"I feel like she was in shock. She looked like she never heard things would cost this much," testified Dr. Lisa Sether, of Animal Health Veterinary Group at Ivanchenko's animal-cruelty trial.
Sether said Ivanchenko's 3-month-old Maltese-Shih Tzu mix appeared to have a broken hind leg, was lethargic and had tenderness in the abdomen when the defendant brought her in for treatment early on the afternoon of Sept. 12, 2014.
Ivanchenko balked at the treatment cost and also declined the less-expensive option of $300 for humane euthanasia, the doctor said. Sether said she offered the latter option because the dog would have suffered needlessly without medical treatment.
The defendant said she didn't think the dog was suffering, paid an $86 exam fee and left with another plan in mind, said the vet.
"She told me she was going to try to bring it back to the pet store and get a new dog," Sether testified.
Sether was one of two prosecution witnesses to testify Thursday at Ivanchenko's bench trial in state Supreme Court, St. George.
Another witness testified how the dog, which authorities allege Ivanchenko abandoned later that night, was identified the next day through a photo that appeared on SILive.com.
Prosecutors allege Ivanchenko, 35, of Bay Terrace, beat the dog she had named "Snowflake," then cruelly put the badly-injured animal in a black plastic bag and drove to South Railroad Avenue in her community on the evening of Sept. 12, 2014. She then threw the bag out her car window near the train tracks.
Ivanchenko left the pup to die because she couldn't afford its medical care, maintain Assistant District Attorneys Jane Grinberg and Adam Silberlight, who are prosecuting the case.
Found by Good Samaritans, the severely injured pup had two skull fractures, head trauma and bruising, and crusted and bloodied eyes, along with a broken leg, prosecution witnesses have testified.
While her injuries were initially considered life-threatening, she managed to mainly recover from them.
Despite lingering health issues, the little dog was later adopted and renamed "Pip" by her new owner, said the ASPCA.
The defense contends there's no evidence Ivanchenko, herself, abused the animal or caused the injuries doctors determined the pooch had suffered.
In his opening statement Tuesday, defense lawyer Matthew Myers said his client dropped the dog off by the side of the road on South Railroad and Hopkins avenues knowing someone would find it and care for it.
Sether testified she examined Snowflake twice – on Aug. 28, 2014, and Sept. 12, 2014.
The dog was in good health on the first visit and received its initial puppy vaccinations, said the vet.
It was a different story on Sept. 12.
The pooch was unable to walk and lied on its side and didn't move when placed on an examining table, said Sether.
She said the defendant said her 10-year-old daughter had been playing with the dog a few days earlier when the animal laid down and wouldn't walk anymore.
Ivanchenko said she fed the dog chicken broth and nutrients with a dropper afterward, but its condition hadn't improved, testified Sether.
A visual and tactile examination indicated Snowflake's rear right leg was broken, her abdomen was tender and she was "very, very lethargic," the vet said.
Sether said the dog blinked its eyes, responded to light, did not have blood in its eyes and did not have any bruising about the head or body or any signs of head trauma.
On Wednesday, another veterinarian, who examined the dog on Sept. 13, after Good Samaritans found it the night before, said the animal had suffered skull fractures, head trauma and bruising and was unable to see at that time.
Sether said she told the defendant she wanted to take X-rays to confirm the broken leg and run some tests to try to find the reason for the dog's lethargy and stomach tenderness.
Those tests would cost $500, by themselves, said the doctor.
She also recommended the dog be hospitalized overnight and receive additional treatment, which could cost thousands of dollars.
Ivanchenko "did not want to pay the $500," said Dr. Sether, and also didn't want to pay $300 to humanely euthanize the suffering animal.
The vet said she wouldn't have recommended euthanasia solely for a broken leg.
"There were other things going on," Sether said.
Instead, the defendant said she planned to go to the Puppy Boutique in Brooklyn, where the pooch had been bought, and get another dog, the doctor said.
In his cross-examination, Myers seemed to suggest the dog had been accidentally hurt and suffered brain damage while playing with Ivanchenko's daughter.
Sether confirmed the defendant said the dog's symptoms manifested themselves after the child had played with it.
But Ivanchenko rebuffed her when pressed for more details, said the doctor.
Sether said brain trauma could result in a dog's inability to walk and lethargy; however, she did not believe the dog was brain damaged when she examined it on Sept. 12.
The other prosecution witness to take the stand Thursday was Sandra Alley, office manager at Animal Health Veterinary Group.
She testified she recognized Snowflake from a photo she saw on SILive.com on Sept. 13, in an article recounting how the badly-injured pup was found.
Alley said she notified her boss, Dr. Michael Arpino, and gave him the dog's file.
Arpino brought the file to the 122nd Precinct stationhouse, and police launched an investigation resulting in Ivanchenko's arrest.
TOP QUOTE
"I'd describe her as very, very lethargic. She was minimally responsive. She was laying on her side, not able to move," said Dr. Lisa Sether, recounting the condition of Alsu Ivanchenko's dog, Snowflake, when she examined the puppy on the afternoon of Sept. 12, 2014.
INTERESTING MOMENT
The trial, which began Tuesday, is moving along briskly, despite initial projections it would last two weeks. Justice William E. Garnett, who is presiding over the bench trial, said he anticipates it will finish early next week.
WHAT'S NEXT
The trial resumes Friday morning when additional prosecution witnesses, including detectives and a doctor, are expected to testify.
(SILive.com - September 10, 2015)
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