A cruel woman has been jailed for two months for overfeeding her dog which then died.
Horrified animal charity volunteers seized the hulking pet after police officers searched the owner’s home.
The bloated dog, named Nuggi, was found to weigh a whopping 53.7 kg (8 st and 6 lb) when he was taken in by a shelter.
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The stunned volunteers told how in the 10m (11yd) stretch between the house and the car, Nuggi had needed three rest breaks.
His legs could barely withstand his colossal body weight, they added.
When vets placed a stethoscope on his thorax, they couldn’t hear his heartbeat because the sound couldn’t penetrate his layers of fat.
The Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said he had conjunctivitis and his nails were overgrown.
“And he had lots of skin tags, particularly on areas of contact such as his belly and elbows,” the charity added.
The owner later admitted to giving Nuggi eight to 10 pieces of chicken, in addition to dog biscuits, every day.
After two months in the SPCA’s custody, he had shed a whopping 8.9 kg (1st and 6lb), as reported on Need To Know.
Despite his remarkable progress, he died suddenly from a massive bleed when a mass on his liver ruptured.
A post-mortem examination revealed he had also been suffering from liver disease and Cushing disease.
Manukau District Court in Auckland handed the local woman two months in prison plus a fine, the SPCA revealed on Wednesday (24 Jul).
She is banned from owning dogs for a year.
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