Horses starved to death, owners charged

WEST GREENWICH, R.I. (WPRI) - Three horses are dead and now three Rhode Islanders are charged with animal cruelty.

In West Greenwich two horses were starved so severely that one of the horses died, and the other one had to be euthanized. The horses lived on Backache Farm in West Greenwich.

In Lincoln, a man is accused of neglecting his horse's injury for so long that that horse had to be put down. The horse named Sady, had a puncture wound to her foot.

In West Greenwich, a female foal named Shadow died of starvation, and another horse Cody, was so malnourished that she had to be put to sleep.

"This horse was not sick in any way shape or form. This horse was a victim of starvation, malnutrition said," Dr. E.J. Finocchio.

"What is that like to see?" says Eyewitness News Reporter Sean Daly.

"It is horrendous to see a horse down on the ground, struggling to try and get up," says Dr. Finocchio.

The vet at the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals believes the tough economy is to blame.