Happy endings - pics of Nicholas in his new home

Two rats

This is one of a pair of rats who were found running loose in the street by a member of the public and brought to our clinic. They're both visibly aged and this one has an injury which I suspect is the result of him chewing out the stitches after removal of a tumour.

At this time of life it's fairly unlikely that they would suddenly make a break for freedom off their own bat and the most likely explanation is that they were turned loose. They're both friendly and well-handled, and my guess is that the owner couldn't face up to the responsibility of deciding either to take them for euthanasia or organise continued treatment. Cost may have been part of this — a private vet would probably charge in the region of £30 to put down and dispose of two rats — but some of it may just have been inability to cope with the idea of sickness and death. In the past we've had stray hamsters with horrible-looking tumours which had obviously been released because the owner just couldn't bear to look at them. 

The clinic vets say these two are quite happy at the moment, but they've probably not got long before we have to put them to sleep.

Music and pictures as well as books at 188 Mill Road

Just a reminder that our charity shop at 188 Mill road sells collectable vinyl records, CDs and art as well as second-hand books. 

We're always grateful for donations of any of these.

RSPCA East Region Bull Breed Neutering Campaign

The Staffordshire bull terrier is the dog most likely to become unwanted in the RSPCA’s East region. 

So far this year 12 of the 94 abandoned dogs collected by the RSPCA in the East region are Staffies or Staffie crosses.  [These figures were collected in March, and we've taken in several more since then, so I expect the same is true of other branches]. In 2008, 90 of the 354 abandoned dogs rescued were Staffies or Staffie types, and in 2007, 97 of the 406 were Staffies/ crossbreeds.

RSPCA branches and animal centres in the East region report that Staffies and Staffie crosses are by far the breed that they see the most of. More than three quarters of Staffies/Staffie crosses taken in were male.

RSPCA superintendent Kelly Rivers said: “Staffies and other bull dogs and terriers are wonderful dogs. The problems are not usually with them but at the other end of the lead, with owners who buy them for the wrong reasons. All too often they are also used as money making machines and have several litters of puppies each year which are sold on to equally unscrupulous owners.”

“We want to see bull breeds who are properly trained, socialised and cared for. This duty of care includes neutering and microchipping your dog – no excuses.”

Many owners either refuse to have their pets neutered because they either want to protect their dog’s ‘tough’ image or because they want to breed from them - often to make money.

Of the Staffordshires, and other bull terriers taken in, half of RSPCA branches in the East said that those neutered count for less than five per cent of those taken in.

The most common reasons for giving up these dogs were that owners could no longer care for them or could not afford to keep them.

Bull terriers and bull dogs, through no fault of their own, suffer a bad press due to their aggressive image and popularity as status symbols. The high numbers of abandonments and unwanted pets reflect the fact that many people who buy them do so for the wrong reasons then quickly tire of looking after them. Sadly, these are the same people who neglect to neuter their animals, leading to needless health problems and many more unwanted puppies.

RSPCA Cambridge is taking part in the campaign and, if you live in our area and you are on benefits, we can send you out a voucher towards part of the cost of getting your bull terrier neutered. This can be used at most local vets. The map at the side of this blog shows the extent of our branch area. To apply for a voucher, email neuter@rspca-cambridge.org.uk

We would also like bull terrier owners to complete our short survey to help us get a better understanding of why some bull terriers become unwanted, while others spend their whole lives as well-loved pets.

Animal welfare statistics for March 2009

During March we rehomed a total of 11 animals and neutered 51 (16 dogs 32 cats 2 rabbits and 1 ferret). We chipped 20 and provided low-cost veterinary treatment for 358 owned animals (214 dogs, 124 cats, 9 rabbits and 11 miscellaneous species) and 35 stray animals (4 dogs, 31 cats).

We had to put down 1 dog, 3 cats and 3 miscellaneous species on veterinary advice.

