Lithuanian authorities investigate animal cruelty cases in Akmenė and Radviliškis districts

The State Food and Veterinary Service (VMVT) has launched administrative proceedings against animal owners in Lithuania’s Akmenė and Radviliškis districts after inspectors uncovered severe cases of neglect and potential cruelty, LRT reports.

In Akmenė district’s Naujoji Akmenė eldership, officials found two emaciated dogs in critical condition. One suffered irreversible health damage and was euthanised, while the second—wearing a spiked choke collar that aggravated a deep, infected neck wound—is undergoing veterinary treatment. Both animals were removed from their owner, who now faces charges of animal cruelty.

Meanwhile, in Radviliškis district, inspectors discovered a cow tied and collapsed in a pasture, too weak to stand, partially submerged in manure. The owner claimed a veterinarian had treated the animal, but its condition had not improved. The same farm held seven undeclared pigs—one of which had died—along with a goat, a pregnant ewe, and a four-month-old lamb kept in hazardous conditions amid scrap metal and debris. All surviving animals were confiscated; samples from the pigs were sent for African swine fever testing.

Daiva Kazlauskienė, head of the VMVT’s Šiauliai Regional Supervision Division, condemned the owners’ failure to meet basic care standards, stating that “such violations will not go unpunished.” The confiscated animals have been placed with temporary caregivers while legal proceedings continue.

The VMVT emphasised that all cases involve clear breaches of animal welfare laws, with administrative penalties pending for the responsible parties.