Your Pets Daily - Blue Cross

Blue Cross marks feeding over 3m pets for a day with pet food banks

Tom Stone — Sun, 04 Aug 2024 07:00:00 +0000

Today national pet charity Blue Cross is marking the milestone of having helped feed over three million pets for a day through its pet food banks.

The charity is urging people to make use of the service, which with the support of the Pets at Home Foundation, has fed three million dogs, cats and small animals for a day since being set up to help struggling owners and keep families and their beloved pets together in 2022.

Amid rising costs, the pet food banks are already providing a vital lifeline to more than 85,000 owners through five pet food banks in Sheffield, Exeter, Newport, Bicester and Manchester; and work with more than 500 food banks across the UK to provide pet food to owners in need.

Donations of pet food are taken at Blue Cross rehoming centres and animal hospitals; as well as in all 450-plus Pets at Home pet care centres across the UK.

Vincent, 50, and his Staffordshire bull terrier Tika, said he’d have to go without food or electricity if the Blue Cross pet food bank wasn’t there to help.

Vincent, who was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 21 said: “The pet food bank has helped tremendously. Tika means everything to me and I feel naked if I’m not walking about with her on the lead.

“I’ve worked all my life and had the Crohn’s since I was 21 but it’s just ravaging me at the moment. I’m waiting for surgery and I had to stop work because of my health and I’m just stuck at the moment.

“If it wasn’t for the pet food bank, I’d probably have to do without food myself or electricity or something just so I could get her some food until we got some more money. I’d have to go without something which I’ve done in the past. I’ve had days before where I’ve had nothing to eat myself for a couple of days but still had food for the dog.”

Julie, 57, is also struggling after being forced to give up her job due to ill health.

The grandmother of five, who has two cats, said: “With the cost of everything going up and then I wasn’t working due to my health, everything got behind financially, but now I’m getting there and Blue Cross have been absolutely marvellous.”

Meanwhile the service helps Gwen’s money to go a little bit further.

Gwen is recovering from a stroke and gets help from the pet food bank for her two kittens Socks and Fluffy.

The 84-year-old, who only retired from her full-time job as a cleaner five days a week at the nearby school four years ago, said: “They’re such good company, I talk to them, and Lucky will be on my lap and Socks will sit or lay by my side while I do my wordsearch.

“They mean a lot, they really do. I can’t go to sleep if they’re not in at night. It would upset me tremendously if anything happened to them.

“With all the costs going up the pet food bank is a brilliant help. I don’t know what I’d do without the help.”

Pets at Home will be holding fundraising events throughout August at every pet care centre across the country, where people can buy food parcels which will be sent to nearby food banks or make a monetary donation to help more pets through the pet food bank project.

Chris Burghes, Blue Cross CEO, said: “Our pet food banks provide a vital lifeline for owners who need help, and we’d urge anyone struggling to seek help from us.

“Pets are part of the family, and for so many they are their only family or companion; their only reason to get up every morning; and we know the sacrifices many owners will make to keep them, including ensuring their pets are fed instead of themselves, like Vincent.

“We want to help keep pets and people together as much we can rather than people being forced to make the difficult decision to give up their pet.”

Amy Angus, Head of Charity and Community at the Pets at Home Foundation, said: We’re incredibly proud to know that our efforts in partnership with Blue Cross have made a difference across the country, feeding 3 million pets (for one day).

“We are so grateful to all the Pets at Home customers who have donated in-store and made this possible. This summer our pre-filled food parcels will make it easier for people to donate to their local food banks. With these continued donations, we can continue to help pets and the people who love them.''

People can find their nearest pet food bank or donation point and more information at bluecross.org.uk/petfoodbank

Category

News

Tags

Blue Cross

Pet food banks

Pets at Home Foundation

Blue Cross’ Chief Vet responds to CMA’s concerns on rising costs

Jessica Curtis — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 20:00:00 +0000

Following CMA'S concerns around the rising costs of the veterinary sector for pet owners, national pet charity Blue Cross wants to urge private practices to adopt a more pragmatic approach when it comes to treatment.

Following a sharp rise in owners presenting to Blue Cross hospitals, being unable to afford treatment in their own practice, the charity is calling for the sector to be more transparent with owners about costs upfront and to consider offering alternative and cheaper treatment options.

