A woman has been banned from keeping animals “indefinitely” after her emaciated horse had to be put to sleep.
The horse called Destiny fell seriously ill after it broke into a feed store and ate deadly dry sugar beet.
SSPCA inspectors said the animal may have survived if keeper Donna Breen had got veterinary treatment.
Instead, the horse suffered in distress for about four weeks before Breen finally asked a neighbour for help.
Vets were forced to euthanise Destiny because of her “hopeless prognosis”.
Another horse, named Farrah, was also found in a skeletal condition, with all of her ribs visible.
Breen appeared at Perth Sheriff Court and admitted causing both horses unnecessary suffering throughout most of November and December 2019.
The horses had been kept at Breen’s then home at Wester Sunnyside, near Methven.
The court heard that when charged, Breen blamed vets and said she had been given “rubbish” advice from her neighbour.
Jail ‘simply not appropriate’
Sheriff Andrew Berry told her: “I have the benefit of a very helpful social working report.
“It would not be appropriate for me to go into the details of this report in an open court.
“But it is quite clear you have had a lot to deal with in your life.”
The sheriff said: “I also have to take into account the concern that members of the public would have – particularly those who are very fond of animals – that two horses were not properly treated.
“There will be those who cry out that that should simply lead to a prison sentence, which is simply not appropriate in this case.”
He disqualified Breen from owning or keeping any animals for an “indefinite period”.
She cannot apply against the order for a minimum of three years.
“There would be no guarantee such an application would be successful,” said the sheriff.
Breen, of Nimmo Place, Perth, was also placed on supervision for 18 months.
‘Could not afford to take horse to vet’
The court heard SSPCA Inspector Katherine Aitchison received a complaint on December 20, 2019, about a horse that had recently died “due to malnutrition” in Perthshire.
Ms Aitchison was told there was a second horse in a poor condition.
Fiscal depute Sarah Wilkinson told the court Ms Aitchison visited the surviving horse and was met by Breen’s neighbour Philip Rolfe.
“Mr Rolfe explained to Ms Aitchison that he and his wife, Sarah-Jane, had been approached on December 18 by the Breen family for assistance with their horse, Destiny, after it had gorged on unsoaked sugar beet,” said Ms Wilkinson.
“Mr Rolfe went on to explain that when he had seen how thin the two horses were – and the froth coming from Destiny’s mouth and nostrils – he immediately recognised both horses required veterinary treatment.
“However, he alleges that Ms Breen claimed she could not afford to do this, so Mr Rolfe called Tay Valley Vets for assistance.”
Breen agreed to have the horses relocated to Mr Rolfe’s property for care and treatment.
Ms Wilkinson said: “Mr Rolfe went on to explain that Destiny had to be humanely destroyed by Tay Valley Vets on December 19, and had the carcass removed the following day.”
Surviving horse rescued
The court heard Ms Aitchison was shown surviving horse, Farrah.
“She noted that the horse was far below an acceptable weight of a horse for her size, age and breed,” said the prosecutor.
“However, she did not fully appreciate how thin the horse was until she physically touched the horse, as her dull winter coat hid the extent of the weight loss.
“Ms Aitchison said she could feel all of the horse’s ribs, her spine was visually prominent and her hips protruding from her side.”
A vet ruled there was “no medical reason” for Farrah’s weight loss but said the most likely factor was a “lack of appropriate quantities of feed”.
The vet’s report adds: “Farrah’s condition could easily be recognised by a horse owner or a member of the public with no equine knowledge.”
Farrah was taken to an SSPCA facility and has since been passed to a horse welfare charity.
Deadly sugar beet
The court heard Destiny fell ill after breaking into the feed store at Breen’s home and eating dry sugar beet.
Vets stated she had a condition known as choke – a dry mass of sugar beet was stuck in her oesophagus causing her distress and preventing her from eating and drinking.
Destiny was about 100kg underweight, the report stated.
“The decision was made to euthanise Destiny as her prognosis was hopeless,” the vet’s report stated.
“Her condition could have been improved by proper nutrition or seeking appropriate veterinary advice and this would have prevented unnecessary suffering.
“However, veterinary treatment or advice or help from anyone else was sought, so I would consider Destiny to have suffered unnecessarily for at least four weeks but in my opinion mostly likely longer.”
Claims of ‘rubbish advice’
During police interview, Breen said she had owned Destiny for five months, while her young daughter had owned Farrah for a year.
She told investigators: “If they were sick, I’d call the vet.”
Later, when told she was being charged with animal neglect Breen told Ms Aitchison: “But it wasn’t me that killed her.
“It was the vet that put water down her throat on top of dry food. The neighbour gave rubbish food advice.”
Solicitor John McLaughlin, defending, told the court Breen had coping difficulties.
“She doesn’t show emotion and she keeps things bottled up all the time.
“She describes herself as simple, and she has difficulty understanding a number of concepts.”
He added: “She accepts this is a serious matter which will cause distress to many people.”
