A DOG whose owner was banned from keeping pets after failing to seek veterinary treatment for a long-standing skin and ear disease is now able to be re-homed.

A vet said Courtney Archer, 27, of Grange View, had allowed the chronic inflammation seen on Staffordshire bull terrier Sheba to carry on ‘for weeks or months’ and she had let her pet suffer as a result.

Archer was handed the ban at a sentencing hearing at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court on January 30 after pleading guilty in December to three Animal Welfare Act offences.

RSPCA inspector Vanessa Reid had gone to Archer’s house with the police on April 14 last year after enquiries with a local veterinary practice showed she had failed to take Sheba to a vet after being given a warning notice by the charity about the dog’s condition six days previously.

In her evidence to the court, Ms Reid said: “She had incredibly sore, furless, skin on all her legs, spreading to her stomach, and on her face and muzzle too.

“She was clearly very weary and nervous, but did allow me to stroke and examine her.

“She was still underweight, but she now had a very rounded and pot-bellied stomach.

“I suspected the owner had fed her significant amounts since my last visit, causing bloating.

“Archer confirmed that Sheba had not been taken to a vet as per my notice.”

The vet who examined Sheba and gave written evidence in the case gave her a low body score condition of three out of nine.

He said the skin on Sheba’s face and lower legs was abnormally red and the digits on all four feet were hairless with saliva staining to the nails.

The skin over her hocks and elbows in particular was inflamed and her ears were both markedly constricted, with black dry discharge on both sides.

He said the chronic inflammation associated with her skin condition would have been ongoing for weeks or months.

An ultrasound also revealed she was full of liquid, hence the bloating, which was consistent with recent, over generous feeding.

Archer was interviewed by RSPCA inspector Reid about Sheba’s condition and said that she was confident there were no issues with her dog.

In sentencing magistrates said: “We have noted that Sheba was not given an appropriate level of veterinary care and there has been a lack of ability on your part to identify medical conditions which clearly required veterinary advice and treatment.

“Overall, we find that the management of your pets’ needs was lacking.”

Archer was also given a 12 month community order and 15 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement Days and told to pay costs of £400 and a £114 victim surcharge.

The court gave her 21 days from the date of her sentence to rehome two other dogs in her care, with a warning that police could remove the animals if she failed to do so.

With the appropriate veterinary care and feeding Sheba made a good recovery.

She has been cared for by the RSPCA’s Doncaster and Rotherham Branch and the charity will now be able to rehome her.