Manchester man sentenced after dog suffered with an eye condition
04.07.25
A Manchester man has been disqualified from keeping all animals for five years after his dog suffered from an eye condition and he failed to maintain an appropriate body condition for her and another dog.
The offences were that he caused unnecessary suffering to a female boxer cross dog named Sasha by failing to investigate and address her right eye condition, and that he failed to maintain an appropriate body condition for Sasha and also a male pitbull called Haze.
Khan was sentenced to twelve 12-month community orders, 10 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days, 100 hours of unpaid work, and he was disqualified from keeping animals for five years. He was also ordered to pay £1,000 in costs.
The court heard a written statement from Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) - now Inspector - Jessica Pierce, who attended Bankfield Avenue on Tuesday, 5 March 2024, following concerns about two dogs reported to the charity.
Inspector Pierce said: "I walked down the alleyway in between Bankfield Avenue and Greville Street and heard a dog barking from a garden.
"I looked over the fence into this garden and observed a white bulldog-type dog who was very underweight. I could see all the bones in the ribs, hips and spine. This dog also appeared to have a swollen, red eye.
There was a lot of faeces in the garden. The dog was initially in a small lean-to type shed at the back of the address, and then came out into the garden. I could also see some scarring and wounds on the dog's legs."
After enquiring at the front of the houses, she went back around to the back again, and she then saw a blue/brindle young dog peering his head around the door.
She said, "He appeared very nervous and wouldn't come out of the shed initially. He eventually did come out and I could see he was also very underweight and also appeared to have old scarring all over his face."
As the owner wasn't around at that time, the police were called - and they were both taken into possession. They were transported to Greater Manchester Animal Hospital, where they were examined.
In a statement provided by the vet who initially examined the dogs on 5 March, it was said that Haze was "very nervous" during his examination.
The vet said, "My main clinical concern was how underconditioned he was. He was 18.1kg and I attributed him a body condition score of two out of nine (ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones easily visible), no palpable fat. Multiple scars were noted over the face, nasal bridge, hocks and thighs."
Haze was started on an appropriate feeding plan and preventative treatments. The court heard that Haze steadily gained weight in RSPCA care and by 14 March, he weighed 20.4kg, and by 26 March, he weighed 22.5kg.
The second dog - white and brindle, boxer crossbreed Sasha, was "friendly and excitable".
The vet said: "This dog too was under conditioned, weighed 23.9kg and attributed a body condition score of two out of nine (ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones easily visible).
"Sasha had some obvious issues with her right eye. It was non-visual, exophthalmic (protruding slightly outwards), scleral injection (redness) and cloudiness were noted. I conducted a full ophthalmic exam and was concerned she may be suffering from early signs of glaucoma or an ocular tumour.
"Some hair loss was noted over her tail, head and hocks. Scarring was noted over her right stifle. She stood with her elbows slightly abducted."
The vet administered routine preventative treatments and started Sasha on an appropriate feeding plan, analgesia and ocular medications.
Sasha gained weight in RSPCA care - she weighed at 25.2kg on 14 March and 25.7kg on 26 March, and 25.8kg on 29 March.
Unfortunately, Sasha's eye continued to deteriorate, and written consent was obtained from Sasha's owner to remove the eye. The surgery was successful, and the laboratory confirmed that there were no cancerous cells found within the enucleated eye.
As Haze was typed as a Pitbull type, he was euthanised in line with Government legislation. Sasha has been officially placed into the care of the RSPCA by the courts.
