Stray animals

Re: Stray animals

Anthony Dennison — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 10:55:01 GMT

A few weekends back, an RSPCA inspector brought in a stray dog on a Sunday because the Dog Warden wouldn't collect it, or wasn't working. It was pretty grubby, had a giant faecal ball stuck to it's bum and thinning hair. I gave a quick checkover - horrendous teeth, heart murmur and it looked cushingoid. Gave my recommendations, to which the inspector said the dog was going to a council kennels and responsibility would be handed over. I said what I had found, and recommended the dog had a good bath, as it stank.

A week later someone shared a status that popped up on my newsfeed. A woman who seems to go around council kennels 'saving' dogs that are about to be euthanased was describing a dog that matched the description of the one I'd seen almost exactly. She then began to slag off the RSPCA, saying it was abandoned there, and the vet obviously didn't have a clue and anyone can diagnose cushings by looking at a dog.

Re: Stray animals

Virginia Campbell — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 22:31:47 GMT

[quote user="David Mills"] young staffie, healthy, and its now Staffie screaming the place down.[/quote]

I interpret this as screaming for some ACP.....RIGHT NOW!!

Re: Stray animals

Miriam Lodewyks — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 19:29:32 GMT

Although I've never had anything in writing, our practice policy seems to be that we will keep an ill or injured animal for 7 days, and provide basic care. We'll usually get £60 allocated from the RSPCA, and sometimes the CPL will throw in a nominal amount, if the animal appears re-homable. The nurses are great at mustering up sympathy among their friends and Facebook acquaintances, and often we'll locate an owner or someone willing to adopt. Luckily most of the staff are willing to give their time to these cases, and the bosses usually sympathetic to their plight. Gets tricky when owners eventually do turn up and plead poverty... they didn't give consent for the treatment, so can't be held liable, and at times we've had to send the animal back home without the owners adding a penny to the pot. Grrrrrrr. As for healthy animals: dogs go to the Dog Warden (when we finally get hold of him) and cats stay with us for a week or so, until we can find them a home (CPL often very helpful here). RSPCA have never been much help apart from the £60 first aid donation.

Re: Stray animals

David Mills — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 18:09:29 GMT

Legally, the situation is crystal clear.

Stray dogs are the responsibility of the local council (dog warden) who are legally obliged to have 24h provision in place. OOH, this will often take the form of a drop-off point, or a local vets or kennels with whom they have a relationship. No compulsion for them to come and pick up the dog.

Stray cats are no-ones responsibility. Nominally, the RSPCA will pick up and seek treatment for injured or ill stray cats, (and some dogs), though they are not legally bound to do so.

I don't see, ethically, why vets should feel obliged to take in healthy strays. Its fair-weather samaritans easily absolving themselves of responsibility whilst retaining a healthy glow. I'm working this weekend and we've just had a dog dumped in the waiting room - young staffie, healthy, and its now Staffie screaming the place down. 3 kennels down we've a dog being treated for status. What to do in this situation? How is this fair to the client's dog?

[quote user="Anthony Dennison"]I also give this advice to people feeding stray cats. In the eyes of the RSPCA, if you're feeding them, you're taking responsibility for them, so won't help at all if one of them becomes ill, or if they're breeding like mad[/quote]

Not true. In these circumstances the cat, if ill, will (or should be) be picked up and treated as a 'feeder' cat - this treatment will be limited to what can be reasonably achieved as a one-stop shop outpatient or 'light touch' management approach and if its a chronic condition - FAD, OA, where it cannot be reasonably treated they would normally recommend PTS. (Unless the feeder wishes to take responsibility, in which case it becomes their finincial liability and they can seek as much treatment as they want.) This is quite often abused, obviously. There are very many fair-weather good samaritans out there who expect someone else to pay when the cat they've been feeding and letting in their house for 10 years becomes ill - where does ownership start and end? The most ironic thing is when they kick off when you say you're going to PTS the animal. C'est la vie.

