New homes found for some very special horses

When I joined the RSPCA press team back in May 2009, the first court case I went to was the sentencing of James Gray and his family for the abuse and neglect of 100 horses, ponies and donkeys at Spindle Farm in Amersham.

I was shocked and stunned at how much emotion circulated the courtroom that day – from our inspectors who had worked hard to help make sure justice was done to the passionate protestors who lambasted the Gray family for their crimes.

The animals were rescued in one of the biggest operations in RSPCA history which cost more than £1 million in vet fees for the treatment and rehabilitation of the horses.  

They were lovingly cared for by the RSPCA as well as other dedicated horse welfare organisations The Horse Trust, Redwings and World Horse Welfare.

In addition to nursing them back to health, dedicated RSPCA staff spent two-and-a-half years assessing and handling the horses so they could be found new homes as soon as possible after the court case was over.

Last June, the RSPCA launched a rehoming appeal to find new owners for the 37 horses in our care who had recovered from their ordeal and were ready to start a new life in safe hands.

When the appeal was launched, I spent the morning at one of our animal centres where some of the Amersham ponies were living. The case had sparked huge media interest and BBC Breakfast and Sky visited the centre to help publicise the appeal.

We were absolutely overwhelmed with the response as 1,500 people got in touch wanting to rehome these special horses. Not only did we find new homes for all the Amersham horses but we found new owners for a further 80 horses in our care.

So, as we showcase the results of the rehoming appeal in the media today, we want to say a huge thank you to every, single person who supported the case from the beginning.  We simply couldn’t have given these horses and ponies a second chance at a happy life without the support of the public.

If you would like to support our work by making a donation or are interested in rehoming a horse, please visit www.rspca.org.uk.

Rabbiting On!

Did you know that 2011 is the Year Of The Rabbit according to the Chinese horoscope? This is definitely the case here at the RSPCA as we're in the middle of our campaign to raise awareness on rabbit welfare and what keeps them happy and healthy.

In October last year, we launched The Great Big Rabbit Survey and asked bunny fans to rave about their rabbits. We were absolutely delighted that more than 8,300 people completed the online survey! We're currently working our way through the results so watch this space for more info on the findings or log on to http://www.greatbigrabbitsurvey.org/

Although the survey was a lot of fun, our reasons for launching the campaign are very serious. More than 33,000 rabbits have come into RSPCA care since 2007 after being abandoned, rescued by RSPCA inspectors or brought to us by owners who can no longer look after them. That works out as 25 rabbits every day for the last three years!! For more info on how this has affected the RSPCA have a listen to our podcast "We're All Ears" http://www.rspca.org.uk/media/podcast/archive/details/-/article/PRESS_Podcast_archive_2010_episodes

There's a lot of misconceptions about what is appropriate care for rabbits. For example, contrary to popular belief, they shouldn't be fed a lot of carrots. A diet of primarily hay is best for them. For more info on rabbit care, log onto www.rspca.org.uk/rabbits

Antifreeze poisoning

Oh dear, last week saw another horrible incident of antifreeze poisoning with five cats all dying in the same day in the same area of Norwich after ingesting the product. Sadly, the RSPCA is seeing more and more incidents of this type every year and we're really worried that not all these cases are accidents.

Thankfully, one manufacturer, Comma Oil has removed ethylene glycol from its antifreeze products which is the chemical which is poisonous to cats. But, more needs to be done to stop these cases from occuring.

Here's the press release I wrote and sent out to the media on the issue yesterday ...

Cats must stop dying from antifreeze poisoning, insists RSPCA.

The animal welfare charity is calling on the public and all antifreeze manufacturers to ensure that this winter does not have fatal consequences for cats.

Following the tragic case of five cats dying from antifreeze poisoning on the same day in Norwich on 30 December, the RSPCA is renewing its plea for the public to take extra care when using the product.

Every year, the Society picks up the pieces from too many cases where cats are believed to have been poisoned by antifreeze.

