The Scottish SPCA have revealed that 2009 was the "worst in recent memory" for animal cruelty in Scotland.

The charity have released the details of a series of horrifying cases across the country that will shock animal lovers.

Slashed foal:

This tiny foal was lucky to be alive after she was cruelly slashed across the neck at a farm near Cupar in Fife in May 2009

The black and white (piebald) mare was only four days old when she received the deep eight inch wound, running diagonally across her neck and narrowly missing her jugular vein.

The incident was reported to have taken place at a farm to the west of Cupar on Monday May 25 between 5.00pm and 8.00pm in the evening.

Burned dog:

This dog was dumped dead in a field in Peebles with horrific burns over her face and body.

The adult female Staffordshire bull terrier cross was found in a field behind a row of houses on Edinburgh Road in Peebles, Scottish Borders.

A local resident made the grim discovery on Saturday April 11 in the area known as the Venlaw Hill, which is popular with dog walkers.

Dog tied up and starved to death:

This female Mastiff cross was discovered on the Kinnaird Park Estate by a worker from nearby Dalgety Farm on the outskirts of Brechin, Angus on Friday March 13.

She was tightly tethered to a barbed wire fence with blue twine and wearing a blue collar and black muzzle. A post mortem confirmed that the dog died a slow and lingering death from starvation and dehydration.

An examination of her stomach contents revealed only grains of soil and fragments of wood as she desperately tried to eat anything within her limited reach.

Airgun attack on Staffie dog:

Sheila, a female Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was shot in the head 13 times by her owner in a drunken attack in Glasgow.

Following an investigation by Strathclyde Police, her owner was convicted and banned from owning or keeping animals for 10 years. Sheila recovered from her injuries in Scottish SPCA care before being found a loving new home.

IN DETAIL

• Scottish SPCA: 2009 "worst in memory" for animal cruelty
• Gallery of horrifying Scottish animal abuse case images (warning - upsetting content)

Commenting on the cases, Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn, of the Scottish SPCA, said: "We appealed for information after a dog was cruelly tied up and left to starve to death in woods in Brechin. Despite receiving several calls from the public we have never been able to trace the owner and bring them before a court.

"Equally disturbing was the incident in Peebles where a dog was found by a member of the public burned to a crisp. Again, we turned to the public for information but sadly that case remains unresolved.

"One of the most mindless attacks happened in Fife when a newborn foal was slashed across the neck, receiving a deep eight inch wound. Remarkably she survived her ordeal but many other animals didn’t.

"It's not just outright cruelty, we are also tackling a constant stream of neglect, where owners, for whatever reason, don’t feed their animals or take them to a vet when they are sick.

"We had several successful prosecutions last year against people who simply turned a blind eye to the animals living in their homes suffering in silence from painful skin diseases, riddled with cancerous tumours or emaciated because they’ve not been fed for a prolonged period of time.

"Taking all of this into account it is fair to say that 2009 was the worst year in recent memory for animal cruelty."