Two Auckland pet stores have been prosecuted for improper care of animals for sale.
E Z Step Limited, trading as Petstop, pleaded guilty to four charges under the Animal Welfare Act on Tuesday. It was given a $10,687.50 fine.
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The SPCA was informed of a failure to care for animals on sale at Petstop by the store's own vet, who became concerned after treating an animal on sale at the store.
Suspicions of mistreatment began when Petstop's Newmarket premise brought a kitten suffering from a ruptured cornea to the vet in February 2015.
The vet believed there were three options - treat the eye, remove it or euthanise the kitten. They gave the store medication for the kitten while it decided as it was judged to be in severe pain.
Petstop opted to euthanise the kitten and did not collect pain medication or other treatments for the animal. The vet carried out the procedure and notified the SPCA shortly after.
A second investigation began in April that year when an SPCA inspector noticed leopard geckos and a water dragon for sale in inappropriate enclosures at the Dominon Rd store.
The geckos were in an enclosure that had no temperature or humidity controls, or gauges. The water dragon's enclosure lacked a heat and UV light source, temperature and humidity gauges and floor substrate.
Two species vets confirmed the enclosures were inappropriate for their needs and would have resulted in them suffering physiological stress, a lowering of their immune systems and consequent exposure to disease.
SPCA chief executive Andrea Midgen said pet stores are completely responsible for the animals in their care.
"This kitten suffered acute pain while at the pet store and was in pain for days thereafter," she said.
"Your obligations under the Animal Welfare Act 1999 are the same whether you are an individual, farm, or business. It is unacceptable that a pet store allowed animals to suffer under their watch."
A Petstop spokesperson said in a statement it has improved its care of animals since the investigations in 2015.
"Petstop accepts its care of animals in early 2015 could have been better and has acknowledged that to the court."
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