ST. CLAIRSVILLE — A mother and daughter accused of numerous felony charges related to animal hoarding may have their cases combined into one.

This and other matters will be decided following their Monday appearance before Belmont County Common Pleas Judge Chris Berhalter.

Paula Metzler, 55, and daughter Kristi Metzler, 30, of 100 Fair Ave., Quaker City each face 11 fifth-degree felony charges of cruelty to companion animals, 13 second-degree misdemeanor charges of cruelty to animals and cruelty to companion animals and one first-degree misdemeanor charge of endangering children.

In fall, multiple dead animals were reportedly found in the Metzler residence. Living animals reportedly in poor condition were also removed by the Belmont County Hoof & Paw humane agency.

The alleged victim in the child-endangering case is Paula Metzler’s 19-year-old daughter. According to authorities, she has a disability and that charge also stems from the condition of the house

Paula Metzler has a prior conviction for animal cruelty in Belmont County.

On Monday, the plea agreement deadline and trial were postponed to allow defense attorneys to finish gathering information.

A new hearing was set for Jan. 2.

Belmont County Prosecutor Kevin Flanagan said several issues are being considered.

“Our office has filed a motion to consolidate the two trials, the two defendants, and the reason that we did that is we are talking about the same incident, which would essentially be the same fact pattern for both, as well as the same witnesses. When that happens, when you have multiple defendants, there is a mechanism under the law that would allow us to join the trials,” he said.

Flanagan said Kristi Metzler was released on bond. Paula Metzler had asked for a bond reduction.

“We had argued against that, and the court agreed and refused to lower her bond,” Flanagan said.

Julie Larish, humane agent with Hoof & Paw, spoke about the state of the animals.

“It’s a very large case,” she said. “We have several dogs still living. We have seven chihuahuas, one mixed-breed small dog, two poodles, one German shepherd and one Bernese mountain dog. All of them are making a recovery. We’ve had a lot of vet bills, but they seem to be doing well.

“There were multiple dead animals including dogs, cats, chickens, birds and I’m sure there’s a lot more there, but the hoarding nightmare is so bad that it would take us weeks to find all the dead carcasas,” she said.

“Our poodles went from 19 and 22 pounds up to 45 and 46 pounds. They’ve made a huge improvement since they’re getting regular food and lots of love. Our Bernese mountain dog and German shepherd are also making huge weight gain, as well as all the chihuahuas. The smallest chihuahua was 13.5 ounces and now weighs just over a pound. That one has a lot of medical issues due to the fact that it was so small, and it was so dehydrated,” she said.

Larish said donations are always welcome.

“One of our largest expenses is our vet bills and our dog food. We also had four cats that were actually a part of that rescue, and those four cats are making great progress.”

Hoof & Paw can be reached at 610-314-5203 or through BCHP Inc. on Facebook.