Bits for Pets Blog

Record numbers of pets are apparently being abandoned in the borough as a result of the credit crunch.

Animal rescue centres across North East Lincolnshire say they are struggling to cope with the influx of unwanted animals, as people feel the pinch.

Some animals have been left on the doorsteps of the sanctuaries, while others have even been discovered in empty homes because people apparently could not afford mortgage repayments or keep up with the rent.

A recent national report predicted repossessions will soar as the housing market becomes one of the biggest casualties of the global credit crunch.

Jeanette Vause, of Nine Lives Cat Rescue, in Killingholme, said an “explosion” of unwanted cats meant she was struggling to stay open.

She said: “I have been doing this for 20 years and I have never seen anything like it.

“I had 38 kittens just three weeks ago. Obviously people have tight budgets at the moment and this is why there are so many animals being left.

“They are not being fed and they are coming to me half-starved.

“We are getting so many pregnant kittens which are not even old enough to have kittens themselves, because they cannot afford to get them spayed.

“If we have many more months like this we will go under.”

Despite this, Jeanette said she sympathised with people being evicted.

She said: “A woman called from Barrow who had five kittens and several cats and was being repossessed the next day. She was sat there in tears.

“People who get evicted must feel desperate. It doesn?t necessarily mean they don?t love their cats.

“We had one lady drop her two cats off in a cardboard box outside our house. The note said ‘Sorry. Can’t keep them. Losing home’. I don’t know what will happen when we start turning them away.”

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New research has revealed that 91% of Brits say pets have a positive impact on children and over half believe pet owners are more responsible citizens. What’s more, seven out of ten surveyed believe that pet ownership makes you more intuitive to the needs of others, whilst almost two thirds (62%) say pet owners are more caring. And yet, additional research showed that, as a nation, we don’t give our faithful companions the due care and attention they deserve.

Research released by the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) to mark the launch of the Pet Health Information website (www.pethealthinfo.org.uk), illustrates a shocking lack of awareness of pet health issues, such as worming and vaccination, amongst some pet owners.

Pet owners fall into two categories – those who are ‘preventers’ and those who are ‘non-preventers’. Whilst both camps agreed that responsible pet ownership equalled love and attention resulting in caring, feeding and exercising their pets, disease prevention was often not seen as part of this love with only 55% of dogs and 46% of cats over two years of age being vaccinated against potentially fatal diseases.

‘Preventers’ make a conscious effort to ensure their pet is protected from a wide range of problems with 96% regarding worming as a regular part of pet health care, whereas ‘non-preventers’ are more likely not to worm their pet because they see no reason to do so, with over a quarter (28%) not deeming it to be necessary.

Alarmingly, the research also showed that the two out of five owners who sleep with their pets - with the pet in the bedroom, on the bed, or even in the bed itself - despite their close proximity with their pets, are no more likely than other owners to practice preventative health care such as worming or flea control.

The latest research went on to illustrate the significant benefits and rewards of pet ownership with 78% quoting companionship as the most rewarding aspect in the survey undertaken by Opinion Matters1. Moreover, over half of people (58%) went on to admit that their pet cheers them up and just under a third (32%) revealed that their pet does wonders for their sense of humour.

Whilst the facts speak for themselves, many owners still firmly believe that they know all they need to know about pet health care and do not actively seek information.

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A controversial senior policeman has defended the use of CCTV to target dog owners who allow their pets to foul the pavement.

Crime was so low that police could now afford to concentrate on petty crime, police chief Richard Brunstrom wrote on his blog.

The Chief Constable of North Wales, railed against civil liberties campaigners who question the encroachment of CCTV into daily life.

He also defended local authorities who use the terror-busting cameras to pick up dog foulers.

He said: ‘Our citizenry in the UK is very comfortable with today’s surveillance society; CCTV makes people (including me) feel safer.

‘Dog dirt does matter – because local residents say that it does. Traditional crime has become if not a rarity then certainly unusual. It is rather wonderful that we have nothing more frightening to talk about than dog fouling.’