The charity's veterinary service has seen:

A £1m increase in its own costs during the past year due to things such as rising staff rates and costs of medicine.
A 4000% increase between May 2023 and March 2024 (from 25 practices to 1,000 practices) in Blue Cross' Veterinary Care Fund requests from private practices needing support for their clients whose pets need urgent treatment

Dr Paul Manktelow, Chief Vet at Blue Cross said:

"The ongoing cost of living crisis is having an unprecedented impact on the veterinary sector, and we know practices are having to adapt to help meet the needs of pet owners. While the strain on the sector is outside of an individual practices or vet's control, we'd encourage professionals across the sector to adopt a pragmatic and transparent approach with their patients, especially around the cost of treatments, and when sharing available treatment options available to them.

"Enquiries to our Veterinary Care Fund, which offers support for practices to help its clients pay for emergency treatments for their pet, have increased rapidly – up from 25 practice applications to 1000 practices in 2024 alone. This illustrates how much the sector needs our help. At Blue Cross, our goal is to help as many pets and people as possible, so we will continue to do all we can in difficult times for vets, and pet owners alike."

For more information on the veterinary care fund, please visit Bluecross.org.

Category

News

Tags

Blue Cross

Blue Cross urges people to think twice before purchasing or adopting Scottish Fold Cats

Your Pets Daily Editor — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 16:00:00 +0000

National pet charity, the Blue Cross is urging people to think twice before purchasing or adopting a Scottish Fold Cat amid a rising trend in demand for 'designer cat breeds'.

Scottish Fold Cats have significant issues due to a mutation that affects the development of cartilage, most obvious in the cat's ear fold which bends forward, giving them their famous appearance.

This affects the rest of the cat's skeleton and causes defective bone and cartilage development and leads to severe and painful arthritis. As well as being incredibly uncomfortable for the cat, potential new owners may not be aware of the heavy vet costs likely to be incurred as a result of this.

Furthermore, these characteristics may impact communication between cats due to the breed not being able to move their ears 'normally', and likewise, owners not being able to understand how their pet is feeling.

We'd ask people to consider more than just the looks and consider rehoming an animal from a rescue charity like Blue Cross Devon who will match them to a pet who has been vet checked and assessed and is right for them.

Category

Cats

Tags

Scottish Fold Cats

Designer pet breeds

Blue Cross

Expert advises on what to do when your insurance doesn’t cover your pet’s health problems

Your Pets Daily Editor — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 16:00:00 +0000

When your pet gets ill or is injured, it's a big concern, especially since it can be very expensive and difficult to afford. To avoid stressing you out with unexpected bills, here are 5 things to consider when it comes to covering your pet's health, according to an expert from Petplan, including tips on what to do if you find yourself in a tricky financial situation.

1. Why is it important to have pet insurance?

There are many reasons that it's important to insure your pet. First and foremost, pet insurance can help you cover the cost of veterinary bills. If your pet gets ill or is injured, the right pet insurance policy will give you peace of mind that you'll be able to cover the cost of their care, and reduce the financial stresses that come with unexpected bills. What's more, lifetime pet insurance policies will ensure that your pet is covered for any lifelong conditions they are diagnosed with after the cover started. This means that you can continue to access veterinary care for that condition throughout your pet's life.

Just like us, pets can get ill or injured at any time so it's important to make sure you have the right cover in place to be able to get them the best care you can. Not all pet insurance policies are the same, and finding the right cover from day one is really important.

Asking these questions can help you decide what cover is just right for your pet's needs:

Will my pet's symptoms or condition be covered for life?
Are there any limits per condition within the vet fee cover?
Does the policy cover dental illness and injury?
Will my premiums go up as a result of claiming against the policy?

Alongside vet fees and dental care, Petplan policies also provide cover for missing pets, diagnostic tests and scans, complementary treatments and behavioural conditions, as standard.

2. Why shouldn't pet owners rely on fundraisers to foot the bill for veterinary costs for their pets?

Veterinary costs are often sudden and unforeseen, or ongoing. If your pet needs immediate care, you won't want to wait before you are able to take them to the vet and, whilst it might seem like a good idea, fundraising for your pet's care could take a very long time. Your pet's condition could get worse during this period, which risks prolonging your pet's distress, as well as increasing the costs of veterinary care.

What's more, you cannot rely on people to donate to your pet's care fund and you may quickly find yourself out of options if you don't receive the donations you need.

Furthermore, some treatments are required over the longer term. Whilst fundraising may work over the short term, perhaps to cover the cost of an initial operation, it is rarely viable over the longer term for ongoing care and medications.

If you would struggle to pay an unexpected vet bill, it's always best to take out a pet insurance policy to alleviate some financial concerns.

3. What should you do if your current pet insurance plan doesn't cover the extent of your pet's treatment? Is fundraising a viable option then?

