A Roscommon woman has been convicted of animal cruelty at a recent sitting of Athlone District Court.
Last month the woman, was convicted on five charges under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013.
This case is related to two Doberman dogs who were removed from the property in an emaciated state on 1st May 2020.
An ISPCA Animal Welfare seized the dogs and transported them for an urgent veterinary examination, where they were found to weigh only 20.4 kilos and 22.4 kilos with body condition scores of one out of five.
A vet gave evidence that it was her professional opinion that tissue around their respective skulls had broken down which could signify that the weight loss was over eight weeks.
The defence argued that the condition of the dogs was due to a change of diet and resultant diarrhea that lasted for four weeks.
However, the attendant vet expressed the opinion that a change of diet could not have caused the weight loss, to the extent that the animals presented.
Convicting the woman of five offences under sections 11 and 12 of the Animal Health and Welfare Act, she was fined €500 and ordered to pay €500 in prosecution costs.