Crime has dropped by 30 per cent in North Wales over the past five years and burglary is down by 60 per cent.

Outspoken Mr Brunstrom caused outrage in January when he called for hard drugs to be legalised. The Association of Chief Police Officers declined to comment on his latest observations.

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Dog-owning families have a lower carbon footprint than equivalent families without a dog. That’s the conclusion of a new nationwide survey and in-depth study commissioned by Butcher’s Pet Care. It found that dog-owning families on average, use 5.4% (760kg per year)[1] less carbon per person than the equivalent non-dog owning families – the yearly equivalent of a round trip to Cairo or Marrakesh. They are also happier in their local community and twice as likely to socialise with neighbours (16% as opposed to 8%).

The study polled over 1500 dog and non-dog owning families and questioned them about lifestyle choices, energy consumption, travel and transport habits. The respondents’ primary and secondary carbon footprints were then calculated. Results revealed that dog owning families fly, consume and waste less and are also more likely to buy local and recycle.

As two in ten homes own a dog[1] the entire population of man’s best friend reduces the nation’s carbon footprint by 3.4 million tonnes of CO2 every year, which is one and a half times the entire yearly output of Iceland!

Comments Alison Cockcroft, from family owned Butcher’s Pet Care “As a nation we are always looking at ways to reduce our carbon footprint and it is great to see that dog ownership can really make a difference and help boost green credentials. Not only do our four legged friends keep us as ‘Fit as a Butcher’s Dog’ but they also give us a great excuse to explore our neighbourhood and get to know and support our local community. At Butcher’s Pet Care we believe in natural nutrition so not only can your dog lead a healthy life but he’ll ensure the planet stays healthy too!”

The facts:

Flights
* Dog owning families are 20% less likely to fly than non-dog owning families. Preferring to holiday in the UK or drive to Europe instead.

Consumption and recycling
* The consumption and recycling habits of dog owners is 7.5% more carbon friendly than the equivalent non-dog owning family. This equates to a reduction of 150kg a year, the same as driving 568 miles in a 1.6L Ford Focus.

Dog owners are 1.4 times more likely to recycle everything (21% vs 15%) than non dog owners. 23% recycle or compost everything they use as opposed to 19% of families without a dog.

Dog owners are more likely to buy locally produced food, fair-trade produce and in-season fruit and vegetables.

19% of dog owners only buy things with little or no packaging as opposed to 14% of non dog owners.

Not only will dog-owners spend less on their gas bills (£403.71 as opposed to £414.26 for non-dog owners) but they also seem happier in their local community too - 24% of dog owners are very happy compared to 19% of non dog owners. Dog owners are also twice as likely to socialise with their neighbours compared to non dog owners.

For more top tips on leading a green life and responsible dog ownership visit www.butcherspetcare.com

Infomation Provided by The SPA Way

A woman from East Sussex who bought an emu egg sold as a novelty food item on a farm on the Isle of Wight has managed to hatch a chick from it.

Gillian Stone, from Bexhill, who breeds chickens, brought home three large green emu eggs from a holiday and put them in an incubator in her kitchen.

Two turned out to be infertile, but after 52 days little Osborne hatched.

He needed to be hand fed at first, but at nine days old he is now thriving and Ms Stone is hoping to get him a mate.

“We decided to risk putting the eggs in the incubator and, after a little bit of help Osborne arrived,” she said.

“He was destined to be an omelette [but] now he’s an emu.”

Osborne will grow to over 6ft tall and will soon move from Ms Stone’s home to her smallholding nearby.

Family friend Jenny Cosham said nothing Ms Stone did surprised her.

“She turns up with all sorts of things,” she said.

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Fewer puffins are going to breed at the UK’s largest colony of the species, on the Isle of May, scientists report.

Numbers are down to about 41,000 breeding pairs this year from almost 70,000 pairs in 2003.

Researchers believe the decline is linked to changes in the North Sea food web, perhaps related to climate change.

Birds are also arriving underweight, which the RSPB describes as “worrying”, because puffins are generally able to feed on a range of creatures in winter.

