As the weather warms up, Devon County Council’s public health team is stepping up its advice for people to be ‘tick aware’ as they get out and about in the countryside.
The advice comes during Tick Bite Prevention Week (24-30 March) – a UK public health and awareness campaign to inform the public about the different ways to prevent tick bites. Tick bites can be a serious problem and in many cases can be harmful causing infections that can lead to serious health problems. Around 3,000 people each year are affected by Lyme disease in the UK.
The RSPCA has urged pet owners and farmers to keep their animals cool in the summer heat as temperatures rocket to 30C in some parts of England and Wales this week.
The animal welfare charity is issuing advice after a surge in calls relating to animals and heat exposure last month. The charity’s 24-hour emergency line received 1,606 calls in July - that’s two every hour or more than 50 a day - from concerned members of the public reporting dogs shut in hot vehicles, farm animals out in the heat, and horses without shade.
There have been more than 5,700 calls so far this...
Pets across Devon and Somerset have a better chance of surviving household fires – thanks to new oxygen masks for animals being carried on selected fire engines.
The funding for the sets of specially-designed masks has been provided by Pets at Home through its instore reward scheme.
Eight fire stations in the Devon and Somerset area are to benefit from the scheme: Barnstaple, Bridgwater, Brixham, Burnham-on-Sea, North Tawton, Ottery St Mary, Topsham and Wellington.
Station Manager Dean Hastie, of Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, said: “I appreciate...
Local RSPCA Little Valley Animal Shelter based just outside Exeter are desperately seeking a new home for a very special pair of dogs currently in their care.
Meet Molly and Ginger, a beautiful pair of 4 and 5 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback crossbreeds. Molly is Ginger’s mum and they have an incredibly close bond – they sleep together, play together and have very much relied on each other to help them through their difficult time in kennels.
These lovely, bubbly ladies are firm favourites at the Shelter due to their kind and affectionate nature. They give such an excitable...
With almost half of the 5,000 people who visit East Devon’s Pebblebed Heaths every day walking their dogs on the Commons, landowner Clinton Devon Estates is taking steps to help people pick up after their pets.
One of the biggest complaints among visitors to the Heaths, which are one of the region’s most important wildlife sites, is dog fouling, so now Clinton Devon Estates is starting a trial of dog bins at a number of key car parks on the Commons.
The initiative is in collaboration with East Devon District Council, whose dog warden will be keeping an eye how the public...
Over 8,000 dogs euthanised each year because their owner cannot be found could be saved if dog owners ‘Chip it, Check it’. Neil Parish MP for Tiverton and Honiton, the Kennel Club and Lord de Mauley, Minister for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), have highlighted this week [10 June].
The organisation, the UK’s largest dedicated to dog welfare, has said that by microchipping dogs and keeping personal details up to date, thousands of otherwise doomed dogs could be identified and reunited with their owners instead of facing possible destruction in the...
The RSPCA is warning owners to make sure their animals are safe ahead of new storms expected over the next couple of days.
Many people have struggled over the Christmas period after torrential weather hit parts of England and Wales. Heavy rain and high winds could also pose a threat to wildlife, horses and livestock and the RSPCA has received hundreds of calls about animals which have been affected – at times with devastating consequences.
With more bad weather expected over the next couple of days, we are urging pet owners and farmers in areas predicted to be hit by storms...
Two police dogs with more than 18 years service between them will retire from the Force next month. German shepherd ‘Asbo’ and sprocker spaniel ‘Springo’ have both enjoyed long careers under the watchful eye of police dog handler, PC Ian Tolchard, based at Camborne. Asbo, a nine-year-old general purpose police dog, joined the Force in 2005 and has been highly successful in his role, finding missing people and locating criminals. One highlight was locating a confused, elderly patient and who had absconded from the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske. Without being found there are doubts the...
The RSPCA are urging the public to consider the dangers that can affect their pets come Christmas time.
One of these dangers, which may surprise the public, is giving your pet scraps from your Christmas dinner.
Owners believe by sharing their Christmas dinner they are giving their beloved animal a ‘treat’, when in fact the ingredients can cause them severe health problems.
Angela Grigg, manager at Putney Animal Hospital in London said: “We had 15 cases on Boxing day as a result of people giving their dogs their own Christmas dinner with turkey and stuffing.”...
The RSPCA is announcing a change in the way that reports of lost and found animals are logged. From 1st December 2013, members of the public will be asked to go to PetsLocated.com if they have lost a pet or found an uninjured stray domestic animal.
From 1st December members of the public who have lost their pet or have found an uninjured stray will be asked to visit the PetsLocated.com website as opposed to calling their local RSPCA branch.
The website, which is already frequently used, allows visitors to register a report of a lost or found animal and can be used to search...
