Salinas man convicted for letting dog suffer

A Salinas man faces three years in jail for felony animal cruelty.

Alejandro Cerritos Lopez, 30, was convicted of not taking his seriously sick dog to the vet, according to the Monterey County District Attorney’s Office. The dog, a pit bull mix named Kingbo, developed a severe case of demodex and eventually had to beeuthanized.

Demodex is a common skin mite that can be treated with medication or medicated baths. As the dog’s case grew worse, Kingbo developed numerous bacterial infections and septic arthritis.

The DA’s office reported that, “despite many obvious indicatorsthat Kingbo urgently needed veterinary care, Lopez did not take Kingbo to the veterinarian at any time in 2014. By the time Kingbo was seized by Monterey County SPCA on March 20, 2014, his entire body was covered in painful, bleeding, infected scabs which fell off of him in piles as he walked.”

Two vets who testified said it was the most severe case of demodex they’d seen in their careers.

A judge will sentence Lopez on May 24, 2016.