The Isle of May, in the Firth of Forth, is home to the UK’s largest single puffin colony, although more birds overall nest in the St Kilda archipelago.
Map

Mike Harris, from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, has been monitoring and studying the Isle of May population since the 1970s, labelling individual birds with rings to follow their progress.

After decades of spectacular growth, he now believes the colony is in decline.

The five-yearly count of nesting pairs, which Professor Harris’s team completed in April, revealed the decline.

“Also, we found some birds were coming back later than expected and others were coming in underweight,” he told BBC News.

“And a lot that we knew were alive last year have not turned up at all, so we assume they’re dead - although it’s possible they knew it was a bad year for food and decided not to come back at all.”

The numbers recorded would indicate a population fall of 40%, though because not every single nest can be counted the scientists believe it is more accurate to give a figure of “at least 30%”.

Puffins spend the winters at sea, floating, swimming and diving for food, coming to land only during the nesting season.

In the winters they catch fish, squid, worms and other much smaller marine organisms, which means they are more flexible feeders than other seabirds.
Puffin. Image: MP Harris
Puffins are counted every five years by looking into holes where they nest

“So whatever the problem is, it’s got to be a widespread one,” said Professor Harris.

The suspicion is that climate change is altering the distribution of plankton across the North Sea.

This disrupts the entire food web, including predators such as puffin.

“This fits in with other evidence that North Sea birds have been desperately short of food over several seasons,” said the RSPB’s Grahame Madge.

“But these have been birds such as the Arctic tern and kittiwake which only feed in the top part of the sea.

“This is probably the best adapted seabird that the UK has; they’re deep divers, they’re specialists in going down deep into the water column to find fish, so it’s troubling to find that they’re encountering a shortage of food.”

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THE decline in numbers of farm ponds has left the threatened great crested newt with fewer places to breed and struggling to survive in Scotland.
Now Scottish Natural Heritage is calling on individuals to help out, through the simple act of helping to build a pond in their garden or community.

The great-crested newt, also called the warty newt due to the lumps on its skin, is the largest of Britain’s three newt species and is dark in colour, with a vivid orange belly covered in black spots. The handsome creature has been put on SNH’s Species Action List, as needing conservation action.

In the most recent survey, the newts were discovered in just 100 ponds across Scotland. Although they live most of their life on land, preferring rough grassland and woodland, they need ponds in which to breed.

Before the advent of tractors and taps, farms used to be covered in ponds to provide water for animals, but today there is a shortage of places for the great crested newt to breed.

As part of Scottish Biodiversity Week, SNH is asking animal lovers to help out by getting involved in projects to build ponds for the newts in their town or village, or by simply building a pond in their own garden.

John McKinnell, species management adviser at SNH, said: “They are threatened across Europe due to loss of habitat. A major thing is breeding sites. They breed in ponds rather than streams or lochs.

“They like farm ponds, but agricultural practices have changed over the last century and now there are not the same number of ponds as there used to be. People can help to a certain extent by building ponds in their gardens. The new ponds have got to be close enough to the places where newts live for them to commute.”

He said one of the best ways to help out was by joining a local group such as those within an umbrella organisation called the Amphibian and Reptile Groups of the UK.

They carry out survey work to discover the locations of the newts and build ponds nearby in time for them to breed in spring. The newts usually live within 250 metres of the breeding ponds.

The Lothian Amphibian and Reptile Group and the Clyde Amphibian and Reptile Group have been actively getting involved in surveying newt populations and building new habitats for them and they rely on help from volunteers.

Starting to build a pond now should mean that it will be ready in time for next year’s breeding season. Even if it does not turn out to be near enough to a newt population for it to be used as a breeding site, it will still help plenty of other species of wildlife.

Most great crested newts in Scotland live in Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders, as well as across the Central Belt from Fife to Lanarkshire and around Inverness.

Female great-crested newts lay about 300 eggs, attached to vegetation in the pond. Larvae develop over three months, before leaving the pond and moving on to land.

