Report or not report? (steroids)

[CertifiablyInsaneCockatoo]

Hello, i do not mean to cause distress to any one reading this.

Most of us on here have had experiance with most domestic animals and have seen some animals in a real state. Would you report an animal that you thought was in harm? Not physically, not beaten or anything like that. But sort of ignored possibly and quality of life zero?

I work in the pet industry (grooming) :dog:and a dog came in today matted. So i had no option to shave her off completly skinned, down to the wood. Then it came to light the actuall structure of the dog if any of you know how the body scoring works for a dog she was a 1 (for those that dont know that like a living skeleton). The dog is less then 2 years old and just sat there head down, no waggy tail nothing at all. it broke my heart.:smile016: the only time she offered to do anything was when a customer came in with a bacon butty, she scoffed it down like no tomorrow.

I Told the owner that if she wasnt coping with the dog we could find her a home. I wasnt nasty it wouldnt be professional to be nasty, (maybe I shouldnt of said anything but I couldnt stand there pretending there was nothing wrong) the owner said it was because of steriods and that she is on £40 bags of food.

But steriods make a pet fatter dont they? My friends westie is on steriods and hes bigger because of them, i mean he drinks and eats more but hes happy as well. he gets one everyday for that famous westie exma they get. and if she really was on that food or eating enough of it wouldnt she be fatter?

A couple of customers saw her and said the owner should be reported, she has apperently been on them since December, steriods might explain her behaviour but it certinaly doesnt explain why the dog is nine times out of ten matted, Ive Never seen a dog so depressed she didnt even wag her tail when the owner came in.

Would it be professinally wrong of me to report an animal I think is suffering?

Or would it be morrally wrong not to report the animal I think is suffering?

Would you report an animal suffering
I mean to cause no distress or offense to any one reading this.

 

[Pedro]

To be honest if the dog is on steriods it should be under vet care. Steroids are usually given to dogs for pain & joint problems. So i would tread carefully. Before you report anyone i think it would be wise to do a little more digging & get your facts right first. The dog may not be at risk at all.

 

[merlinsmom13]

My dog is currently taking steriods. She is anemic, the 1st sign that she was sick again was that she was getting thin. The other was a very depressed dog, did want to play or go for walks. She has been on them again for 9 weeks now & has really put on a little weight again. She does grab food like she hasn't eaten in weeks, she's usually a very polite dog, it seems to make her almost manic in eating.

If you report her now, with just a suspicion, will get you no where. Wait, her next appointment may give you hard evidence that you need. I hope you are wrong, but too often you would be right.

 

[xreinx]

seeing dogs in that kind of condition was accually a norm for me when I worked in a shelter, the lack of tail wagging means the body has no more energy to burn, that everything is going into pumping the heart and moving the lungs, (THE DOG NEEDS HELP).

it isnt a condition if its that bad, its pure neglect. If the owner said the dog was that way because of something else, there would be some action, bright eyes, wagging tail, flicking of ears, or its due to age (proof that they were feeding the animal and taking it to the vet).
you said the dogs young, then it should be lifting its head, looking around and wagging its tail.

NEXT TIME, take pictures, maybe ask to see a vet record, and report the person to the cops for a animal welfare check. (make sure you get the persons information, home, phone, or car lisense plate)

Its sad, we had a dog like that, the man said the dog just wouldent eat, it was skin and bones, he NEVER took it to the vet, and in little more then a week, it gained 10 pounds. in 3 weeks, it gained 40 pounds. he was charged for it.

dont feel guilty for the person, feel guilty for the animal, TURN the person in. its neglect, pure and simple, if they cant care for the animal properly, then just think what they do with their kids.. or elders. it isnt a big step from neglecting animals to neglecting humans. (really, it isnt)

 

[suebee]

if the owner did not care?? why take the dog to be groomed

if the dogs already ill it could explain its behavior and possibly condition, the owner probably was bracing themselves for such questions??

a friend recently had the RSPA at her house for not walking her over weight dog, fact the dog had a thyroid problem and she had broken her ankle, made it a waste of the inspectors time, as before she broke her ankle she would walk the dog daily (lol the fat thing really didn't want to go!) but her son had been walkin the dog in the mean time

but with saying that i fully understand why you feel you should report! as visually you are seeing a poster dog for animal neglect and abuse, but try get to know the owner in some way as mentioned above, as its a risky call to make

i'd say do what you think is best, report, if dogs not in danger then all is well, thats what i said to my friend, she was very upset that the RSPA had been to her house, but at least ppl are reporting and she passed the visit

 

[xreinx]

possibly to get rid of the animal? the same people who dropped the skinny dog off, washed cliped and cleaned the dogs teeth the same day they were getting rid of the dog, until that time, reports had been it had stayed in the same kennel for weeks, there were signs, damaged skin, sores on its hips from laying down in the kennel for so long.

I am sorry, I should be giving the person the bennifit of the doubt, but fact is, if the dog is that skinny, then it should be seeing the vet, but if its getting all the mats shaved off, then it isnt seeing a vet, because a vet will report them in a heartbeat. (my sisters a vet tech)

Ive seen dogs this skinny, (the one I was talking about weighed 43 pounds, he reached a healthy weight of 70 before we put him out for adoption) The OWNER didnt care, until the day he was getting rid of the dog. then he got it cleaned up and made up excuses, thankgod they nailed him for neglect. this is my experence.

If you dont want to worry, Report them for a wellfare check. its out of your hands after that, and you did your bit. the public at large cant really do anything besides that.