The RSPCA has never claimed responsibility for healthy cats, and would not generally go out neutering healthy stray cats - ocasionally they will neuter animals in a house for free if someone cannot cope and they are breeding, and they are in some areas looking at targeted neutering of strays but it isn't widespread as it's unsustainable financially and arguably it falls outside their remit.

Re: Stray animals

Joyce Whitehead — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 17:14:33 GMT

I agree that it is a service that we can help with. We are in an easier situation than many city practices, being rural and therefore not having as many stray dogs. Most of the ones that arrive with us are chipped and are therefore reunited quickly. It can be a good PR exercise too. We had a dog found last weekend, which ended up at a local pub. They couldn't get an answer from the dog warden (although supposedly 24 hours). We took this one in (not chipped) and put the details on our Facebook page. Within 2 hours we had the owner on the phone and he came to collect her. And we had 200 shares and 10000 people saw the picture. Which is quite amazing! I must say that out of hours it irritates me if people don't offer to pay anything, although we don't charge for this as they would be paying the dog warden. Obviously we don't go opinion specially for collections of strays but if we are there anyway we will allow people to collect. We have considered making a flat £20 collection fee which we would give to charity, especially for some of the repeat offenders. :)

Re: Stray animals

No Name — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 16:13:14 GMT

It is interesting that some have replied saying they would not take an animal in if it was a stray. I have found many (healthy) strays in my area back home - and my first port of call is my local vets who have take the animals without question either during the day or OOH.

When I was in first year of vet school miles away from home, I stumbled upon a stray dog that was running across a busy main road. I called it over, it came and I caught it. This was about 8PM. I didn't know of any local vets (this was my first weekend in Liverpool) so tried to call the RSPCA (who only work office hours I guess as no one answered?) and then the police. They gave a number to the dog warden. After multiple attempts the dog warden answers, and says he can pick up the dog in 4 hours (ie midnight). As a student with a no pet policy and security in halls, there was no way I was going to wait outside in the middle of a busy city with a dog who also had no collar and was very nervous and wouldn't stay still. In the end I got a lift to the local police station who said they don't take dogs. I tied it up to their chair with a makeshift slip lead and gave them the number for the dog warden, and said it was their problem now. They called the warden in front of me and told them they were putting to dog in their empty cell ready for collection. I was distraught as I thought I would have had to let the dog go back onto the streets where it would have most likely been involved in an RTA. In some situations I do think vet practises can help in a situation like this....

Re: Stray animals

Utlendigur — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 21:28:29 GMT

We'll scan strays but don't take them in unless there's a good reason eg we know they belong to a client (I have managed to phone up two owners before they even realised the dog had escaped!) or they're injured/ill. We have had quite a lot of "aggro" from people over this, including one woman who walked back out the door with the "stray" cat she'd brought in, and simply dumped it on the pavement outside the practice on a busy road - cat ran straight back into reception. We've also had several problems where elderly cats going about their normal lives have been kidnapped and brought in and owners have blamed us for being complicit in their kidnapping.

If they're injured we tend to do what we need to to stabilise rather than treat while waiting for an owner, but it depends on the problem and the nightmare is the rare case that needs expensive urgent treatment eg fractured spine that does have neurological function intact (but is at rsik of losing it). I must admit I tend to feel that someone who can't be bothered to put a collar and tag on their pet and/or get it chipped is not likely to be the sort of owner who would/could afford expensive referral anyway - and they should be bear the main responsibility for the fact that their pet is stuck in limbo.

Re: Stray animals

Anthony Dennison — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 11:18:51 GMT

If it is a stray dog and it appears healthy, we don't take them in at all and ask whoever found them to keep it until the dog warden can get over.

This is only because we have had problems with the local council over this. If we take the dog in and put it in one of our kennels, we are seen to be 'taking responsibility for it', which means the dog wardens won't come and get them. Pain in the arse.

I also give this advice to people feeding stray cats. In the eyes of the RSPCA, if you're feeding them, you're taking responsibility for them, so won't help at all if one of them becomes ill, or if they're breeding like mad (CPL are good at helping with neutering, much better than RSPCA)