Withers man charged with animal cruelty after RSPCA inspectors find dog with big chest wound

WARNING DISTRESSING CONTENT A 25-year-old Withers man has been charged with animal cruelty after RSPCA inspectors found his dog with a large, gaping chest wound. The man was charged after it was alleged he failed to alleviate harm to his dog by not seeking veterinarian care for his injury. It is alleged an RSPCA inspector and a local ranger attended the man’s home in January, where they found a three-year-old kangaroo cross-breed dog in a small wire cage at the back of the property. The dog allegedly had a large wound on his chest which had been stapled shut but was bursting open. It was alleged the man told the inspector the injury had been inflicted the night before by a kangaroo while he was out hunting with the dog. The man also allegedly admitted to stapling the wound himself without using pain relief and had allegedly done so on previous occasions. The dog, who was seen to be visibly limping and hunched over with a swollen eye and covered in scratches and cuts, was seized and taken to a local vet, who was forced to amputate his front leg due to the severity of his condition. After surgery, the dog was taken to RSPCA’s animal care centre in Malaga, where his recovery continues. The man is due to appear in Bunbury Magistrate’s Court on June 13.