Bits for Pets Blog

The credit crunch and rising energy costs have been blamed for playing a part in the number of pets being handed into the care of charities.

Pet-Tacular Rescue Centre near Inverness said a 40% rise in food costs could be responsible for an increase in the number of rats and guinea pigs.

Highland Reptile Rescue warned of hard times because of higher heating costs for reptiles and amphibians.

It has installed a solar panel to help it reduce expenses at its centre.

Kathy Cash, of Pet-Tacular in Muir of Ord, revealed the economic downturn was causing problems for her organisation which raises funds by boarding pets while their owners are on holiday.

She said: “It is having an effect.

“We are mainly seeing rats and guinea pigs. Our suspicion is one of the reasons is the price of food has gone up so much.

“Guinea pigs eat an awful lot of greens and grains and they have gone up by about 40%.

“The £9 bag of food we buy is now £14.”

She said the centre has been “really hit” by a fall in the number of people boarding their pets.

Ms Cash said: “We raise a lot of money through boarding but we have had people cancel because they have had to cancel their holiday, or are holidaying in this country and take their pets with them.

“With the hard times people will also have less spare change to give us.”

An unusual effect of the current climate has been a rise in the number of chickens the centre has re-homed.

Ms Cash said: “Having a chicken is fashionable, but I think it has also to do with people wanting them for laying eggs for food and to be more self-sufficient.”

Maggie and Ronnie Nelson, who run Highland Reptile Rescue, fear higher costs will see more pets handed in to them or abandoned.

Some reptiles and amphibians require specialised food and heated habitats.

Mrs Nelson said: “In the last week we’ve taken in eight snakes - including a carpet python - nine red eared terrapins and a bearded dragon.”

The creatures were brought to the centre after being taken into care in Edinburgh, Stirling and Glasgow.

To help reduce their own costs, the Nelsons have installed a solar panel and are about to fit a small wind generator.

And increased fuel prices were among the reasons, the couple had to stop their long-running road show and school visits.

Mrs Nelson said: “Some reptiles are sold at low-cost so people think they are cheap to buy and cheap to keep, but it is a specialist hobby.

“We would always ask children who said they wanted a reptile how they would like to be kept in a box for most of the time and only get out for a wee while each day?

“They changed their minds about a reptile after that.”

The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) said it was not aware of a direct link between the credit crunch and the mistreatment of pets at this stage.

However, UK veterinary charity PDSA has urged owners in financial difficulty to use it services.

PDSA has seen a 10% rise in the number of pets receiving treatment at its PetAid hospitals and branches in the past year.

Sean Wensley, senior veterinary surgeon, said: “We are here to provide veterinary care to the sick and injured pets of people in need.

“If you receive housing benefit, or council tax benefit you could be eligible for free veterinary treatment from PDSA.

“We hope that, with more owners using our services, fewer pets will lose out due to economic hardship.”

This year, the delivery of PDSA PetAid services will cost more than £48m.

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Pet rabbits are the latest victims of the country’s wet summer, which is being blamed for a flare up of the killer virus myxomatosis.

The PDSA, the veterinary charity, has reported a 300 per cent increase in cases among domestically kept rabbits in a year. Disease hotspots include Humberside, the West Midlands and the South East.

Myxomatosis, which affects both wild and domestic rabbits, was first identified in the UK in the early 1950s when it almost wiped out the wild rabbit population.

Sean Wensley, the charity’s senior veterinary surgeon, is now raising the alert because the virus appears to be striking in areas with little history of the disease.

In Birmingham, for example, eight rabbits have been seen with the disease in the past 12 months when during the previous year there was not one case.

In Romford cases have leapt from 12 to 43 and in Hull cases have jumped from 8 to 30.

Previously myxomatosis hotspots were in East Anglia and the West Country.

Mr Wensley said: “The symptoms are really horrendous and cause the rabbits the most terrible suffering. It is inevitably fatal and in most cases the rabbits have to be put down. The reason we are publicising the incidence is because death is entirely preventable if owners ensure their pets are vaccinated.”

He said that without humane euthanasia diseased rabbits would suffer protracted death over 10 to 14 days. “They get puffy eyes, swollen heads and genitalia, breathing difficulties and they can die from haemorrhage and seizure. It is very distressing for owners and vets. By the time clinical signs have developed it is often too late for treatment,” Mr Wensley said.

The health warning is important because rabbits are the country’s third most popular pet after cats and dogs, with an estimated 1.6 million owners.

In low-risk areas Mr Wensely advises that an annual vaccine for a rabbit in the spring is probably sufficient protection, but in new areas with high incidence of disease and in rural areas where pets may come into contact with wild rabbits he is urging owners to organise a second vaccine this autumn.

The vaccine, which costs between £15 and £30, is not 100 per cent effective, but it allows some of the symptoms to be treated.

The impact on the wild rabbit population is not clear. Some animals have built up immunity to the disease and the strain varies in virulence from year to year.

Myxomatosis is spread by biting insects such as fleas, mosquitoes and horseflies. Infection may be spread from wild to pet rabbits, but domestic animals can easily pick up the disease in an outdoor pen or, if kept indoors, could be infected by a family dog that has picked up the virus.

