What do you do with your stray animals?

Re: What do you do with your stray animals?

Tracy Windler RVN — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:28:37 GMT

We too, have started up a fund box for strays. We've got a Ginger Male cat and two new mums with 9 kittens between them at the mo. We are lucky that we get donated a lot of food, so that covers some of our costs, but as for fixing up injured strays, its simply not possible with our low turnover and I'm very surprised that so many practices do this so frequently. My last practice would not, under any circumstances, "absorb" the cost of treating a stray animal and although this seems harsh, it is good business sense. After all, the charities do get massive donations, legacies etc for this purpose, and we do not.

Re: What do you do with your stray animals?

Lucy-lu — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:38:46 GMT

That's a great idea. We have a RSCPA fund but none for the non-injured. Thanks for all the feedback

Re: What do you do with your stray animals?

Alana Dent — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 13:22:24 GMT

At a clinic i used to work at we set up a "stray fund" Clients would put their spare change in the to the fund, and we would use that (alongside with RSPCA money you can get for injured/sick animals) to help fix up the animals. We would have a list of clients who maybe looking for new animals, and once fixed up we would try and re-home with a client who is looking.

If cats look well cared for, then we do advise to leave them where they are - but if in any doubt of injury then they should be brought down. Dogs however, we usual ask them to call the dog warden. Many in that area where un-chipped and "status" dogs. We would run out of room if we took them all in!!

Re: What do you do with your stray animals?

Gillian Mostyn — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 11:55:34 GMT

[quote user="Fuzzyduck"]The practice is amazing at fixing up broken legs/pelvis etc and absorbing the cost[/quote]

To be accurate, the owner of the practice is fantastic to pay for the treatment of stray animals (and I do mean that) - I doubt 'the practice' as a whole absorbs anything....????

The problem with that is always that you can get a reputation pretty quickly and more and more 'strays' will find their way to you....

Re: What do you do with your stray animals?

Katie Mansfield — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 08:56:44 GMT

I'm on placement at the PDSA. Even they get pets dumped from people we know are the owner only they won't admit it - they probably don't qualify for charity treatment but can't afford private. They're not a re-homing centre and don't take in strays unless they're injured. The injured get fixed up and either re-homed by staff or go to rescue.

Yes it seems to happen a lot but I don't think its a new problem - when I was in practice in the early nineties I personally took in 5 stray cats, 2 dumped dogs, 2 rabbits (1 stray, 1 dumped) and 2 dumped guinea pigs.

Sadly, until something is done to prevent people from obtaining animals without thinking of the consequences it will keep happening. That's probably a whole different thread.......

K x

Re: What do you do with your stray animals?

Phrin Vernon RVN — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:12:23 GMT

One practice I was at had very strong ties with the local RSPCA branch, who were very helpful, and took over care of every stray cat I can remember seeing there.

Another practice had a cat kennel in the cat part of the waiting room, where strays would go for a while each day once fixed up - they got rehomed VERY quickly!

Re: What do you do with your stray animals?

azlana — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 20:25:41 GMT

Stray Dogs we send over to the dog warden and stray cats we tend to leave to the people who found them unless they are injured of course then we will fix them up and no doubt they end up going to a home with one of the staff members,

Head vet will not keep stray animals in the kennels as they are for sick animals only and the police have stopped taking in stray dogs so sadly the dog warden, I thinkt he dog warden sometimes takes in cats... not sure dont seem to get v many stray cats in.

Re: What do you do with your stray animals?

Fuzzyduck — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:24:52 GMT

Ours are fixed up unless they are too badly injured to fix and either rehomed internally or sent to a local rehoming centre who regularly "make room" for new animals if they are too full which is the main reason we try our hardest not to send them there if at all possible!! Unfortunately ones that dont make room are always full.

The practice is amazing at fixing up broken legs/pelvis etc and absorbing the cost, luckily there is usually a friend of a friend etc to take them on but we get too many strays probably about 5 a week and it is becoming more difficult to find homes for them

Re: What do you do with your stray animals?

shelly jefferies — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:43:01 GMT

It really depends on case dogs go to dog warden.

Cats we normally end up rehoming ourselves with either staff members or clients. RSPCA is usually brimming, have been told on two occasions by RSPCA staff now "if you have had it in your kennels for over 10 days and somebody else wants to home it let them have it!!"

With things which are signed over to us as have no money for treatments etc we normally home out ourselves as dont think fair to burden local rescue centres. Done this several times with dogs with fractures and owners have no money, abandoned puppies etc.