New Zealand woman jailed for overfeeding pet dog Nuggi to death

A woman from New Zealand was convicted for overfeeding her dog, which weighed 53 kilograms (118 pounds) and was severely obese, which eventually led to its death, as per a Newsweek report. The woman has been sentence to two months in prison.

The dog named Nuggi was found by police in 2021 weighing about 54 kilograms (120 pounds) and was nearly unable to walk, according to a statement released by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

Nuggi was then taken from his owner’s Auckland house, where police found another bunch of dogs, which were eventually given over to the SPCA.

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As per reports, Nuggi died of a liver haemorrhage even after losing 8.8 kilograms (19.6 pounds) of his body weight in the care of SPCA. The organisation claims that an autopsy disclosed the dog’s additional health issues, including Cushing’s illness and liver problems.

Nuggi’s owner pleaded guilty to failing to provide for the dog’s medical, behavioural, and physical needs, as per the statement. Based on the owner’s confession, the Manukau District Court in Auckland sentenced the owner to two months in jail and a fine of NZD 1,222 ($720).

Veterinarians were unable to detect Nuggi's heartbeat with a stethoscope because of his extreme weight, according to the SPCA statement. The dog also had a lot of skin growths, especially on contact regions like his elbows and tummy, and his claws were enlarged.Nuggi also had conjunctivitis.

Todd Westwood, SPCA Chief said that the dog was "drastically overfed" and "clearly" did not have access toproper care. "Nuggi was one of the most obese animals we've ever come across," Westwood said in a statement.

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"Sadly, we see animals on a daily basis that are underweight, starved or malnourished, but it's equally heartbreaking to see a helpless animal that's been severely overfed," he further said.

As per SPCA, the pet dog was fed around 10 pieces of chicken every day along with dry food. Nuggi allegedly struggled to travel around 10 meters to the car when veterinarians took him away from his owner, pausing three times to gather breath.

"Part of being a responsible dog owner is providing your pet with an appropriate diet and daily exercise, which was clearly not the case here. His owner continued to overfeed him until he could barely walk. This is unacceptable," Westwood added.

(With inputs from agencies)