It was first identified in Britain at Edenbridge, Kent, in 1953. It spread nationwide and killed an estimated 100 million rabbits that were living in the wild.

It is a naturally occurring virus that was first identified in South America in 1896. It spread around the world, being deliberately introduced to protect crops from rabbit populations. For example, when it was introduced into Australia in 1950, rabbit numbers fell from 600 million to 100 million.

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THE Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is appealing for puppy walkers in Bolton.

Volunteers are needed for the full-time care and education of the guide pups from six weeks old until they are about 12 to 14 months old, when they will be returned to the charity to begin guide dog training.

Jane Rawlinson, Guide Dogs’ puppy walking supervisor, said: “We’re looking for enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers who can care for the pups full-time because if we don’t have puppy walkers we don’t have guide dogs.

“Puppy walking is challenging and it is a real commitment to take a puppy into your home for a year. But with the support of Guide Dogs staff, our volunteers find it extremely rewarding and worthwhile.”

Anyone who would like to volunteer should call 0845 3717771, email volunteer@guidedogs.org.uk or visit guidedogs.org.uk/puppywalking.

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He looks like a drowned rat. But clinging to his very own surfboard, this is simply a pet exploring his wild side.

Tofu, as he is known, and his 14-year-old owner hit the waves twice a week at their local beach in Hawaii.

Along with his fellow rat Fin, Tofu catches waves of up to 4ft and even rides tunnels of water known as ‘tubes’.

‘Running on a wheel isn’t enough for Fin and Tofu - they like a more extreme rush,’ said owner Boomer Hodel.

‘When they first started they were pretty shaky and would fall off quite a lot, but now their balance is so good they fall off less than most human surfers.’

The rats - both one-year-olds - surf for 20 minutes at a time before drying off in the sun.

Each time, they are raring to get back to the water. ‘Rats are natural swimmers,’ Boomer said. ‘And they have a very adventurous spirit.’

Hodel started their training by gently pushing the rats into tiny ripples at the water’s edge before moving them on to more advanced waves.

Both the rats can swim and, after some early tumbles, can now perform tricks - often catching tubes in front of stunned onlookers.

Hodel draws big crowds of spectators at his local Laniakea Beach.

He said: ‘They love surfing. Fin’s favourite trick is a tube ride - where the wave breaks over him and he rides through a tunnel of water.

‘Sometimes he falls off his board and I have to take him back to the beach to warm him up with a towel. But he is always raring to get back out there.

‘The first time I took the rats down to the beach it was to give them a wash because they were all dirty. But they loved the water so much I had to take them back.’

The water-loving rats are even on a special diet to stay in shape.

‘It has really boosted their performance,’ said Hodel.

‘I give them high protein, low carbohydrate foods. Rats are natural swimmers and have a very adventurous spirit.’

He made the 1ft-long surfboards himself with the help of pals Jeremy Martin and Akila Barrnett , both 14.

Hodel got the idea when he snapped his surfboard on a big wave and decided to turn each half into a smaller surfboard using sandpaper and fibreglass.

His incredible pets were caught on camera by Hawaiian photographer Clark Little.

He said: ‘I saw these kids walking down the beach with two rats and some tiny surfboards so I went over to see what they were doing.

‘I couldn’t believe it when the rats started surfing. They was really good, surfing very fast and having a grand old time.

‘I thought it was weird at first at first but they both seem to really enjoy it and the rats are good swimmers.

‘Rats are survivors. Maybe that’s why these ones are so good at extreme sports.’
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The RSPCA is appealing for pet owners to start preparing their animals for bonfire night.
The number of firework related calls received nationally by the RSPCA rose to 940 in 2007 – more than double the 456 received in 1999 – with more than half of the calls received in November.

It is also estimated that 45 per cent of dogs in the UK show fearful behaviour when they hear fireworks.

Mark Evans, the RSPCA’s chief vet, said: “Fireworks and other loud noises are a source of great anxiety for many dogs.

“Treating dogs that are afraid of loud noises takes time and commitment from owners, but can transform the welfare of the animal. The more time spent now will be rewarded by the time bonfire night comes around.”

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A RELIEVED Big Issue seller has been reunited with his beloved dog - three weeks after the pet was snatched.

Matt Dawson said: “I can’t believe Spud has come back. I’ll never let him out of my sight again.”

The pet was found by a customer in Ibrox and returned to Matt, who was heartbroken after Spud vanished from his pitch outside Somerfield, in Gordon Street in Glasgow city centre.

He had entrusted him to a man while he went to fetch water but when he returned, the dog had gone.
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News of Spud’s disappearance spread around the city - thanks partly to the Evening Times -and also on the internet.

After our article, dog-lovers set up a Bring Spud Back’ group on Facebook and the Dogs Trust and website www.doglost.co.uk set up appeals to trace him.

In addition, seven Big Issue readers offered rewards totalling £675 for Spud’s safe return.

Paul McNamee, editor of the Big Issue in Scotland, said: “The response to Matt and Spud’s story has been incredible. The reward was a tremendous gesture from people which shows how big-hearted they can be even when we’re told everyone is watching the pennies.”

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