Australia: A dog that had a massive untreated face tumor was put down by vets because of the condition that it was in.

The RSPCA inspectors in Australia found the poor 4-year-old English Staffordshire Terrier with a large black fleshy tumor that caused the right side of his face to droop heavily.

The tumor hung low towards the neck of the animal, which also caused his eyelid to hang down.

It came after an inspector visited the New South Wales house of the pet owner last year after they got an animal cruelty complaint.

The owner surrendered the dog and he was taken to a veterinary so it could be checked over.

However, they failed to save the pooch because the tumor had been left for too long.

The vet said it could not be safely removed and the quality of life of the animal was badly affected.

The owner of the pet, a 44-year-old man from Wyong, was later taken to court because the dog had been denied treatment.

In October 2019, he entered a guilty plea and convicted of committing an act of aggravated cruelty and of failing to provide veterinary treatment to his pet dog.

The man said that he could not pay for the costs of a vet, however, the RSPCA said that they could have helped him if he contacted them.

According to reports, the man will be undergoing mental health treatment and banned from purchasing, acquiring, taking possession, or custody of any animal other than the 2 dogs that he already owns.

Scott Meyers, the Chief Inspector of the NSW RSPCA, said:

It is crucial that pet owners seek veterinary treatment for their sick, injured or unhealthy animals in a timely manner. Organisations like RSPCA NSW can provide assistance to those in need of extra help, advice or support so that we as a community can work towards improving animal welfare outcomes together.

This has to be one of the saddest stories of this year.