1. Comment
Staffies deserve better from us all
Shakira Miles BSc, RVN, is passionate about bull breeds and urges
practices to play their part in improving their welfare
O
VERBREEDING has led staffies and similar cross-
breeds into a miserable situation and, as charity
nurses, we are mopping up the mess and facing
the consequences of unwanted dogs.
I am a true staffie fanatic and neutering is something I am
also truly passionate about. This article looks at how we need
private practice to step up and help to direct staffie owners in
the right direction, focusing on neutering. I believe all veterinary
clinics can make a difference.
The problem
Back in July 2011, the chief executive of Blue
Cross, Kim Hamilton, said: “We have a huge
welfare problem with bull breeds in this country.
There are large numbers being bred and a shock-
ing number being given up and abandoned. We
take in as many as we can at Blue Cross, but there
simply aren’t enough homes for them to go to.
It’s the same story at rescue centres across the
country, so we need to tackle the source of the
problem, which means getting these
dogs neutered.”
Opportunity to intervene
Many owners come in to ask about the cost of neutering, but
leave with a big figure in their heads and feeling hopeless
because they cannot afford it and are, therefore, put off. Alter-
natively, the owner may come in to enquire about vaccination
costs with the possible idea of breeding their staffie. Both of
these situations can lead to a golden opportunity for education
and may be the only chance to ensure the dog has a good life
and is not used as a breeding machine or will not end up with
an unaffordable pyometra.
Nurses and reception staff can make a difference by guiding
owners in the right direction if they are unable to afford private
veterinary fees. A printout of local charity hospitals in the area
should be given to owners who need it.
Ensure your reception staff are educated on
the bull breed problem and delegate nurses who
feel confident and able to deal with younger or
novice owners who do not understand all the
issues. Offer a free nurse consult and register
the owner as a client to ensure there are
contact details and that notes can be made for
future reference.
In the consult, all the standard issues can be
discussed, but I suggest the focus should be on
neutering and its positive health and social ben-
efits. This can be a touchy subject, but handled in the correct way
it can lead to a booking for neutering. Always encourage early
neutering from 12 weeks.
If an owner wants to breed from the dog then it is important
to discuss the staffie dilemma and make sure he or she is aware
thousands are euthanised every year as they have nowhere to go.
It is also difficult to find rescue homes for these surplus puppies.
Rescue centres often take in litters of unsold and unwanted pup-
pies as they have no real monetary value any more.
Owners who instantly talk about their financial difficulties
make me want to scream: “Well, you shouldn’t have a dog if you
can’t afford its basic needs”. I am sure we have all felt the same.
However, it is our job to help steer owners in the right direction.
Being frustrated won’t solve the issue, but getting the dogs neu-
tered will. However, if you are able to offer free neutering then
surely the owner has nothing to lose.
Neutering and current support
Many charity clinics provide low-cost vaccinations, microchips
and even free bull breed neutering. Therefore, we must ensure
this is spoken about in detail. Provide a handout of local chari-
ties with relevant information, including the address, what the
owners need to take – such as proof of receiving benefits – and
the potential costs. You could even book the appointment for
The author’s handsome, obedient rescue staffie loves
other dogs.
Dead staffies as a result of overbreeding and abandonment.
RVN Scott Parry runs the Bridge Veterinary
Surgery in Highbridge, Somerset, along
with his vet surgeon wife Ann. The couple
are keen fosterers and regularly help care
for residents from their local RSPCA centre,
Brent Knoll, and fund-raise for the charity.
Speaking to VN Times after he was named
Welfare VN of 2013, Scott said it felt “fantastic
to be nominated, let alone win”. Twelve
months on we caught up with him to see how
his patients and foster pets are doing, as well
as his thoughts
on this year’s
Ceva Awards for
Animal Welfare.
How is life
after the
awards?
One year on
our practice is
thriving. We are
registering new
clients daily,
mostly joining us after they have been recom-
mended by friends and family, which is really
nice. Our main draw for clients is our small,
friendly team, which enables us to offer a
very personal service. We carry out our own
out-of-hours work and this seems to make a
really big difference as our clients always see
me and Ann in their usual surgery and don’t
have to travel to an unknown practice. We
are reaching the point where we will have
to employ a second vet and VN due to the
increasing workload, so it’s exciting times.
How is the fostering going?
It was a relatively quiet fostering year for us,
but some of the animals we took in included:
● Frodo, a very small and underweight
Pomeranian puppy. He was anaemic and half
the size he should have been for his age. He
was part of an RSPCA investigation and was
seized along with two Newfoundland dogs.
Thankfully, all three dogs have made a full
recovery and found new homes. Frodo has
stayed with us and has grown into a very lov-
ing, but cheeky, little dog. We were featured
on the Channel 5 Dog Rescuers programme
earlier in the year with him so you may have
seen him there.
● Jake is a very noisy, sometimes aggressive
sulphur crested cockatoo – he came to us
about a year ago as his owner was recovering
from major surgery and could not give him
the care he needed. The plan was he would
return to her when she was well enough;
unfortunately her recovery hasn’t gone to
plan and she is no longer able to have him
back, so it looks like he may be joining our
parrot family long term.
● Mickey and Minnie are two call ducks
from the same place as Jake. Again, they
will probably stay with us now as they are
quite settled.
Are you still doing charity
fund-raising?
I am now on the RSPCA fund-raising commit-
tee, so am involved with lots of projects. We
organised a sponsored Mutt Strutt dog show
and our first open day at the Brent Knoll cen-
tre, which was a huge success. I took along a
couple of my llamas and they proved to be a
real crowd pleaser.
What do you think of the
Ceva Awards?
They’re a fantastic idea. Nobody in our line of
work expects awards or praise, but it makes
you feel really special when you receive it.
There are times when you feel you are fight-
ing a losing battle with animal neglect and
cruelty, but going to the award ceremony
shows you other fantastic people and their
stories, which inspire you to carry on.
I would encourage anyone who works with
a colleague who goes the extra mile to nomi-
nate him or her for the Ceva awards next year
– it really is a worthwhile award and it means a
great deal to be nominated, let alone win.
I greatly admire my fellow winners and
nominees – they make a huge difference to
the lives of so many animals and the people
around them. Keep up the good work.
“We need private
practice to step
up and help
to direct staffie
owners in the
right direction.”
MARCH 2014
Ceva Awards for Animal Welfare
Life after becoming Welfare VN of the year
Images:THEMAYHEWANIMALHOME.
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