A woman has been banned from owning dogs for four years after her pet dog was put to sleep after it was found like a 'walking skeleton' and ridden with sepsis.
Lola the dog was discovered starving and malnourished.
Her eyes had sunk into their sockets, infection had eaten away at her ears her skin was hot to the touch, skin fell off her bones and was very weak according to animal welfare chiefs.
The Scottish SPCA inspector who found her described her condition as one of the worst she had seen in 13 years.
The Scottish animal welfare charity launched an investigation in Lola's owner, Ashley Graham, from Peterhead, Aberdeenshire following a complaint from someone who had seen the dog's condition.
Inspector Fiona McKenzie said: "When I first laid eyes on Lola, I was shocked. I could not believe what I was seeing. She was like a walking skeleton.
“She had no body fat or muscle, her skin just hung off her bones. There was no fat on Lola’s head and everything was sunken. Her eyes were cloudy with signs of infection and they had sunk back in to her eye sockets.
“Lola was suffering excessive hair loss from what looked like a chronic skin condition and her skin was hot to touch. Her ears had infected wounds which had eaten away at the edge of her ears. She was very weak and had a depressed demeanour.
“It was clear Lola was suffering from lack of nutrition and was in need of veterinary attention."
But a trip to the vets couldn't save little Lola.
Inspector McKenzie added: "The vet concluded that Lola’s condition had developed over the course of several months causing a prolonged period of suffering.
“The vets put Lola on antibiotics and a number of treatments and extracted her decayed teeth.
"Despite this and the best efforts made by the Scottish SPCA to save her, poor Lola didn’t respond to the treatment for her septicaemia and the difficult decision was made that the kindest thing for Lola was to put her to sleep to end her suffering."
Graham was hauled into Peterhead Sheriff Court for sentencing after Lola's death.
She was banned from owning dogs for four years.
Court also handed Graham a 100 hours' community payback order.
But SSPCA staff believe no other animal should ever come into her care.
“This is a devastating end to Lola’s life which could have easily been avoided if Graham had provided an adequate diet or had asked a vet for advice sooner," Inspector McKenzie said.
"Ultimately Graham is responsible for the death of Lola.
“Any sentence is a success but we believe that Lola’s condition should have resulted in a lifetime ban on owning animals.
"We believe this would have been an appropriate sentence for Graham.
“But we do hope this has made her think seriously about her ability to care for any animal in the future.
“If anyone is concerned about an animal, they can contact our confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”
Visit the SSPCA website for more information.
Don't miss the latest Scottish crime and courts news from the Daily Record.
Sign up to our Criminal Record newsletter here .