All pet insurance policies have a vet fee limit in place. Some also have additional limits hidden within the small print of your policy documents. Make sure you understand what medical conditions your policy covers, and for how much and how long before committing to a policy.

Unfortunately, if your existing policy does not cover your current vet bills, switching providers for a different policy won't help and the new policy will not be able to cover the current costs. This is because the current symptoms (as well as any previous ones) will be labelled as pre-existing – even if your pet has recovered from the illness that caused them.

Again, whilst there's nothing to stop you fundraising for your pet, it's important to remember that this can take time and is not a failsafe method. You could be prolonging your pet's distress or even putting them in danger by not seeking veterinary help sooner.

4. Are there any medical conditions that aren't covered by pet insurance?

There are various different types of pet insurance cover. The four main types are:

Accident-only
Time-limited
Maximum benefit
Lifetime

As the name suggests, accident-only cover applies to conditions caused by an accident, such as a road-traffic accident or ingesting something they shouldn't. These types of policy will not cover you for illnesses or diseases.

Whether you purchase a time-limited, maximum-benefit or lifetime cover policy, you'll need to understand the exclusions that may be placed on your particular policy – these are costs that your pet insurer will not cover. When you take out a policy on a perfectly healthy puppy, kitten or baby rabbit, there are unlikely to be any exclusions on your policy.

However, if your pet has shown symptoms of a condition and/or has been treated for an illness or injury, these conditions may not be covered on a new policy as they are now referred to as a pre-existing condition. A pre-existing condition could be placed on your existing policy on renewal, or on a new policy if you switch providers. Note that a pre-existing condition doesn't mean that the cause of the symptoms has been diagnosed. If your pet has received treatment for a limp for example, even though the exact cause of that limp was never diagnosed, your new insurer is unlikely to cover any costs related to limping on your policy. If your pet is already insured before the limp started then your insurer should cover costs related to diagnosing or treating it, provided they fall within your vet fee limits and have not already been excluded.

Pre-existing symptoms and conditions are a common cause of declined claims, so it's important to read your insurance documents carefully when switching or renewing your policy.

Depending on your insurance provider, a time-limited policy may offer cover for 12 months from when your pet first exhibited that symptom or condition. On other policies, such as Petplan's Essential policy, your pet is covered for 12 months after starting treatment, covering vet bills up to £3,000. Many pet owners who have insured their pet using a time-limited policy assume that they have one year of cover from when they start claiming. This means that they sometimes consent to costly investigations and treatments assuming they are covered because they haven't claimed yet.

Sometimes a pet owner will only realise a symptom or condition is excluded when their claim is declined by the insurer, because they check a pet's medical records to see whether they've previously suffered from these symptoms. If this has happened more than a year ago, this claim will be declined.

This does not happen, however, when a pet has been insured continuously via a lifetime policy. This is by far the major advantage of taking out one of these policies when your pet is young and perfectly healthy. Most pet insurers also don't cover routine vaccinations, parasite control, microchipping and neutering. These are all essential parts of responsible pet ownership so you'll need to budget for these separately.

5. If you can't afford pet insurance, where should you turn?

Whilst it does add an additional cost to your monthly outgoings, a good quality pet insurance policy is the best way to ensure you're financially supported if something does happen to your pet, as vet fees can be surprisingly expensive.

However, if you are really struggling to foot the bill, there are some charities you can turn to for help. PDSA offers means-tested veterinary support to some pet owners; to qualify for their support you need to be receiving certain benefits, such as housing or council tax support, and live within the catchment area of a PDSA centre. The Blue Cross operates a similar scheme and the RSPCA offers reduced-cost vet care to pet owners who meet their criteria.

Category

Tags

Nominate now for your top Veterinary nurse of 2021

Your Pets Daily Editor — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 07:06:18 +0000

Blue Cross pet charity is calling out to animal lovers, pet owners and veterinary teams across the UK to nominate their ‘Veterinary Nurse of the Year 2021‘. The nomination period this year is tight with a deadline for entries by Monday 20 September 2021. To avoid disappointment, register your top vet nurse by visiting www.bluecross.org.uk/bvna now.

The charity’s award recognises the dedication of the country’s vet nurses and their invaluable support to their veterinary teams, the nation’s pets and pet owners. The award is given to a vet nurse who not only cares for sick and injured pets but also encourages responsible pet ownership and improves pet welfare in their community.

The award will be presented at the British Veterinary Nurse Association (BVNA) Congress on Saturday 2 October 2021, which will this year be a hybrid event with live speakers at the event in Telford and remote delegates so no-one misses out.

