Animal Rescue with Marion Garnett
Dedicated animal expert Marion Garnett, founder of the Ealing Animal Charities Fair, continues her column
THE decision’s been made. Despite protests, the RSPCA clinic provision for sick animals in West London has been decimated. Following the closure of the RSPCA clinic in Hanwell, comes the decision to close Southall Clinic and Putney Animal Hospital (PAH) (as well as Lockwood Equine Centre and South Godstone Animal Centre in Surrey).
In their statement about the closures, the RSPCA indicate they are working with another charity who is developing alternative avenues of care but no charity is named. It’s clear that, unless new arrangements are rapidly announced, future charitable provision for sick animals whose owners would have been eligible to use Southall Clinic and PAH, looks paltry.
To make matters worse, Harmsworth RSPCA Hospital in Finsbury Park is not accepting new patients. This is particularly significant as a key reason the RSPCA gave for closing Putney was that there were two RSPCA hospitals in London.
So where can owners, who would previously have been eligible to take their pets to Southall Clinic or PAH, take them now?
I will address, in detail, where they can go for neutering in another column but possibly Mayhew (themayhew.org), when the clinic is open again or, for cats, to a private vet under the C4 scheme (cats.org. uk/c4). But for a sick animal, if they are not insured, it is more difficult.
It can be worth phoning a private vet as their prices vary and they may be able to help with a payment plan.
Charitable providers that owners may consider include Hillingdon RSPCA or People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (pdsa.org.uk). But owners may not live in the right catchment area.
Pet owners may also consider the Blue Cross Hospitals at Hammersmith, Victoria or Merton. All three of these hospitals have the same postcode catchment area. This means that animals living in some postcodes are covered by at least three charity hospitals whereas those living in areas such as W3, W5, W7 and W13 are, with the loss of Southall Clinic and PAH, likely to be covered by none.
In order to minimise the possibility of a sick animal not receiving much-needed treatment, as the result of these frontline closures, the RSPCA needs to tell us what alternative provision has been sorted out with other charity or veterinary providers, particularly in relation to postcode allocation.
A single ray of hope in the announcement of the closures was that the RSPCA is in talks with another charity about transferring over Southall Cattery. Let’s hope this bears fruit and this fantastic rehoming centre is not lost as well.