Woman failed to treat dog’s skin lesion which contained maggots

A Merthyr Tydfil woman has been sentenced after she caused unnecessary suffering to her Bichon Frise dog by failing to provide veterinary treatment for his skin lesion.

Denise Ann Thomas of Fourth Avenue, Merthyr Tydfil, pleaded guilty to one offence under the Animal Welfare Act.

It was that she caused her dog known as Romeo to suffer as she failed to provide him with the veterinary treatment he required.

She was sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday 22 October. She was handed a 12 month community order, a 10-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, a nine month mental health treatment requirement and a £50 fine and £400 costs.

Thomas was also disqualified from keeping dogs for 10 years. In mitigation, the court heard she had been going through a difficult time and there had been a bereavement in the family.

Concerns

RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Kirsty Morgan said in her statement how she was called to attend the vets where 10-year-old Romeo had been taken to on April 11 as they had raised concerns about him.

She said: “They told me how Romeo’s owner had called saying that the dog had a few maggots where the abscess is on his back but they haven’t got the money for treatment and were advised to attend with the dog by the staff.”

ARO Morgan was informed that Romeo had been seen at the vets in August 2024 for an abscess on his back, which was treated at the vets and the owners were advised to come back the following week but they never returned.

At the vets (in April of this year) the wound was cleaned and around 20 maggots had been found inside. ARO Morgan said Romeo was “bright, alert and active, though quiet” and had a “large abscess on his back that was red, open and had blood coming from it”.

Romeo was signed over to the RSPCA and was transferred to RSPCA Merthyr Tydfil Veterinary Clinic along with medication prescribed by the vet.

Money borrowed

In a written statement, RSPCA Inspector Simon Evans said, Mrs Thomas informed him that she had taken Romeo to a vets as a lump on his back had ruptured.

He said: “The treatment, at that time, had cost her £300 which she had had to borrow from friends.

“The medication purchased had run out and she had begun to treat the wound herself using treatments purchased from the pet shop. She also continued to bathe the wound herself.”

He added that on Friday, 11 April, she said she noticed maggots in and around Romeo’s wound and she then rang the vets and obtained treatment.

In a statement from a vet, they said: “For such an open wound to grow due to a tumour would take a minimum of a month, likely longer, although it may well have been the same wound growing from the initial presentation in August 2024.

“During the time the open wound was present the dog would have been suffering from a reasonable level of constant pain especially worsening with any contact or covering of the wound pressing directly on it, secondary infection would have worsened the inflammation, swelling and pain of the area.

“In my professional opinion the owner has failed in their duty of care by allowing the dog to continue with the wound untreated and has caused unnecessary suffering due to failure to seek veterinary attention for an obvious health issue.”

Unfortunately it was later found that Romeo had a malignant tumour on his neck and he was euthanised on welfare grounds.