderton said: “Every animal deserves to be treated with kindness and respect and if you are responsible for a pet you must make sure all their welfare needs are met including providing appropriate veterinary care when needed.”

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