Albany man banned from animal contact after denying sick horse vet treatment for painful growths

A 50-year-old man has been banned from contact with animals after he denied his sick and elderly horse vet treatment for hideous and painful growths. The Albany man was fined $4000 and banned from contact with horses and pets for three years after the Albany Magistrates Court heard he failed to seek vet treatment for his horse, Mack, which ultimately led to his death. On 31 March last year, an RSPCA WA inspector attended the man’s address in Youngs Siding — 37km west of Albany — where Mack was discovered heavily malnourished with his backbone, hips and ribs prominent. He also had oozing growths on his body that were emitting a strong rotting smell. A vet exam revealed the horse was around 200kg underweight, and that growths in and around his mouth appeared infected and would have been causing pain. The vet advised the man that Mack should be humanely euthanised, but he refused. RSPCA WA seized the horse and despite intensive medical treatment, Mack sadly could not be saved. RSPCA WA inspector manager Kylie Green said Mack’s suffering was plain to see. “It would have been clear to anyone attending to this horse every day, as the owner claimed to be doing, that Mack needed urgent vet treatment,” she said. “The tumours and ulcers on his mouth were so bad that the simple act of eating would have been painful. “The offender’s determination to ignore the obvious resulted in many months of unnecessary suffering for poor Mack. “If you are no longer able to provide a suitable level of care for your animals, you must reach out for help sooner rather than later. It’s never OK for an animal to deteriorate without treatment the way Mack did.” In her sentencing remarks, Magistrate Dianne Scaddan described the visible growths on Mack’s body as “hideous” and noted that he “must have been in pain”. Reports of animal cruelty can be made 24/7 on 1300 CRUELTY (1300 278 358) or online.