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CAS News April 2009 |
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CAS News April 2009 |
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How
to foster |
A
recent press article in the UK highlighted a new problem for animal
charities along our coast.
The drop in the value of the pound sterling has meant that people with UK incomes have lost about a third of their cash compared with a year ago, once it’s converted to euros. This has led many to decide to pack up and return home, but what then happens to the family pet? Unlike other European countries, the UK still operates quarantine laws which may take seven months to clear a pet to enter the country at a cost of up to £1,000 in kennel and veterinary fees. Rather than face such an expensive procedure, it appears many pets are being simply abandoned. |
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There have been reports of dogs being left tied up on balconies or on the central reservation of motorways, or locked in boarded-up houses with minimal food and water. Some of those defeated by the credit crunch have simply left their animals to suffer. While CAS does not have unlimited resources and, like everyone, is struggling through the economic downturn, the organisation may be able to help anyone forced to return to their home country who has pets to consider. There’s no easy solution but abandoning a once-loved family member is cruel and unnecessary.
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Kittens
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The story of 93-year-old Barbara Johns, the Nerja resident who died recently retracing her father’s footsteps to the South Pole, has been well publicised. Edward Nelson was the biologist with Captain’s Scott’s legendary race to the Pole.
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Caterpillars on the march |
The processionary caterpillars have been on the move during the last month. These creatures present a serious danger to owners of inquisitive pets who will receive a sting or bite which can prove fatal. Over the winter, the caterpillars have been growing in nests which hang like balls of candy floss or cotton wool from the branches of pine trees. Eventually, they turn into harmless moths, but once the nest falls to the ground between February and April and the caterpillars move off in search of somewhere to pupate, they become extremely dangerous. They can travel for long distances so the menace may be apparent far from the nearest pine tree. When they’re on the move, the caterpillars walk nose to tail, which gives them the nickname processionary, and can appear at first to be like a small snake wriggling across the ground. However, a cat or dog which gets too close can come into contact with the insect’s hairs which dispense a rapid-acting toxin. This causes swelling, foaming, drooling and pain, and in a small animal can cause death, especially if it swallows one which will cause the throat to constrict leading to asphyxiation. Other, luckier pets have lost part of their tongues after licking a caterpillar. Immediate treatment from a vet is essential, but avoid contact with the animal’s saliva for the toxin can affect humans as well. The young, the elderly and those who suffer from toxic allergies should be kept well away. To minimise the problem, farmers cut down the nests and then burn them in a metal bucket to prevent as many of the hairs as possible being left to float off in the air. Treading on the caterpillars does not destroy these toxic hairs.
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Are
you a fund |
The
puppy-dumping season has started. It’s sad to report that every
spring, litters of newly-born pups and kittens are simply abandoned
to be left to their fate. Already this year, CAS has rescued nine St
Bernard type puppies, as well as seven German shepherd types left
under a car.
Over 30 young dogs were in the care of CAS volunteers by mid-March and the search is on for happy homes for them. A number of tiny kittens have also been found in rubbish bins. If your pet dog or cat suddenly produces an unwanted litter, CAS pleads with you not to get rid of them in a cruel way.
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Lost your dog? |
If
your dog goes walkabout in an unnecessary display of independence,
don’t panic. CAS may be able to help.
First, contact Jane Kirk who can arrange for an announcement to made on the English-language radio stations. Call her on (+34) 616 530 071, or better still, send her an email here attaching a photo of the animal which the radio presenter can describe. This has been remarkably successful in finding errant pets. Next, notify the police and local vets, being sure to leave your contact numbers with them. Check also the dog pounds, details of which are available from CAS or the police. Finally, if you have not already done so, get the animal microchipped, as is required by law. The procedure is cheap and painless, and increases the chance of finding your lost pet by a hundred per cent.
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