Holy crap... My vet was just charged with 18 accounts of animal neglect for her personal horses. I'm c/ping the article here because it's a small town so sorry about it being so long/formatting/name changes. I'm a huge lover so this article just makes me want to cry. It's also really hard to put this information together with the vet, who was incredibly nice when helping us with Katie.
A city veterinarian has been charged with 18 counts of animal cruelty for allegedly neglecting her horses after losing her XX home to foreclosure.
Dr. Jane Doe, owner of the Veterinary Clinic, was served with summons for the charges Thursday - the same day a hearing on X County officials' confiscation of 18 horses from her home was held in General District Court.
The hearing continued late Thursday night, and the outcome was not available at press time.
At the beginning of the hearing, county animal control officers and Hardy County, W.Va., equine veterinarian Madison Smith testified that Doe's horses were malnourished, improperly kept, and suffering from a host of untreated health problems.
"It is inhumane to allow an animal to exist in that condition," said Smith about one of Doe's horses, which allegedly suffers from large untreated tumors that prevent it from excreting waste normally.
According to Animal Control Deputy Leslie Adams, county officials have been concerned about the conditions of Doe's horses since last year, but the problems reportedly intensified a month ago, when her house underwent foreclosure by lender Wells Fargo and she moved out.
County Sheriff's Office Capt. said animal control officers received numerous reports that the horses were being neglected.
One of Doe's neighbors testified that in December, she found two of Doe's foals lying dead in a pasture, apparently from the cold weather. One of them was partially decomposed.
Officers visited the property several times and also found that the animals were not being sufficiently cared for: "Their condition kept getting worse."
X and another neighbor, Y , said several people and an equine rescue organization tried to help Doe by giving her hay for the animals.
On Aug. 16, the Sheriff's Office served doe with a notice of seizure. Four animals were removed from the property so they could be observed around the clock, but the rest remain there under the care of the Sheriff's Office.
Two weeks ago, animal control officers brought Smith to Doe's property to examine the horses. She testified Thursday that the only food she found on the property was hay blackened by mold and that many of the horses showed evidence of infection by parasites, malnutrition, and a lack of care.
She also said many of the horses showed signs of long-term dehydration.
Doe's attorney LL Bean pointed out that Smith said the water troughs on Doe's property were full when she examined the horses.
"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink," he said in court Thursday.
"Oh, they'll drink if they get thirsty enough," Smith responded.
She testified that the horses were being kept improperly in a large communal group in a small pasture - including pregnant mares, young sexually immature horses, and breeding stallions. "That is not safe," said Smith.
Bean said Thursday that he would offer contrasting testimony to that of Smith.
He said the defense had three veterinarians - one of whom is Doe - ready to testify that the horses were not neglected or malnourished and that the way they were housed was not improper.
The results of the confiscation hearing will be available today.
No hearing date has been scheduled for Doe's criminal charges.