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...
A hearbroken five-year-old boy has teamed up with the RSPCA to help find his best-friend, a 24-year-old Shetland cross Welsh Pony.
Tic-Toc, the elderly pony was stolen from his paddock in Cambridgeshire over two weeks ago prompting his young owner Josh Carnagie to seek help from the general public.
Josh’s mum Catriona Carnegie said: “Josh is absolutely devastated. He has grown up with Tic Toc, they are best friend. Last year he wrote a letter to Father Christmas asking him to make Tic Toc better because he knows he’s on medication for his feet.
The RSPCA is braced for a busy festive period after dealing with a bumper number of calls about cruelty over Christmas last year (2012).
Last year staff answered 833 calls about neglect and cruelty on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day – 53 per cent more than the same period in 2011.
Calls to help collect injured and abandoned animals were also up by about a third (32%) from 584 in 2011 to 769 last year.
Chief Inspector Dermot Murphy said: “We are ready for a busy time. Last year the number of calls about animals which needed our help was significantly...
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...
A RSPCA has launched a new campaign to change the law on how labels on meat show how an animal was killed
The campaign began in response to a proposal in the European Parliament which on labelling that will indicate if an animal was stunned before death
The society is calling for its supporters to contact MEPs to add their signature of support for the proposal. The RSPCA believes that if method of slaughter labelling becomes a requirement within the EU, it will provide consumers with clearer information about how animals are treated at the end of their life. “We would...
Britain’s biggest animal welfare charity welcomed this week’s proposals in the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Bill to increase the maximum sentence for those irresponsible owners who fail to control their dogs in a way that puts the public and other animals in danger. However, the charity is calling on the Defra minister in the House of Lords, Lord de Mauley, to provide the responsible majority with a reasonable defence if their animals are involved in a genuinely accidental incident. The RSPCA is encouraging all dog owners and members of the public to contact Lord de Mauley and...
Firework phobia could be a thing of the past for pet dogs according to the RSPCA, which is bracing itself for another busy bonfire night season.
The charity regularly receives more than three-quarters of all calls about fireworks in October and November, when Guy Fawkes and Diwali celebrations are in full swing.
Last year there were 326 fireworks related calls in those two months alone. That is 75% of the 436 received across the whole year.
It is a stressful time of year for pets and their owners, with an estimated 45% of dogs in the UK showing signs of fear when...
Denise Mortimore, 42, of Glasshouse Lane, Exeter, was yesterday (23 October) fined and ordered to pay costs after she admitted causing unnecessary suffering to her cat at Exeter Magistrates' Court.
The court heard that black cat Diesel, aged three and a half years old, had been left without veterinary treatment for a skin condition which had left him with scabs and extensive fur loss across his head and back.
The RSPCA attended in June 2013 after receiving concerns about Diesel's welfare.
Inspector Marije Zwager investigated and said: "Although this was an isolated...
