A WOMAN has been banned from keeping animals for five years after her starving lurcher was found to be "grossly underweight, emaciated and skeletal".

Elizabeth Lamb appeared at Bournemouth Magistrates' Court last week, where it was heard she had surrendered pet Lucy to a dog warden claiming the animal was a stray.

Vets who examined Lucy believed that she must not have been allowed access to sufficient food over a period of many weeks, if not months.

The defendant, of Burnt House Lane in Bransgore, admitted failing to protect her lurcher from suffering by not investigating the cause of her weight loss. The 50-year-old also pleaded guilty to failing to provide adequate flea treatment which caused a skin condition.

RSPCA inspector Patrick Bailey said the dog - now renamed Hettie - was one of the thinnest he has ever seen.

“Hettie was without doubt one of the skinniest dogs I have dealt with in this job," he said.

“She was handed to the local dog warden after having allegedly been found wandering in woodland in Bransgore in February this year.

"Weighing just 9.1kg on admission to the kennels, she was grossly underweight, emaciated and skeletal.

"She was literally just skin and bone.

“I remember trying to comfort her but when gently stroking her body my hand was literally getting caught on her prominent bones. She looked so pitiful and sad. I am just so glad she was rescued in time.”

Hettie is now in the care of a loving new family.

Insp Bailey said: “Thankfully when I saw Hettie again just over a month later, although still not quite at her optimum weight, at 13.7kg she was already a transformed dog. All she had needed was some good food and some flea treatment.

“Thanks to the excellent care from Blue Cross in Southampton, her fur was growing back and she had a good coverage of body fat and muscle tone developing.

"She was and still is a beautiful, gentle, kind-natured dog and I'm delighted to hear she was adopted so quickly.”

Lamb was sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge and a five-year ban on keeping all animals.

She was also ordered to pay £100 in costs and a £15 victim surcharge.