Battersea sees increase in pets arriving because owners can’t afford vet bills

In the first half of 2015, 74 dogs arrived at Battersea with serious medical conditions that needed immediate treatment.

With owners finding it increasingly difficult to afford their pet’s medical bills, they see no alternative other than bringing them to us to be treated, then rehomed. We aim to never turn away a dog or cat in need of help, but to be able to cope with the increase in medical cases, we need a new Vet Hospital to continue helping all of the dogs and cats in our care.

Our dedicated Clinic team will be able to help animals like Bluebell who was suffering from a really painful chronic ear infection when she arrived at Battersea. 

The five-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier’s owners couldn’t afford the surgery she needed on her ears, which were causing her lots of pain – they were bleeding and very irritable, and understandably she wasn’t coping well. She underwent major ear reconstructive surgery here at the Home, which has resolved all of her problems.

Five-year-old Miniature Schnauzer Magic was repeatedly urinating in her bedding when she arrived, and under anaesthetic our Vets found something hard in her abdomen. X-rays showed two large stones in her bladder, which were immediately removed and were described as the biggest our Vets had seen. These will have been causing poor Magic considerable pain. 

For 156 years, we have been caring for abandoned, neglected and unwanted pets that have found themselves in desperate situations. We are committed to providing the very best level of animal care to the 8,000 dogs and cats that come through our gates each year and promise that each one will receive the love and medical care they need as quickly as possible. 

However with more and more animals requiring urgent time with our vets, our 18-year-old Clinic is struggling. In 2014 our Clinic carried out 4719 operations, which is an average of 19 operations a day.

Head Vet, Shaun Opperman, who has been helping sick animals at the Home for over 20 years, said: “A new and improved Vet Hospital will make a huge difference to the level of care our Clinic team are able to give.

“At the moment, we have a team of 35 Vets and Vet Nurses working in a confined space and the new facilities will allow us to increase the procedures we perform and provide more care to our patients.

“Now, more than ever, we’re seeing more complicated cases and neglected animals coming in, where people can’t afford treatment.”

The Home’s Vets and Vet Nurses work tirelessly every day and perform thousands of operations a year to help get sick animals ready for their new homes. Battersea’s plans for its new, first-ever, dedicated vet hospital will enable the team to help even more animals and get them into their new homes more quickly.

The new hospital will have three operating theatres allowing over 100 procedures a week, a dedicated laboratory and X-ray suite to speed up diagnosis and treatment, a dedicated dental suite to free up space in the operating theatres and spacious and sound proof recovery wards to keep dogs and cats separate and calm, helping speed up their recovery time.

Our new Vet Hospital will cost an estimated £2.4 million to complete, so please donate to help us care for the dogs and cats that arrive at our gates everyday.