Treating 1,091 animal emergencies during lockdown so far
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Staff at the charity’s five animal hospitals and clinics have been providing emergency care to thousands of animals rescued by frontline officers during the crisis.
Caroline Allen, Chief Vet at the RSPCA, said: “Our hospitals teams have been working incredibly hard around the clock to help animals who need emergency care.
“They’ve had to change the way they work in order to keep themselves and the public safe but they’ve done such an amazing job to make sure we can still be there for animals most in need throughout this crisis.”
Staff at the charity’s five hospitals and clinics have been designated key workers by the Government but vital funding is needed to help the RSPCA’s frontline staff continue this crucial work across England and Wales.
The hospitals are not operating as normal and instead are focussing work on those animals most in need of urgent care, which have been rescued from cruelty, neglect and suffering by inspectors.
Since the country went into lockdown on 23 March, the RSPCA’s hospital team at Putney has had 1,091 visits and carried out 251 procedures*.
Patients helped include:
Bodger the badger (pictured above) was rescued by the RSPCA in Bexley, Kent with his head tangled in fencing and taken to Putney. Bodger, a young badger, struggled to eat at first and needed round-the-clock care from our vets, but luckily, after being hand-fed with a syringe, he gained more and more strength each day, before he was taken to a wildlife centre in Surrey.
Izzy the kitten was found dumped on a pile of rubbish by bins in London. The tiny, three-week-old kitten was very unwell rushed to Putney Animal Hospital. She was emaciated, suffering with bloody diarrhea and was so weak she couldn’t even hold up her head. Our veterinary nurses worked through the night to give Izzy every chance of survival, hand-feeding her tiny amounts of food and water, and keeping her warm and snug. Luckily, by morning, Izzy had started to perk up, and is now thriving in a foster home with one of the nursing staff.
A very thin and weak Tawny owl (pictured above) was miraculously spotted and rescued after she was struggling and unable to fly by a junction of the M25. The hospital team at RSPCA Putney rushed to give her emergency care, and as she needed regular hand-feeding, staff nurse Emma has been fostering her. In a few week’s time she will hopefully be strong enough to be released back into the wild.
Michael Lazaris a vet from RSPCA Putney Animal Hospital has filmed a vlog to give animal lovers an idea of what it’s like working on the frontline of animal welfare during the coronavirus crisis.
Caroline added: “This crisis time has been hard for our hospital teams who have been working in very difficult circumstances. They’ve had to move to an emergency-only service, and put special procedures in place.
“This has been a really stressful time for our hospital workers - they have families, concerns and lives of their own to cope with during this crisis, so the work they’ve done is absolutely incredible during lockdown.
“I’m extremely grateful to them and also to the public who have been supporting them by clapping for them on Thursdays and sending them messages of support.”
Since the Government introduced the lockdown measures, the RSPCA has responded to more than 31,000 incidents and received 112,000 calls for help*. The number of animals being cared for by the RSPCA at centres, hospitals and vet surgeries has also grown to 4,601** - with 170 of them being cared for at hospitals and a further 48 in vets.
To help the RSPCA keep rescuing animals like these and keep our animal hospitals and centres running for emergency treatment and round the clock care through these unprecedented times, please donate whatever you can spare at www.rspca.org.uk/covid
Many owners are concerned about caring for their pets amid the Coronavirus - or Covid-19 - outbreak. There’s lots of advice and help on their website.
*Figures from March 24 to May 11 inclusive at Putney Animal Hospital
May 27, 2020
