A woman in New Zealand has been sentenced to two months in prison after her severely obese dog named Nuggi died. The dog weighed 53 kg when rescued by the authorities in 2021.
As per the report of the Newsweek, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty Animals (SPCA) Nuggi was in very critical condition, and barely able to move and walk. The dog was unable to walk even 10 metres without stopping to catch his breath, and his legs were visibly buckling because of his weight.
The dog was removed by the SPCA from his owner’s care, where they found other dogs as well. A veterinarian who examined Nuggi concluded that excessive weight was causing long-term discomfort and distress to the dog.
According to the report, the reason for the dog's excessive weight is the owner, who fed Nuggi up to 10 pieces of chicken a day, in addition to dog biscuits, but failed to provide it with adequate exercise.
After the SPCA team reduced Nuggi, he was able to lose 9 kg in two months but despite losing weight he died from a liver haemorrhage. An autopsy explained underlying health issues including liver diseases and Cushing’s disease because of being overweight.
SPCA chief executive Todd Westwood explained that the dog was clearly suffering from being overweight due to overfeeding and lack of exercise, and instead of seeking help to change his lifestyle and diet, Nuggi’s owner continued to overfeed it until the dog was barely able to move.. Todd described Nuggi as “one of the most obese animals we’ve ever encountered”.
The owner of Nuggi pleaded guilty because of neglecting the dog’s physical health and behavioural needs and sentenced in the Manukau District Court. Along with her jail time, she was fined NZ$1,222 (Rs 60,313 approximately) and banned from owning a dog for a year.
