A Merseyside man who failed to seek out vet treatment for his French bulldog’s ingrowing nails and eye condition has been banned from keeping dogs for 5 years after a prosecution by the RSPCA.

Daniel Chambers (D.O.B 19/8/1993), of Grey Road, Walton, Liverpool, was convicted of 1 offence of failing to meet the needs of the dog, called Narla, under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. He was sentenced at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on:- 16 January 2026 when as well as receiving a 5-year disqualification, he was placed under a 12-month community order with a requirement that he completes 25 Rehabilitation Activity (RAR) days.

The court was told that RSPCA Inspector Anthony Joynes went to the defendant’s flat on 6 April last year after he had failed to comply with a notice issued 2 months previously by RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer (ARO) Hana Yen instructing him to seek out veterinary treatment for the dog. Despite follow-up calls from several other RSPCA officers, the defendant failed to contact the charity and the notice period expired.

When the defendant carried Narla out of his home, it was clear she was underweight with “spine, ribs and hips bones visible” and she was suffering from several health issues, including overgrown nails that had penetrated into her paw pads.

In a statement to the court, Anthony said:- “Narla was in a poor condition generally with dirty, scabby ears and lots of live fleas were present on her body. Her right eye was inflamed and weeping and her nails were grossly overgrown with 2 nails having penetrated into the paws. 1 was particularly bad with liquid oozing from the swollen area.”

The defendant gave permission for the inspector to take Narla to the charity’s Greater Manchester Animal Hospital for vet treatment and she was later taken into the care of the RSPCA.

A vet who examined the dog said she would have suffered for at least 7 days from the pain of the ingrowing nails and that her needs for veterinary care were not met as she had an eye infection and a suspected dry eye condition.

At the hospital Narla’s eye problems were treated with drops and antibiotic drops were prescribed for dry eye, while her ingrown nails were cut and she received pain relief. Since then she has made a good recovery and is currently being cared for at the RSPCA’s Bryn-y-Maen Animal Centre in North Wales from where she will be rehomed.

The defendant failed to attend a court hearing on:- 21 August last year, when the case was proved in his absence. At his sentencing hearing he was also told to pay £500 costs and a victim surcharge of £114.

Speaking after the sentencing, Inspector Joynes said:- “We tried to help the defendant by offering him financial assistance to help cover vet bills. But he failed to comply with a notice and didn’t do the right thing for the dog who would have been in great pain from the ingrowing nails. For anyone struggling to meet vet bills the RSPCA has advice as well as information about charities that can help with costs at our cost of living support telephone helpline on:- 0300 123 0650 and an online hub.”