I just wanted to give a shout out to this excellent charity. For anyone not familiar; http://www.pdsa.org.uk/about-us/pdsa-today/our-mission. The PDSA have various pet hospitals throughout the UK which provide free veterinary care for pets of people who are on certain benefits and can't afford private vets. They do charge fixed fees for preventative care including neuters and vaccines, but for all other treatments payment is entirely optional.
In times of recession, the numbers of animals given up to rescues or simply abandoned rises sharply. People lose their incomes and they think they can no longer care for their pets. The PDSA makes it possible for pets and owners to stay together. When I was in a very rough financial situation, having my cat with me was one of the only things that kept me going and stopped me sinking completely into despair. I would imagine for many unemployed people, and for many elderly or disabled people without large incomes, their situation is the same.
There will always be those who say that you shouldn't take on an animal (or have a baby) if you can't pay out of your own pocket. But generally people who use the PDSA adopted the animals when they were able to pay for them, and then fell on hard times. The PDSA are completely non-judgemental to their customers and do not push for donations - knowing that many people are not in a position to pay anything at all, and their pets would go without any medical attention if the owners were too embarrassed to take them to the PDSA.
I was there today with my mum (who was made redundant when she had three cats) and the remaining cat. He had dental surgery for gingivitis which probably would cost in the region of £400 privately. The staff were excellent and are providing great after-care too.
For a long time I have said that when I'm in a financial position to donate monthly to a charity, it would be this one. But then I usually forget about it when I'm thinking of charities, until I have an experience with them again and remember how fantastic they are. I can't imagine the scale of relief and comfort they bring to animals in this country who would otherwise suffer or burden over-burdened rescues. There's no real point to this thread but feel free to discuss the PDSA, other animal charities, share your experiences etc.
In times of recession, the numbers of animals given up to rescues or simply abandoned rises sharply. People lose their incomes and they think they can no longer care for their pets. The PDSA makes it possible for pets and owners to stay together. When I was in a very rough financial situation, having my cat with me was one of the only things that kept me going and stopped me sinking completely into despair. I would imagine for many unemployed people, and for many elderly or disabled people without large incomes, their situation is the same.
There will always be those who say that you shouldn't take on an animal (or have a baby) if you can't pay out of your own pocket. But generally people who use the PDSA adopted the animals when they were able to pay for them, and then fell on hard times. The PDSA are completely non-judgemental to their customers and do not push for donations - knowing that many people are not in a position to pay anything at all, and their pets would go without any medical attention if the owners were too embarrassed to take them to the PDSA.
I was there today with my mum (who was made redundant when she had three cats) and the remaining cat. He had dental surgery for gingivitis which probably would cost in the region of £400 privately. The staff were excellent and are providing great after-care too.
For a long time I have said that when I'm in a financial position to donate monthly to a charity, it would be this one. But then I usually forget about it when I'm thinking of charities, until I have an experience with them again and remember how fantastic they are. I can't imagine the scale of relief and comfort they bring to animals in this country who would otherwise suffer or burden over-burdened rescues. There's no real point to this thread but feel free to discuss the PDSA, other animal charities, share your experiences etc.
