Bucks Woman Charged With Aggravated Animal Cruelty In Death Of 11-Year-Old Horse

LAHASKA, PA — A Bucks County woman is facing aggravated animal cruelty charges in the death of an 11-year-old thoroughbred horse whose bones were being eaten away by cancer.

Heather Fitzgerald, 54, of Springfield Township was taken into custody on May 4 for failure to provide proper veterinary care for her gelding named Brazilliant.

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Fitzgerald was arraigned in front of Judge Gambardella and is being held in Bucks County Prison on $150,000 bail, 10 percent, for future court action.

The Bucks County SPCA and Springfield Township Police have jointly filed felony charges against Fitzgerald for aggravated cruelty to animals (causing serious bodily injury or death), aggravated cruelty to animals (torture), and neglect of animals (vet care).

"Very sadly, the horse suffered painful conditions from
untreated cancer that had spread throughout his body leaving him in such poor condition that equine veterinary specialists determined that immediate euthanasia was the most humane
outcome to end Brazilliant’s pain," said the Bucks County SPCA.

This was not the first time the Bucks County SPCA responded to Fitzgerald's property.

Brazilliant. (Bucks County SPCA)

On multiple occasions in the past, the SPCA's Humane Law Enforcement Officers investigated reports of poor conditions and ordered corrections be made in the care of her horses and dogs.

In 2025, Springfield Township Police filed charges for a dog that was running at large and had killed a neighbor’s cat. A hearing in that case resulted in Judge McHugh ordering
Fitzgerald to rehome all of her animals within six months.

She failed to comply with the order, resulting in a hearing held on May 4, according to the Bucks County SPCA.

The horse's condition came to light in mid-April when Fitzgerald emailed the Bucks County SPCA describing an eye injury the horse sustained in July 2025 that she was attempting to treat on her own without seeking veterinary care.

The SPCA's Humane Law Enforcement Officers visited Fitzgerald’s property the next day to assess the situation and found the horse in very poor condition.

"His badly damaged eye appeared to be sunken into the socket and was weeping what appeared to be a mixture of blood and pus," reported the Bucks County SPCA. "A large lump was visible near his mouth making it difficult to eat. He was very thin and stumbled when walking."

In consultation with the SPCA’s shelter veterinarian, Brazilliant was transported to Penn Vet’s New Bolton Center Hospital in Kennett Square where the horse was examined.

The hospital's equine veterinary specialists found that his eye was cancerous, and the cancer had spread to the bones in his face, down his spine, and into other parts of the body,
causing neurological symptoms in his back legs, the Bucks County SPCA said.

"This type of cancer is common and treatable, and with early intervention could have been kept from spreading," the SPCA said. "Left untreated, Brazilliant suffered for months and was beyond hope for recovery."

The SPCA said failure to provide veterinary care is punishable under Pennsylvania’s animal cruelty laws. BCSPCA and Springfield Township Police jointly filed felony charges for lack of veterinary care, torture, and a misdemeanor charge for lack of care.