Staffordshire: Woman neglected starving dog so bad he ‘eats his own tail’

A dog was so neglected that it is thought to have eaten part of its own tail out of desperation.

Whippet-lurcher crossbreed Poppy, two, was finally taken to the vet after she was so emaciated she could barely stand and was covered in lesions.

Her owner Kyla Martin, 31, said her pet had lost a lot of weight in one to two weeks but refused to pay for blood tests and said she would rather have Poppy put to sleep than treated.

The vet then called the RSPCA, who took Poppy under their wing in January.

RSPCA Superintendent Natalie Perehovsky said: “Poppy’s serious condition clearly showed that she had not received appropriate care for some time.”

Martin admitted she hadn’t taken Poppy to the vet before because she couldn’t afford it.

“We would always encourage people who are in financial difficulties to seek help as there are many organizations that can provide support,” Natalie said.

A second vet who examined Poppy on Jan. 13 said, “The most significant and dramatic changes affected Poppy’s skin.

‘Because of the poor muscle mass, the skin over all her bony elements (usually the pelvis) was torn and the tip of the tail was missing.

“It’s not clear whether the tail injury was trauma or self-inflicted (due to extreme hunger) and whether the coccyx vertebrae (the bone in the tail) were exposed.

“The most obvious abnormality was a large abscess on Poppy’s back, over her thoracic spine.

‘This was about 5 cm in diameter, filled with liquid and uncomfortable to touch. The skin in the abscess area was necrotic.’

North Staffordshire Justice Center heard that Poppy had a body condition score of just one in nine – the lowest level of weight loss.

Natalie said: ‘I have no doubt that Poppy has experienced undue suffering as a result of her owner’s neglect and inadequate care.

“There was no underlying health problem that could lead to these changes.”

Martin, from Burslem, Staffordshire, admitted to causing unnecessary distress to Poppy.

Last Thursday, she was given a 12-month community order and a three-year ban from keeping animals.

Martin was also ordered to pay £600 in costs and two other dogs she owned were seized and are being rehomed.

Poppy was cared for by the Cheshire charity Alsager Animals in Need and has since made a miraculous recovery.

The charity is now looking for a friendly owner to come forward to offer Poppy her forever home.

Lisa Williams, assistant animal coordinator at the charity, said: ‘We were very concerned that Poppy wouldn’t make it through the night when she first came to us, and since then she has battled a number of other health problems, including a perforated eardrum, two partial tail amputations, removal of two cysts on her teats and ongoing problems with her skin.

“But through it all, she’s been the perfect patient and has never complained.

“The light has really come back into her eyes and her loving temperament conquers all who meet her.

“She loves to be petted and cuddled, she’s just a real sweetheart.”