On Monday 8th September 2025, a 50-year-old woman pleaded guilty to four counts of breach of duty of care to an animal and one count of animal cruelty.

An RSPCA Spokesperson said, “No animal should have to suffer in the way that this dog was left to deteriorate.”

On 14 December 2020, an RSPCA Inspector attended a property in response to an animal welfare complaint.

The Inspector saw a German Shepherd dog lying on a mattress with some clothing and towels inside the house. He was in terrible condition.

The dog was emaciated, with an obvious severe ear infection with pus oozing from his ears, had hair loss on the rear of his body and pus coming from his eyes. This poor dog also had limited mobility due to his condition.

The dog's owner stated she did not take him to the vet because he was eating and drinking and she thought he was okay and had been ‘putting off’ having him put to sleep.

The Inspector advised the defendant of the seriousness of the dog’s condition and asked if she was in a position to have him seen by a vet immediately.

The defendant agreed to surrender him to the RSPCA.

At the time of the surrender, the dog was unable to walk, so the Inspector carried him to the car. They noticed the overwhelming smell of rotting and infected flesh coming from this poor dog.

The dog was immediately transported to the RSPCA Animal Care Campus at Wacol for examination and veterinary treatment.

The dog was assessed by an RSPCA veterinarian who noted the following:

  • He was in a terrible state, he was so thin and so septic that he was curled up in the foetal position, very weak and unable to move. Anytime he attempted to move he would cry out and snap. 
  • He was in terrible pain with a score of 4 of 4.
  • He was emaciated with a body condition score of 1 on a scale where 1 is emaciated and 9 is obese with ribs and bones protruding.
  • His skin was in a terrible condition with large areas of his neck (6 to 10 inches in size) peeling away from the underlying musculature due to pus extruding through the muscles. His neck muscles could be seen.
  • His ears were very septic with severe infections. The right ear had bloody pus with very smelly discharge, rod and cocci bacteria. The left ear was also purulent with smelly pus.
  • His muscles could almost be seen through his skin due to emaciation.
  • His upper carnassial and molar teeth were caked in dental scale.
  • His tongue was pale, indicating anaemia.
  • On each foot between toes 3 and 4 there were large ulcers where the skin was breaking down.

The examining veterinarian concluded that the symmetrical pattern of his skin inflammation and infection suggested that he had a primary autoimmune disease, likely pemphigus foliaceus that had severely advanced into sepsis and infection.

It was the examining veterinarian’s opinion that all of the conditions were very obvious to a lay person and the conditions were present for months, worsening to the stage that it is now a terminal disease. If he had been diagnosed and treated many months prior, it would have prevented the severity of his condition.

Due to the poor prognosis of severely advanced sepsis and infections, the dog was euthanised on humane grounds.

An RSPCA Spokesperson stated, “This poor dog's condition was shockingly overwhelming and preventable, and it was heartbreaking for the RSPCA team involved in the case to see him in such pain from neglect."

After euthanasia, the veterinarians were able to clean away the pus and discharge and observed that the infection had eaten away at his skin so severely that there were deep holes in his neck showing his throat. The discharge also oozed onto his feet, causing skin infections on his legs and toes.

The examining vet stated, “It was apparent that the dog had suffered such a severe ear infection the discharge was pouring from his ears and running down his neck. He was not able to move much due to weakness and emaciation and so was forced to lie in this discharge and was unable to clean himself…”

The dog’s owner pleaded guilty to four counts of breach of duty of care to an animal and one count of animal cruelty and was prohibited from possessing, purchasing or otherwise acquiring any animal for a period of one year. A conviction was not recorded.

RSPCA Queensland is urging pet owners to proactively reach out for help if they are struggling with their pet's needs to avoid unnecessary suffering and potential prosecution.

“While we now have a court outcome for this poor dog almost five years after the investigation, his situation should have been addressed earlier by his owner to prevent his prolonged suffering.”