In comparison with March 2008, the neutering figures are way up — I'm not sure if this is because more people are aware they can get help with the cost of neutering their pets, or because more people are feeling short of money.

Microchipping and older cats

Fenella is off to the vet tomorrow after giving me a nasty scare. She's not yet chipped, mainly because every time she sees a vet they say, "Poor old lady," (her, not me!), "Why not wait a bit to see how she's going to go on before bothering her?" It's been seven months now, and they're quite right, her kidneys might pack up any day and she'd have to be put to sleep.

However, at the moment she's feeling perfectly well and the latest course of antibiotic has energised her to the point at which a quiet totter round the garden and back to bed is no longer enough, so she took herself off for the day. This is precisely the sort of behaviour that leads to older cats being picked up and handed in as strays. To someone who doesn't know, they look thin and people assume it means no-one is feeding them and they ought to be taken to a rescue organisation. This is probably why Fen was brought to us in the first place. Older cats may not normally wander far, but it is particularly important that they are chipped so that they don't end up taking places needed by genuinely unwanted animals.

Anyway, lesson learned; she's not going out again until she has her identichip.

Pregnant cat

I thought this was going to be simple; her owner phoned first thing asking for financial help because she was unsteady and didn't seem to be able to lift her tail. This is commonly the result of an infected bite near the base of the tail, which usually responds well to antibiotics, so I authorised £50 for first aid at the closest private vet, with the owner to transfer her to the RSPCA clinic tomorrow morning if further treatment was needed.

Turns out she's almost certainly been hit by a car, and she's currently not able to work the muscles that should expel urine from her bladder, so she needs inpatient treatment with periodic manual emptying of the bladder. The second problem is that she's very heavily pregnant and near term. More or less the same set of abdominal muscles are responsible for pushing out kittens... so she'll have to have a caesarian. The muscle problems may or may not clear up with time - there's nothing the vets can do other than supportive treatment as it depends on whether the nerves which control the muscle have been destroyed beyond recovery or just damaged and capable of regrowth. If she doesn't get back enough function to control her own bladder there's really no option other than euthanasia, as it will eventually damage her kidneys.

When all this was explained to her owner, his immediate reaction was to ask for her to be put down straight away. The nurses didn't want to do this and persuaded him to sign the cat over. One of the vets has kindly offered to do the caesarian in her own time (to keep costs for us as low as possible) and the nurses will then take it in turns to foster her together with the kittens to give them all at least a fighting chance.

Injured staffie

He was found in Milton Country Park by a member of the public and taken to Village Vets for first aid. They think he's definitely got a broken jaw and possibly a fractured leg, so we're covering the cost of first aid with them and one of our volunteer drivers is going to transfer him to the clinic tomorrow morning.

No details yet about his general appearance, other than that he's very friendly. If he might be yours, please contact Village Vets (before tomorrow) or email rosemary@rspca-cambridge.org.uk (after then).

Abruzzo earthquake forgotten victims

The earthquake in the Abruzzo region of central Italy of a few days ago has affected animals too. Animals suffering from natural disasters have to rely primarily on the efforts of volunteers for their survival.

Italy’s largest organization for dogs protection, Lega Nazionale per la Difesa del Cane, is helping through its local section of L’Aquila in the distribution of food to the dog pound, to the only kennel of the area and to private individuals who need food for their own dogs or for strays they are looking after.

Through its website, aptly and hopefully named Cuccefelici (Happy Doghouses), the Lega Nazionale per la Difesa del Cane reports that its kennel in L’Aquila, holding 400 dogs, has been left intact by the earthquake because it has no brickwork buildings and all the dogs in it are safe.

Thanks to its volunteers and to the part of the staff capable of getting to work, the dogs have been looked after, fed and given water every day. Elderly and sick dogs are receiving all the necessary treatments as usual.

Whoever needs dog food can contact them by phone. They are also working in close cooperation with the local Veterinary Authority, who people can contact to report any lost, injured or trapped dog.