As well as changing agricultural practices, newt habitats have been threatened due to neglect and mismanagement of ponds. The introduction of fish to a pond is catastrophic for its newt population.

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AN ANIMAL rescuer is warning pet owners to be on their guard after a dog she rehoused was stolen from a home in Bournemouth.

Lytchett Matravers-based Jayne Gooderson, 46, has been saving all sorts of animals from pounds and rehousing others that their owners can no longer look after for 11 years.

Last week a Staffordshire bull terrier named Tyler that she had found a home for was taken from a garden in Winton.

Jayne, whose Pound Puppy Animal Rescue organisation rescues animals from across the country, said dog theft was rapidly increasing as it was a quick and easy way for crooks to make several hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pounds.

She said: “People should be made aware that if they buy a dog from someone on the street the chances are it’s stolen.

“It’s a major problem. I had a couple in Southampton who had a German Shepherd stolen from their car on a Saturday and a bloke was trying to sell it to a friend of mine in Ringwood the next day.”

Jayne said that in a lot of cases she gave dogs to people who were vulnerable and the animals provided much-needed companionship for them.

She added: “They’re normally sold within five miles. They just take it to the next village and knock on a few doors.

“If somebody pinched my car I wouldn’t care because it’s insured, but if somebody stole my dog it would be emotional.

“There’s so much emotion involved, people will do anything to get their dog back.”

Kaye Fitzgerald-Gorham, of Lurcher Search UK, which reunites lost and stolen dogs with their owners across the country, added: “It’s always been a problem with lurchers.

“I think it’s become more widespread with other breeds now because people have cottoned on to the fact that people will pay to get their dogs back, so it’s quite a nice little earner.”

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British pet lovers could be set for a summer of scratching after sharing their homes with up to 2 million fleas, a veterinary charity has warned.

The PDSA - People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals - said that every pet-owning household in the country could have around 20,000 flea eggs at any one time.

The organisation’s experts said the flea population can increase up to one hundred times within the space of six months as they reproduce.
Pests

And PDSA’s vets reckon at the height of the summer onslaught, Britain’s canine population can lose as much as 17,600 pints - or 2,200 gallons - of blood every day to the bloodthirsty mites.

The figures underline the need for pet owners to take comprehensive steps to rid homes - and pets - of the pests, said the charity.
Flea eggs

PDSA senior veterinary surgeon, Elaine Pendlebury, said: ‘Flea eggs fall off your pet wherever it goes, in particular where they sleep.

‘So if your pet snoozes with you at night, your bed could literally be infested with hundreds of fleas and eggs - not a comforting thought when you’re trying to get to sleep at night.

‘It is vitally important to use the correct flea treatments and dosage for pets.’
Treatments

She added: ‘Using a dog flea treatment on a cat can result in fatal poisoning, as can exceeding the recommended dosage, so always consult your vet for advice on the best flea treatment to use.

‘Remember too that treating your pet is only part of the procedure as you will have to treat your home and all of the pets within your household too.

‘Everything the dog or cat comes into contact with should be treated with a product recommended by your vet or it is inevitable that the fleas will come back.’
Health problems

Fleas can cause very serious health problems. They are one of the most common causes of skin disease in dogs and in severe cases, smaller animals, particularly kittens, can die from anaemia, due to blood loss from the feeding fleas.

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ANYONE who has bought a puppy in the last three years is being invited to take part in a national online survey organised by the RSPCA.

Questions include where the puppy came from, how it was advertised, how much it cost and if you’d buy another puppy from the same place. Results will enable the charity to identify if buying a puppy is generally a positive or negative experience.

Justine Pannett of the RSPCA said: “You can pick up a puppy from a newspaper advert, a neighbour, pet shop, farm or breeder, so we’re trying to get a grip on how successful people’s experiences actually are.

“It’s obvious to say, but a puppy is a living creature and this survey will help us determine whether or not these dogs are suffering throughout the experience, or if in general they are treated well.”

Anyone who has bought a puppy in the last three years is encouraged to take part in the survey, which runs until Monday, May 12. It can be found at www.rspca.org.uk/puppysurvey

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