A Scots woman has been slapped with a lengthy supervision order and banned from owning animals after her horse died of malnutrition and another was found to be severely emaciated.
Donna Breen, of Methven, Perth, pled guilty to failing to provide adequate nutrition or veterinary treatment to her horses, Farrah and Destiny, following a Scottish SPCA investigation.
The alarm was raised in December 2019 when the charity received reports that a horse had died at Breen's property, and another was in a bad state.
They visited the 40-year-old's home along with officers from Police Scotland and a local vet where they discovered that Destiny had sadly been put to sleep a few days prior due to her poor condition.
The other animal, Farrah, was drastically underweight. Her ribs could be felt, her spine and hips were protruding through her body and the skin on her lower back legs was suffering from a fungal infection.
After a veterinary examination, Farrah was classed as emaciated, as well as having a poor coat quality with a lot of dandruff.
Blood tests revealed there was no medical cause for her weight loss, and it could easily have been avoided through an adequate diet.
Following the extreme mistreatment of her two horses, Breen received an indefinite ban on owning or keeping animals and an 18-month supervision order, which the charity have welcomed.
Scottish SPCA inspector, Katherine Aitchison, said: "We are pleased that Breen has received an indefinite ban on owning or keeping animals. Breen was responsible for the welfare of Destiny and Farrah and sadly their basic needs were not met.
"We are glad that Farrah was able to receive the treatment she needed and is now thriving in her forever home. If anyone is concerned about an animal, they can contact our confidential animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”
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