Singapore Seen | Pet owner fined $7k for not treating dog whose face was eaten by maggots
A 64-year-old retiree was fined $7,000 for causing unnecessary suffering to his son's pet shih tzu after the dog was neglected even when hundreds of maggots ate away part of its face.
The Straits Times reported that Quek Ah Nguang had thought there was little point in getting the dog -- which his wife bought for his son 13 years ago -- treated as he was shifting from his landed property in Burgundy Crescent near Bukit Batok to a Housing Board flat, and had planned to get rid of the pet by sending it to the SPCA.
However, the maggot infestation led to Quek calling the SPCA to take it away to be euthanised instead.
Vets at the SPCA found the canine in bad shape -- the maggots numbered between 200 and 300, and had eaten all the tissue and bone structures around the dog's right eye. There were even maggots inside a hole in its chin.
The dog also reeked of urine, and its fur was matted and its skin was inflamed.
The pet was eventually euthanised the next day to put it out of its misery.
Pleading for leniency, Quek said he was sorry to have neglected the dog, adding that he was moving house at the time and was very busy.
The dog, which was registered under Quek's wife but taken care of by Quek and his domestic helper, was taken for walks by the latter and allowed to roam the neighbourhood on its own.
The helper had informed Quek that the dog's right eye was red, swollen and itchy for about a week, and that it was scratching the eye frequently but Quek did nothing until he called the SPCA to have it euthanised on Jan 10.
Quek, who pleaded guilty, could have bee fined $10,000 or jailed for up to a year or both.
A 64-year-old retiree was fined $7,000 for causing unnecessary suffering to his son's pet shih tzu after the dog was neglected even when hundreds of maggots ate away part of its face.
The Straits Times reported that Quek Ah Nguang had thought there was little point in getting the dog -- which his wife bought for his son 13 years ago -- treated as he was shifting from his landed property in Burgundy Crescent near Bukit Batok to a Housing Board flat, and had planned to get rid of the pet by sending it to the SPCA.
However, the maggot infestation led to Quek calling the SPCA to take it away to be euthanised instead.
Vets at the SPCA found the canine in bad shape -- the maggots numbered between 200 and 300, and had eaten all the tissue and bone structures around the dog's right eye. There were even maggots inside a hole in its chin.
The dog also reeked of urine, and its fur was matted and its skin was inflamed.
The pet was eventually euthanised the next day to put it out of its misery.
Pleading for leniency, Quek said he was sorry to have neglected the dog, adding that he was moving house at the time and was very busy.
The dog, which was registered under Quek's wife but taken care of by Quek and his domestic helper, was taken for walks by the latter and allowed to roam the neighbourhood on its own.
The helper had informed Quek that the dog's right eye was red, swollen and itchy for about a week, and that it was scratching the eye frequently but Quek did nothing until he called the SPCA to have it euthanised on Jan 10.
Quek, who pleaded guilty, could have bee fined $10,000 or jailed for up to a year or both.