Even before the earthquake L'Aquila and its area had approximately 4,000 to 6,000 stray dogs, and this is the only public kennel of the district.

L’Aquila dogs protection people, together with the firefighters of the town of Paganica, have saved four female boxers that had been without food or water for days, trapped in a garden surrounded by rubble. The dogs, after being fed, will be returned to their human companion who has evacuated in a hotel on the Adriatic coast.

The local Veterinary Authority has also found many dogs who have been immediately transferred to the Lega Nazionale per la Difesa del Cane kennel in L’Aquila, where they are now still taken care of.

Despite that, in the region there is a real emergency of dogs and cats still locked inside homes or wandering alone after the death of their human companion, sometimes badly injured.

L'Aquila’s dog pound, the private kennel of the area and members of the public all rely on the dogs protection organization’s help.

Both food and medical supplies are insufficient. The dog food is now necessary in greater amounts, because the organization not only must feed the dogs in its kennel but is also donating dogs food to whoever needs it. Large quantities of dog food have been ordered from the usual supplier and already delivered but are still unpaid for.

So, what the dogs protection organization needs most at this moment is funds.


They need your help.

If you can help, you can send them money through Paypal from their website: Cuccefelici

The puppies who were dumped in the Newnham village play area

 

These puppies were found just before Easter in a rubbish bin on the Newnham Village play area, They're about 6 weeks old.

Update on the St Bernards

It sounds as if the response to the appeal to rehome the St Bernards is going really well. The Northants Evening Telegraph reports that the dedicated number (0300 123 8000) set up to answer enquiries about adopting one of them has already had over 3,000 calls. Even if less than 10% have suitable facilities for such large dogs, it looks as if all of them are going to find homes with no more waiting.

Let's hope that some of the callers who don't adopt a St Bernard will consider some of the other thousands of dogs who also need homes—some of them very much less challenging to care for simply because they're a more manageable size.

Happy Easter, but please remember chocolate is dangerous for dogs

Enjoy your easter eggs, but please, only share special dog-safe ones with your pets. Human chocolate is dangerous for dogs because of its high theobromine content.

Found: Rottweiler

He was found wandering on a busy road when one of the Vet School nurses was passing, so she took him in to avoid him getting hit by a car. We're going to take him to Park Side police kennels over the weekend so he can be transferred to Wood Green Animal Shelters on Tuesday, after the holiday, as they have the local authority contract to rehome uninjured stray dogs.

News on the 101 St Bernards

I wasn't planning to write about this as we don't have any of the dogs in our branch facilities for rehoming, but there doesn't seem to have been much coverage on the local media because of all the other newsworthy things that are going on, so I'll put up the details from the press release.

The RSPCA is appealing to people living in the East region who can offer a new home to one of more than 100 St Bernards which were removed from kennels in Northamptonshire in December 2008*.

Since then the dogs have been cared for in private boarding kennels on behalf of the RSPCA. However, as they remained the property of their owner, the Society was unable to rehome them.

Now ownership of the St Bernards has been signed over to the RSPCA and so good new homes can be sought.

The dogs are being rehomed in small groups through various RSPCA animal centres. Priority will be given to potential owners who live nearest to where the dogs are currently being cared for to limit how far they will have to travel to their new homes. In the east region, priority will be given to people living in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Nottinghamshire. However, enquiries from other areas will still be taken.

People who would like one of the dogs - or to donate to the RSPCA to help it continue its vital work - are asked to call 0300 123 8000. (Please, don't use any other RSPCA numbers if it is busy as very high profile rescues have blocked emergency veterinary contact lines in the past, putting sick animals at risk.)

St Bernards are large dogs and, as these particular animals have lived in kennels all their lives, they are not used to walking on leads and have not been house trained. They will need experienced homes where there is a reasonably large amount of space. They will also need regular grooming.

