A woman has been banned from keeping animals for two years after admitting causing her pet dog to suffer.

Gemma Gordon, 28, failed to take German shepherd mastiff-cross Angel to the vet for treatment for a mammary mass and an ear infection, a court heard.

When an RSPCA inspector went to her home, she found Angel had a huge seeping mass on her belly area. Her ear infection also had a thick discharge.

After Angel was examined by a vet, she had to be put down because her mammary mass - which turned out to be cancerous - was so big it was deemed inoperable.

Mother-of-two Gordon, of Archer House, Lodge Hill Lane, Chattenden, appeared before Medway magistrates to admit two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Andrew Wiles, prosecuting, said Gordon told the welfare officer the dog had belonged to her ex-partner and she could not afford to take it to the vets.

The dog was removed from her home and taken to a vet who examined the animal.

Despite being in a good bodily condition and fed well, the dog's left ear canal had narrowed and a thick discharge was coming from it.

Mr Wiles added: "The mammary gland was enlarged and oozing with a thick, foul-smelling discharge coming from it.

"The infection was so large, the dog was euthanised that day as the mass was inoperable, there was no other realistic option."

An examination revealed the dog had been suffering with both conditions for at least four weeks and that early veterinary intervention could have saved her.

Natalie Brown, defending, said: "She did her best to look after the dog, but other factors didn't allow her to.

"She is sorry, she accepts she should have taken her to the vets but she tells me she was not physically able to as the dog was too strong for her.

"She has two children and is a single mum and has been struggling in a difficult situation and the dog took a back seat."

Magistrates gave Gordon a 24-month conditional discharge as well as the ban. She was also ordered to pay £500 costs.

Magistrates ordered the £1,220 vets bill to be met out of the court's central funding facility.