A South London man who failed to get vet treatment in time for his seriously ill and pregnant French bulldog has been handed a three-year community order following a prosecution by the RSPCA.
David Yamoah, (D.o.B 9/9/1979), of Althorp Road, Tooting, pleaded not guilty to causing unnecessary suffering to the dog, called Cake, by failing to provide prompt and effective veterinary care for the signs of ill health. He was convicted of the offence, but cleared of another count of failing to provide for the needs of the dog after also entering a not guilty plea to that charge.
He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on June 20 where as part of his community sentence he was ordered to complete 280 hours of unpaid work. A District Judge also made the defendant subject to a Prohibited Activity Order as part of his community sentence, which means Yamoah cannot own or care for a dog for three years.
In a statement to the court, RSPCA deputy chief inspector Lynn Serrano said she was contacted by BlueCross Victoria Animal Hospital about a grey and tan bulldog who was admitted to the hospital in an emaciated state on October 1, 2022.
The charity’s officer said the dog was reported to have been “whelping in pain” without vet treatment. Sadly, Cake was in such poor health that she passed away before a vet was able to perform a caesarean section.
In a statement to the court, a vet at BlueCross said the defendant had not sought medical help for the dog until two days after she went into labour. The canine was taken to a private vet clinic on September 30, 2022 and was then urgently referred to the BlueCross hospital, but Yamoah failed to turn up with her that day.
When he did present Cake at the animal hospital late in the evening of the next day she had collapsed and was suffering from hypothermia and severe dehydration. The vet said he could feel more foetuses when he palpated her abdomen.
“We tried to stabilise her but she deteriorated and went into respiratory and cardiac arrest,” said the vet.
A post-mortem showed the canine was suffering from emaciation, severe lung disease and a high level of infection in her uterus, which was likely to have triggered septic shock.
An RSPCA vet, who reviewed the evidence, said the bulldog would have been suffering for at least several weeks, but possibly longer, and that could have been avoided with a reasonable level of care and had veterinary intervention been sought sooner.
The court was told that Yamoah was remorseful about his actions and that it was his first offence. He was also told to pay a victim surcharge of £114 and a contribution to court costs of £322.
