A woman living on a Surrey farm has voluntarily surrendered dozens of neglected and malnourished animals following an investigation by the BC SPCA.

Special constables removed a total of 57 animals from the acreage on Tuesday after a complaint from a concerned member of the public about their condition.

There are 35 dogs, including Dalmatians, Pomeranians, golden retrievers and other small and medium breeds, six cats and 16 horses, including several young ponies.

All were being kept in “substandard living conditions,” without proper access to shelter, food and even water. Each is severely malnourished.

“The silver lining is that they’ve been surrendered so it’s given us more freedom to triage them and we can re-home them as they become healthier,” said Chief Enforcement Officer Marcie Moriarty.

The agency has a history with the unnamed pet owner, but says it’s not recent, and she’s moved several times in recent years. Charges of animal cruelty are being considered.

“I think this is a combination of animal hoarding and irresponsible breeding,” Moriarty said.

The SPCA is particularly concerned with the horses because the majority are suffering cracked, chipped and overgrown hooves. Some are in a body condition of “one,” the lowest score possible when it comes to assessing animals brought into SPCA care.

They’ll require a longer time in rehabilitation and re-homing horses is harder than for cats and dogs, Moriarty said.

It’s too early to say how soon the dogs, puppies and cats will be available to be adopted. They’re currently being evaluated at the Vancouver SPCA and undergoing vet treatments.

The intake has put a tremendous strain on shelter resources, and the SPCA is appealing to the public for donations to offset the estimated $20,000 in vet care and investigation costs.

35 dogs, 6 cats, and 16 horses have been surrendered to the @BC_SPCA. Some are very emaciated. @CTVVancouver pic.twitter.com/C1ClliLFT3 — Peter Bremner (@Peter_Bremner) August 12, 2015