Paul Williams, RSPCA animal welfare manager in the RSPCA’s east region, said: “These dogs will need special care and patience. They all have good temperaments but their kennel background means that they will need owners with the knowledge and time to help them settle into their new homes.

“So far caring for these St Bernards has cost the RSPCA around £100,000 and all donations, however big or small, will be gratefully received. If you would like to rehome one of the dogs or make a donation so we can continue to care for animals like these, please call us on 0300 123 8000.”

The majority of the dogs range in age from two years to eight years and older and should make very loyal and rewarding pets for those able to give them the care they desperately need.

Please note that a donation will be required in return for rehoming one of the dogs which helps cover the cost of their neutering, vaccinations, microchipping and veterinary check.

* The total number of St Bernards rose from 101 to 106 when puppies were born after the dogs were taken into the RSPCA’s care.

• RSPCA animal centres have already found a few of the dogs good new homes.

• Possible criminal proceedings are ongoing and for this reason we are unable to discuss the original condition of the dogs or how they were kept.

Missing Oscar — FOUND

Please would anyone who sees a strange tabby and white short-haired cat in the Petersfield/St Matthews area of Cambridge give his worried owner a call on 01223 311828, or email me at rosemary@rspca-cambridge.org.uk

The long-haired tabby and white cat who moves around the same area is Elvis, and he is not lost.

Oscar was adopted fairly recently from an animal welfare group in Liverpool and he had previously lived indoors all the time, so his behaviour isn't quite normal.

Update 03/04/2009
He's turned up, a street away, bit thin and full of ticks, but otherwise fine.

Separation anxiety and rescue dogs

Probably the most frequent cause for rescued dogs being returned after an unsuccessful placement is separation anxiety. This is one reason why we are usually strict about not rehoming to owners who will need to leave their dogs for very long periods. Many rescue dogs are very anxious that their new owner will disappear and not return — after all their previous owner did just that from the dog's point of view. However all of us need to be able to go out sometimes on errands where we can't be accompanied by our pets, so new owners need to be forewarned that this may be a problem and prepared to take action to cope.

One useful tool is a dog crate. This should not degenerate into a prison where your dog is locked up for hours on end, but it does provide a way to keep him safe and your posessions undamaged, while you train him to be less anxious. Properly used, the crate will become a den area where your dog feels secure; knows you will return; can rest comfortably and knows he will have some special toys that he does not have access to anywhere else. If distress at being separated from you causes your dog's house-training to be erratic, a crate lined with newspapers and standing on a washable floor will make cleaning up not too unpleasant.

There is some advice about training to relieve separation anxiety on the dog club site. It may also help (preferably before you acquire your rescue dog) to read some of the books which have been written about adopting a rescue dog, such as Understanding the Rescue Dog, Living with a rescued dog, or Second Chance: living with a rescued dog.

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Seeing Pink Swans

A genuine picture from the East Winch Wildlife Centre's Annual Report to local branches. The swan was from Brundall, Norfolk. The contaminant was never identified, but was incredibly difficult to wash off. Fortunately the treatment was successful, but the swan was in care for much longer than usual before it could be released back into the wild.

The Wildlife Centre's Open day this year will be Sunday 5 July, from 10 am to 4 pm. We visited the Centre a few years ago as a "works outing" for RSPCA Cambridge branch volunteers and it is very well worth seeing. They always need old towels as absorbent disposable bedding for animals, so if you are coming, it would be very helpful if you could collect up your unwanted old towels, flannels and blankets and bring them to donate. This saves the petrol which would be used if towels were donated elsewhere and had to be specially transported to the centre.

First kitten of the season

Our Chairman, Claire, collected this morning a 9 months old mother cat and her baby which was born this morning. At the moment mum is very shocked and not paying much attention to the baby. So Claire is having to give the kit a top up with climicat (artificial cat milk).

They were handed to the vet in Cambourne with 3 other kittens which were all dead. Mummy is beautiful and doesn’t mind people touching her and latching baby on.