Case Details
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Case ID: 13338
Classification: Neglect / Abandonment
Animal: dog (non pit-bull)
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Dog abandoned, severely emaciated, dies
Gladwin, MI (US)

Incident Date: Thursday, Feb 21, 2008
County: Gladwin

Charges: Felony CTA
Disposition: Alleged
Case Images: 2 files available

Alleged:
» April D. Suiter
» Steven J. Suiter

Case Updates: 1 update(s) available

Officers from Gladwin County Animal Control and Clare County Animal Control are conducting a joint investigation in an attempt to locate the owner of an extremely emaciated stray dog which was recently brought in to the Gladwin County Animal Shelter.

�We will be sharing information to determine where the actual crime took place,� said Taylor. �We�re taking any leads and information.�

An adult male Boxer should weigh approximately 70 pounds, but Dunn Madra (as he was named by rescue workers), an approximately 6-year-old brown Boxer found roaming the south end of Gladwin Feb. 21, weighed just 35 pounds.

According to Taylor, the animal was brought in as a stray on Feb. 21 and released to Mid Michigan Boxer Rescue on Feb. 28. The rescue group immediately took Dunn to a Southside Animal Hospital in Lansing where he was thoroughly examined.

Dr. Joyce Heideman, a veterinarian at Southside Animal Hospital, said that when dealing with an animal as severely starved as the one found in Gladwin, certain steps must be taken when providing the animal food.

In Dunn�s case, the ongoing lack of food had caused his body to progress into a catabolic state.

�His body had started consuming its own tissue,� said Heideman. �I could see and feel his ribs, the bone on the top of his head, bones on his rump area � pretty much all bones were sticking out.�

Familiar with the dangers of providing too much food after a prolonged period of starvation, Taylor said the shelter was careful not to give the canine a whole lot of food all at once.

�You do have to be very careful � you can�t over-feed a starving animal,� said Taylor.

When he first arrived at the shelter, Taylor said Dunn was given a half can of food and water twice a day, and by the time the rescue group picked him up he was eating a full can of food three times a day, drinking water and going to the bathroom.

The animal shelter has two local veterinarians who visit once a week, and Taylor said one of them looked at Dunn and agreed that he should be kept under general observation and needed to gain weight.

Despite the best combined efforts of the shelter, the rescue group and the veterinary clinics, however, Dunn died late on the night of Feb. 28.

Necropsy findings show that the Boxer was severely emaciated and had a loss of muscle mass throughout most of his body, and he had no body fat at all. In addition to the signs of starvation, the dog also had a severe infestation of fleas.

As a result of the flea infestation, Dunn was also very anemic and had a skin condition because of the fleas. Heideman said a typical adult dog will not be anemic because of a flea infestation, usually only 3 pound cats are that severe.

�At just one glance I saw 15 fleas,� Heideman said. �There were easily 500 fleas on that dog.�

Heideman estimated that it would have taken at least a month for Dunn to get in the condition he was in, and she thinks that at the very least he had fleas for two weeks. In the end, Dunn�s official cause of death was cardiac arrest.

�Starvation, anemia or a congenital heart problem could have caused the hypertrophy found with Dunn�s heart ventricle � that�s a condition where the walls thicken around the heart,� she said. �He just couldn�t get his blood moving.�

Even though the signs of animal neglect seem obvious in this case, Taylor asserted that it can still be difficult to obtain enough information to prosecute.

�We have to have evidence or witnesses for this case to go anywhere; it can be a hard prosecution,� Taylor said.

Hoping to spur leads, Heart of Michigan Animal Rescue is offering a reward to anyone who can provide information that leads to the conviction of the person or persons responsible for Dunn�s condition and subsequent death.

Heart of Michigan is also taking donations to be applied toward the reward.

To report a lead, please contact the Gladwin County Animal Control at 989-426-4579.

To donate money towards the reward, please contact Heart of Michigan Animal Rescue at 989-246-1846.


Case Updates

Two Gladwin County suspects face animal-cruelty charges that could land them in prison in connection with the death of a boxer dog named Dunn Madra.

Prosecutors on Thursday charged the 31-year-old suspects - April D. Suiter of Hazel Park and her estranged husband, Steven J. Suiter of Gladwin - with killing or torturing an animal.

If convicted, each suspect would face a maximum of five years in prison. Each suspect also faces a charge of cruelty to animals.

A necropsy done on Dunn Madra's body showed the boxer died due to starvation and severe flea infestation, according to Trooper Gregory Hubers of the Michigan State Police post in Gladwin.

Steven Suiter "brought Dunn Madra to the Gladwin County Animal Shelter, saying he found it as a stray," Hubers said.

The dog, still alive, was "severely emaciated," Hubers said, and died several days later at a Lansing-area veterinary clinic. Steven Suiter claims the dog showed up at his home along East Grout Street in Gladwin, police said.

But following an article about the dog in the Gladwin County Record & Beaverton Clarion, tips poured in to authorities from callers claiming to know who caused Dunn Madra's demise, police said.

Authorities in 80th District Court set bond at $15,000 cash for Steven Suiter and $10,000 cash for April Suiter. Both suspects remained in the Gladwin County Jail on Thursday awaiting a hearing on the evidence in April.
Source: The Bay City Times - March 27, 2008
Update posted on Mar 30, 2008 - 5:21PM 

References

  • - March 27, 2008
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