The chemical ethylene glycol, found in some household brands of antifreeze, has potentially lethal consequences when ingested by cats.

Cats seem to enjoy the taste of this ingredient but they can soon suffer agonising deaths if they eat or drink it.

RSPCA scientific officer for companion animals Dr Kerry Westwood said:  “Every year the RSPCA is made aware of tragic incidences where cats are sadly believed to have died from ingesting antifreeze and we are deeply concerned and saddened by this.

“Many of us are not aware of just how toxic antifreeze is so it’s really important that we all take care when using, storing and disposing of it. It could save an animal from an incredibly painful death.”

The RSPCA is dealing with more and more cases of cats suffering with antifreeze poisoning every year. In 2007, it took 41 calls but by 2009 this had shot up to 259. By November last year, 248 calls had already been taken.

The public should take extra care when using antifreeze to avoid spillages or leaks as cats could be lapping it up, either neat or when water coolant leaks from car radiators.

Left over antifreeze and water coolant should also be disposed responsibly. The safest way is to take it in a suitable container to a council refuse site which should have facilities for disposing of hazardous fluids.

There are concerns that cases of antifreeze poisoning could be deliberate. Under the Animal Welfare Act, those found guilty of causing unnecessary suffering face a £20,000 fine and/or six months in prison.

One of the main manufacturers of antifreeze has taken steps to try and prevent poisonings occurring.  Comma Oil, which supplies antifreeze to companies including Halfords, has added an ingredient to make it unpleasant to swallow the product.

However, there is currently no legislation to make such additives a requirement. There is also no law governing how people should dispose of antifreeze when it is used domestically.

After ingesting antifreeze, cats can suffer symptoms including vomiting, seizures, appearing drunk and sleepy and an increased breathing rate. They will also often try to drink more fluids.

Owners should contact a vet immediately if they suspect that their pet may have been in contact with the chemical or if they see any warning signs or symptoms.  The sooner the cat is treated, the better their chances of surviving.

The Feline Advisory Bureau has also produced information for vets treating the condition. It is available at www.isfm.net/info_sheets.antifreeze.html

If anyone has any information about suspected antifreeze poisonings they can contact the RSPCA in confidence on 0300 1234 999. For information on how to detect antifreeze poisoning log onto www.rspca.org.uk/poisoning

New week, new plans!

Things are really starting to gear up for the year ahead now! We're working on some really exciting projects this year which I can't wait to tell you all about!

Although we're looking ahead, I haven't forgotten about the successes of the last yr. The launch of the RSPCA Great Big Rabbit survey in October definitely kept me busy! It was worth the effort though as thousands of people completed the survey! We will be taking the campaign forward throughout this yr so watch this space! More info at ... http://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaigns/rabbits/-/article/CAM_Rabbits_Overview

The year ended on a high for Liverpool animal centre when they enjoyed a visit from Pamela Anderson on Christmas Day! Check out an interview with her ... http://www.rspca.org.uk/media/news/story/-/article/EM_Pamela_Anderson_makes_special_Christmas_visit_Jan11

Have a lovely week! xx

Hello and welcome!

Ohhh this is new and a little scary! I have been meaning to get round to setting up a blog for months and here I am after making it a new yrs resolution!
I am a press officer for the RSPCA so my blog will keep you updated about life here at the RSPCA national press office and the stories which are making the news at the moment!
Today, we're getting a lot of media interest about the festive crisis a lot of our animal centres are facing. We have seen a rise in the number of pets abandoned over the festive season and some of our wildlife centres are looking after more animals than ever before as the cold weather delays their re-release back into the wild. Our wildlife centres do not keep the animals in captivity and are re-released after being nursed back to health.
I am really pleased that the media have been interested in this story - it was covered in today's Daily Mail ... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1344384/RSPCA-swamped-record-number-pets-dumped-festivities.html and the Express http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/221374/Scandalous-toll-of-pets-dumped-for-Christmas as well as the Mirror and The Sun. Thank you journalists!!
Look out for a piece on Daybreak tomorrow morning too!
J xxx