David Catlow, Blue Cross Director of Veterinary Clinical Services said: “The veterinary profession faced difficult times for much of the past couple of years but vet nurses strove on to provide their usual professionalism, compassion and special care for pets and their owners. Now, more than ever, we need to recognise their invaluable work and the incredible reassurances and support they offer pet owners and how they are dedicated to helping the welfare of the nation’s pets in their communities.”

Last year, the Award went to Chloe Mackintosh who is a veterinary nurse at RSPCA in Harmsworth, North London and was nominated for her passion and commitment to animal welfare.

If you know a vet nurse who you believe has gone the extra mile for your pet or you believe they have made a significant contribution to animal welfare, complete the nomination form on the Blue Cross website at www.bluecross.org.uk/bvna. The deadline for nominations is Monday 20 September 2021.

As a charity, Blue Cross relies on the generous support of animal lovers to continue its vital work caring for pets. For more information, to see pets looking for a new home or to make a donation visit www.bluecross.org.uk.

Category

News

Tags

Veterinary nurse

Animal lovers

Blue Cross

Blue Cross education dog joins the force

Your Pets Daily Editor — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 15:10:49 +0000

Meet Cleveland Police’s first Wellbeing and Trauma Support Dogs

Cleveland Police has welcomed two new four-legged recruits to help support officers and staff with their mental health.

Bella and Sol are the Force’s first ‘Oscar Kilo OK 9’ Wellbeing and Trauma Support dogs.

In a launch ceremony held on Monday 26 July 2021, Bella, a 1-year-old female Labrador and Husky cross and Sol, a 9-year-old male Standard Poodle were presented with their official ‘OK 9’ wellbeing jackets and their handlers presented with certificates and pin badges.

Bella and Sol will work with the Force’s Wellbeing and Blue Light team to deliver a programme of wellbeing initiatives across the organisation.

Their handlers, Amanda Buck, Centre Manager of Breckon Hill Community Centre and Hilary Brown, Cleveland Police Volunteer are both trained in First Aid Mental Health and Peer Support and will be available, on a voluntary basis, to any officers and staff who may need signposting to other services available within the Force.

Amanda Buck, Bella’s handler said: “Bella joined our family at the age of 6 months in December 2020. The Community Centre was operating a scaled down service during the pandemic, so Bella attended work with me daily.

“By week 3, I noticed that Bella would gravitate towards people who were anxious or stressed. She showed compassion and her behaviour changed towards each individual. Bella greets some people with excitement, others with a submissive roll over and others a slow snuggle.

“At home, she is a typical puppy, chewing, stealing, and ruling the roost claiming every bed or chair as her own.”

Hilary Brown, Sol’s handler said: “I was so pleased to hear of this national initiative of having wellbeing dogs. I was approached by Inspector Phil Spencer, who had heard about Sol, to see if we would be interested in this. I said yes straight away as the pressure on officers and staff is immense and I hope that Sol can help.

“I find that my pets provide me with a lot of emotional support at times. He passed his assessment with flying colours.

“I volunteer for Blue Cross as an educational speaker and Sol is a Blue Cross education dog too. I have often said that Sol has such a lovely nature that he is here to bring joy to people's lives, so now he may be able to help even more people.”

Cleveland Police’s Inspector Phil Spencer, Wellbeing and Blue Light Co-ordinator said: “It’s proven that the presence of a wellbeing dog has a calming influence and through interaction with Bella and Sol, we are hoping to encourage officers and staff to engage and speak about mental health and wellbeing.

“Both dogs are great to work with and we are delighted to be welcoming them to the team.”

Sergeant Garry Botterill, Wellbeing and Trauma Support Dog Project Lead for The National Police Wellbeing Service said: “Police officers and staff do a demanding and sometimes dangerous job, and in many roles are frequently exposed to trauma. Over recent years, police forces around the country have recognised the value of dogs in helping officers and staff with their wellbeing.

“When a dog is introduced to the workplace, the atmosphere immediately changes, and people want to interact with the dog.

“These interactive sessions provide light relief from the rigors of the job and the dogs help get people talking and create expressions of genuine feeling just by being friendly and non-judgemental.”

Category

News

Tags

Support Dogs

Police Dogs. Working Dogs

Blue Cross

Blue Cross in Rolleston celebrates 15 years of helping horses in need

Your Pets Daily Editor — Mon, 28 Jun 2021 07:29:31 +0000

This week, Blue Cross Animal Rehoming Centre in Rolleston-on-Dove is celebrating 15 years of helping hundreds of horses in need. Activities to mark the occasion are being held all week through the centre’s Facebook page and all are invited to join in the fun.