 

[Netty]

report it!

if the body score is one the animal is starting to feed off it own tissue and is an obvious case of neglect. It i s out of your hands but i am assuming if you groom client records are on file and you can turn those into your spca so they can contact them and check it out. you are in the animal field so they are more likely to listen to you then some joe blow off the streets.

**not that they dont listen to joe, but people will get mad and make stuff up if they don't have an animal background then it is possible to be one of the last checks of the day.

 

[Mayden]

His body score is one, dogs that get taken to vets with that don't actually 'make it' all that often. Report the owner, worse thing that could happen is someone goes around to check the dog out - they then decide if the dog needs to be taken away or if it really is being looked after or not. It's your professional duty and moral duty to ensure that this dog doesn't pass away due to turning a blind eye. You might lose a customer if you're wrong, but you might also save a dogs life if you're right.

 

[birdmama61]

I say report it as well because it is better to be wrong , than the dog die and you have done nothing to help the sittuation . I agree at the point of a one this lady is not feeding it 40lb bags of dog food . That is bs and it could be cheap dog food at that . Get on that phone and report this woman she obviously thought that because you work for a groomers that you cannot report it without fear of losing your job . Oh well I say report it and that is my two cents .

 

[Nakiska]

I have reported animals on several occasions...however, not on a first sight. I watch, weeks/months and if I feel that they aren't being properly cared for and the well being of the animal is at stake, then I report.

I reported 2 starving horses last march, but because they had winter hair on them, the officer thought they looked "okay" In july when they'd shed out to a rack of bones, I reported again...the officer was horrified and I said...they look exactly like I expected them to.

The horses were confiscated.

For this dog, I wouldn't report just yet, as one other poster mentioned...do some digging, wait for another grooming appointment and see if there's a difference. Maybe even several appointments....before you determine a call needs to be made.

Good Luck,

Toni

 

[xreinx]

have you seen body score one? thats 3 days away from death itself. Do you really want to see pictures of body score one? I can show you. you can find it on the net if you look hard enough.

the owner only has to miss one or two feedings at this point and the dog can take a turn for the worse. the dog DOSENT have any more time to wait.

the two worst deaths Ive ever seen is a cat with body score 0, this cat should have been a 15 pound cat, it weighed less then 4 pounds, it died in my arms on the way back to the euth chamber. the other death was a dog whos owner set it on fire.

from what she said earlyer
1) the dogs covered in mats,
(neglected in the first place, no care given until that point)
2) it cant/wont lift its head, even for the master
(no MORE energy to burn, a dog that has been to the vet has alittle extra energy, bright eyes, ect)
3) is a bag of bones
(starvation or sickness, can be takencare of by a vet, but clearly hasent, because a vet will report if the dog isnt being taken care of, see one, see two)

Please give him a chance. Report the owner. the worst that can happen is they get inspected.

 

[Netty]

the easiest way to sum up canine body score is this chart (most animal schools have this in the classroom)

http://www.purinaveterinarydiets.com/resources/Files/dog_chart.pdf

 

[Kokihi]

Wow...I hope the poor dear will be ok.

I'd definitely report it. The worst that will happen with the master is they will be inspected. If you don't report it, however, it could lead to the death of the poor animal.

 

[MikeyTN]

Without seeing the condition I would not comment! But if you feel it is that bad, then report it! I have reported dogs in poor condition and the owner left no food or water. Tied the dog outside in the heat. I report and went back to check the dog myself several times after that. The dog was so thin his pelvic bones were showing big time. I was very angry and made it aware to the local pound. I wish we have ASPCA around here cause I don't like the pound here in Nashville, mainly idiots working there....

 

[Abzeez]

Around here as long as the dog is given food and water they won't do much. We don't have animal control, just worthless cops, which BTW were more concerned about me trespassing yesterday, then helping me get my parrot off the top of a tall building.

 

[Netty]

The cruelty laws here got REALLY messed up not long ago due to the government undermining the people... here puppy mills are ENTIRELY LEGAL unless the animlas are in 100% completely horrid conditions because (my friend Vikky says it best):
"Oh of course the animals don't matter as long at they keep tax dollars coming in, don't wanna F%^&& with harper's pocket book"

Mill breeders here pretty much get a tap on the wrist told to smarten up then sent back to the mill without the animals being removed. In VERY FEW cases do they actually remove the animals from the mills.

Why? "it might have a negative effect on the economy"

A little while ago the government was tryign to enstate a law that anythign negative about mills wasn't to be published (not sure if it made it through or not) but the law pretty much prevented SPCAs from putting out ads about why puppy mills are bad because people might stop buying pet store animals causing a negative impact on the economy.

There is several places that say it and i will say it again: Canada great place to live ONLY if you are human.

 

[Remy]

I think it would be a good idea to report it. If the owner is doing a good job, they won't get in trouble. You should be able to report anonymously, and I'm sure you're not the only person who's disturbed by the dog's appearance.

 

[Amber]

If possible do an ANONYMOUS report. Just specify to whoever you report this to that you do not want to be identified, pass on the owners details and leave it at that. if their is a legit reason for this and the owners are really doing their best, it will just be a case of a report for a sickly looking dog, sorry to bother you ma'm, type thing. If it is a serious thing, they will handle it. Either way you are not identifiable. A friend, family member, member of the public, neighbour etc could have been the one to file the report.

Filing the report will do no harm, whether the dog is actually healthy or not, not doing it could ensure the dogs demise however.

Go for it!