Paisley man failed to seek veterinary care for his injured dog, despite living across the road from a vet, say Scottish SPCA

Robert Clark, 59, of Canal Terrace, Paisley pleaded guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to his 16-year-old collie cross, Jess, by failing to provide veterinary treatment for her injuries.

Scottish SPCA Inspector Gillian Dick said: “It’s very disappointing and highly irresponsible that, despite being given details of where he could get help, Clark still chose not to get treatment for his dog. There is a veterinary practice situated almost directly across the road from the property.

Following a Scottish SPCA investigation, Mr Clark was handed a 10-year ban from keeping animals, as well as an unpaid work order.

Inspector Dick received a complaint from a concerned member of the public on the evening of May 15, 2020. The individual said that Jess’s paw was sitting at a strange angle and she was unable to bear weight on it.

That evening, Inspector Dick called Mr Clark, who confirmed Jess had been in a road accident on May 10, and said that he had been treating her leg himself.

Inspector Dick advised him to seek immediate veterinary treatment, and also provided him with contact details for the local vet.

However, when she attended Mr Clark’s property the next day, he had not taken Jess to the vets.

Inspector Dick said: “When I saw Jess it was immediately obvious that she could not bear weight on her front left leg. The leg and paw appeared twisted to the left and the dog’s leg was swollen and warm. Jess showed signs of discomfort and pain while I was examining her and yelped when the leg was touched. She was clearly being caused a significant amount of pain and suffering from her injuries.

“At this point I was extremely concerned for Jess’s welfare so I removed her immediately to be examined by a veterinarian.

“On examination it was found Jess had fractures of all four metacarpal bones.

“Jess weighed just 14.9kg and her coat was also very matted. Once she had been clipped it became even more obvious how underweight she was.

“The combination of her advanced age and severely broken leg meant that her quality of life would be limited and the difficult decision was made to put her to sleep.”

Before this incident, the Scottish SPCA were aware of Mr Clark, and had contacted him several times in the past to give advice about caring for Jess and provide help to arrange veterinary treatments.

Inspector Dick added: “We’re pleased that Mr Clark has been banned from owning animals for 10 years.

“Any responsible person would have taken their dog to veterinary surgeon immediately for injuries that were so obvious and clearly painful.

“The suffering caused to Jess was completely unnecessary and could have been avoided had Clark sought appropriate veterinary treatment.”

If anyone is concerned about an animal, they can contact the Scottish SPCA’s confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.

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