The charity in Rolleston has helped 879 plus five donkeys plus the more recent addition of a cattery has taken in an rehomed 272 cats, five Guinea pigs, and two rabbits both onsite and though the volunteer fosterers recruited since August 2017.

Maria Kavanagh, Centre Manager at Blue Cross in Rolleston said: “We are so proud to be celebrating 15 years of helping horses. Many have come to us severely neglected and not used to human handling and it has been a joy to see them come out of their shells and go into loving homes.”

Blue Cross in Rolleston began admitting homeless horses in June 2006. At the centre’s official opening special guests Mrs Brenda Luke and Mrs Susan Brown, great nieces of Robert Archer who bequeathed the land to Blue Cross in memory of his late wife Hilda, cut the ribbon to declare the new centre open.

Shadow was one of the first horses taken in at the centre. He was given up due to behavioural reasons and the centre needed to work with him to help his needs. He then became ‘school master’, reassuring and building confidence in horses needed rehabilitation. He has since been rehomed for retirement.

Events will all be virtual through the centres Facebook page and include:

Meet the team
Virtual tour of the centre and meet horses looking for homes
Ponies rehomed over the 15 years
Training videos
How the site has changed over 15 years.

The tack shop will also return on Saturday 27 and Sunday 27 June from 10.00am – 3.00pm.

Equestrian Olympian and Blue Cross Ambassador Mary King said: “I’d like to wish all at Blue Cross Rolleston a very happy 15th anniversary. The hard work carried out by the teams at the centre has helped rehabilitate and rehome so many horses, giving them the second chance they deserve. I can’t thank them enough, their dedication is truly admirable.”

Blue Cross does not receive any government funding and relies on the support of the public to continue its vital work.

For more information, to see the horses and ponies and other pets looking for a home or to make a donation towards their care visit www.bluecross.org.uk or contact Blue Cross at Rolleston on 0300 777 1520, email rolleston@bluecross.org.uk. You can also join us keep up with the latest centre news and join the anniversary activities on Blue Cross in Rolleston Facebook page.

Category

Other Pets

Tags

Blue Cross

homeless horses

horses for adoption

rehoming centre Rolleston

Rescue dogs let loose to review sofas

Your Pets Daily Editor — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 07:34:30 +0000

To celebrate the launch of a new partnership between Blue Cross pet charity and Sofology, rescue dogs Diddy and Gypsy along with their dog pal Rosie were let off the leash in the Cheltenham branch of the furniture chain to give their ‘fur-dict’ on pet friendly sofa fabrics.

With Sofology’s dog friendly stores and existing range of dog sofas, the retailer’s mission is to help customers feel at home on a sofa they love and know that often includes a four legged friend. Blue Cross, who will benefit from a £5 donation from any order that includes an item from the pet friendly fabric range, are expected to raise £15,000 in the first year of the partnership. The Sofology pet fabric is available on the Finchley, Bakerloo, Islington and Marcie ranges and is designed to be more resistant to pet claws than traditional fabrics with the innovative fabric helping to prevent snagging. The surface is also easy to wipe pet hair off and spills can just be cleaned with water making it perfect for the whole family to relax on.

Natalie Paweleck, Corporate Partnerships Manager at Blue Cross said: “We are delighted to team up with Sofology and are grateful for their support. The three dogs had a great day out and it was a paws up from all of them for the sofa with the special pet friendly fabric.”

Diddy, a 14 year-old lurcher, 10 year-old saluki cross breed Gypsy and chocolate Labrador Rosie, also 10 years-old, put several sofas to the test before settling on a teal one with pet friendly fabric which they found to be their paw-fect match . To see the dogs in the store making their decision and to find out more about the partnership visit - www.bluecross.org.uk/sofology

Karen Grindrod, Editorial and Communications Manager at Sofology said: “We are excited to be committing to support Blue Cross through this new partnership. The team at the Cheltenham store loved having the come along to check out our sofas and were on hand to show them around al the ranges in the shop. Pets help us to relax, with stroking them proven to lower blood pressure, so our pet friendly fabric will offer that additional peace of mind and let you truly feel at home on the sofa with your pet by your side.”

Blue Cross is a charity and relies on the support of corporate partners and animal lovers to help the many thousands of homeless, unwanted, sick and injured pets in its care every year. To find out more and see pets looking for homes, or to make a donation, visit www.bluecross.org.uk.

Category

Dogs

Tags