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THE PDSA are advising clients who are eligible for Pet Aid Hospital treatment that from the beginning of July they will only accept one pedigree animal for registration. Clients can still register three animals with the PDSA but the other two pets must be of mixed breed or smaller pets such as rabbits or hamsters.
The PDSA’s definition of a pedigree pet is one that is a recognisable breed type irrespective of whether the owner holds registration papers or not.
A second or third pedigree pet that has been registered with the PDSA prior to the start of July 2011 is being offered treatment for the duration of that registration and for one full further registration afterwards before the new ruling will apply. If a second or third pedigree pet is currently unregistered but is reregistered within 6 months, that pet will be treated for one registration period only, provided that the pet is already recorded as belonging to the client before July of this year.
The PDSA are suggesting that clients with more than one pedigree pet should look at alternative options. It suggests that these clients should either register with another vet for private treatment or they should look at ‘comparison websites’ and take out a suitable insurance on the animal. Alternatively the client can look for other charities that offer a veterinary service in the area.
For second and third pedigree pets that have conditions requiring constant medication such as insulin for diabetic animals, the PDSA will make provision at their discretion and ongoing registration of these pets will be allowed provided there is no break in treatment. If only one pedigree pet is reliant on long term medication then that will be the one required for long term registration.
The PDSA report that the staff and visitors to the Pet Aid Hospitals are dismayed at the number of pedigree pets that are presented for treatment, many of which are presumed to have been purchased at great expense.
In the charity’s opinion, the ownership of pedigree pets is a life style choice and should not be used to drain the limited resources of the PDSA that could otherwise be used to benefit as many needy pet owners as possible.
PDSA Director of Veterinary Services, Richard Hooker, says: “As part of PDSA’s commitment to animal welfare, we have reviewed the registration criteria for eligible clients at our PetAid hospitals for pedigree pets.
“In recent years there has been a large and unsustainable rise in the number of PDSA PetAid hospital clients bringing more than one pedigree pet for treatment. Sadly, pedigree pets often need high levels of care due to inherited illnesses and breed-related conditions. This results in a disproportionate allocation of PDSA charitable veterinary resources, which is neither fair nor appropriate. Generally, non-pedigree dogs and cats don’t have the same health issues as pedigree breeds.
“Our new policy does not stop clients from owning a pedigree pet; but it does however, ensure that PDSA services are allocated appropriately and fairly to provide its charitable veterinary services to as many owners in need as possible.
“Our decision has been driven by our core aim of ensuring a healthy life for all pets, enabling our charitable veterinary service to be available to as many pet owners as possible.”
London Dog Forum put a number of questions to the PDSA about heir new policy. WE have decided to reproduce the questions and the PDSA’s response in full. The answers were snet on behalf of the charity by PDSA PR Manager Mary Bawn.
Q: The charity states that it will only treat crossbreed animals and birds. However, small animals such as rabbits, fancy rats, hamsters etc can, in fact, be pure-bred and therefore "pedigree". Indeed, many breeders provide pedigrees relating to these animals. Would these also be excluded from the PDSA scheme?
A: The new policy only applies to pedigree dogs and cats. The policy does not apply to rabbits, guinea pigs and other small pets nor does it apply to caged birds such as budgies. However, regardless of what pets people have PDSA would always recommend that owners carefully consider the lifetime responsibilities that pet ownership brings before taking on any pets. PDSA’s Your Right Pet tool gives invaluable guidance on the costs and health and welfare needs of pets www.yourrightpet.co.uk
Q: The letter states that obtaining a pedigree animal is a "lifestyle choice". However, some people might obtain a pedigree dog or cat from a breed rescue, simply to offer a pet a loving home. Usually, breed rescues do not hand out pedigree papers (assuming they even have them). So are rescued pedigree pets to be denied treatment?
A: “PDSA is a charity. It exists to help owners when they are most in need and is funded entirely by public support.
“The charity is no longer able to support people who actively acquire multiple pedigree pets either bought or re-homed, without being able to commit to their long-term health and welfare needs. Taking on lots of pedigree pets, without fully considering the lifetime costs and the responsibility this brings, is not something PDSA is able to continue to support.”
Q: The "lifestyle choice" and "purchased at considerable expense" comments imply that all owners of pedigree animals have plenty of money. Even if someone bought a pedigree cat or dog, what if that person was made redundant and were therefore unwaged? Or their partner died? If they are legitimately in receipt of the benefits you require to register a pet for PetAid and are being responsible owners trying to seek veterinary treatment for their pet, surely your policy is totally and unfairly discriminatory. Would you suggest that the animal should be rehomed or destroyed, as it is a pedigree?
A: “The recent recession has affected many pet owners and PDSA has seen a massive 50% increase in demand for its charitable veterinary service over the past five years. We want to continue to be there for as many pet owners in need as possible, which means we have to ensure our veterinary service is available to as many pet owners in need as possible.
“Sadly, pedigree pets often need high levels of veterinary care due to inherited illnesses and breed related conditions. The high level of demand this inevitably puts on our charitable veterinary service results in a disproportionate allocation of funding, which is neither fair nor appropriate.”
Q: Do the PDSA consider all pedigree animals to be "elitist"? Or do they consider pedigrees to be more likely to suffer from ailments than crossbreeds? (This spurious ‘evidence’ has been disproved plenty of times).
A: PDSA will support pet owners who have one pedigree pet, so we do not believe that such pets are “elitist”. What concerns us is that an increasing number of PDSA clients are choosing to acquire more than one pedigree pet. We do know that pedigree animals cost PDSA considerably more to treat than crossbreeds. Our data shows that over the course of a lifetime pedigree pets do require more veterinary intervention to remain healthy compared to crossbreed dogs and cats.
Q: Who within the PDSA decided upon this policy change and on what basis?
A: The policy change has been developed over the past two years, in response to concerns raised by staff at PDSA PetAid hospitals, our clients (the majority of whom have only one pet) and our donors/supporters. Additionally, by ignoring the type and number of pets that owners acquire, we are in conflict with our own Pet Health messages in which we actively promote careful consideration before taking on a pet because of the responsibilities involved. This consideration is of particular relevance to PDSA clients who by definition are reliant on means tested benefits to support themselves.
Q: How are your vets qualified to judge whether an animal is "pedigree" merely by its appearance? This seems rather like "experts" deciding that a dog is of the "pit bull type" and therefore illegal under the Dangerous Dogs Act.
A: Most owners will have already identified the breed of their pet either on vaccination or microchip records. The types of pedigree pets that are brought to PDSA are all common and easily recognised breeds, and our highly qualified veterinary surgeons are well placed to make that judgement.
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