It is hard to believe that Christmas is nearly upon us. Xmas cards are arriving on the mat and I still haven’t had the time to write one. The trouble is that the animal routines and extra problems never stop so, although welcome, Christmas really does get in the way. However, although a lot of my volunteers obviously have their own families to cater for a few stalwarts thank goodness have offered to come and help on Christmas and Boxing Day.
This month unfortunately has seen quite a few problems. Eddie the recently castrated Shetland has had problems with his back left hoof . The frog part is having to be bathed and disinfected daily with either Purple Spray or Pevidine and Jack the other little bay Shetland has been treated for a high temperature. Of course I realise that while one calls these toy miniature creatures Shetlands they really bear no resemblance to the real thing which is large and robust and strong. The true Shetlands are able to withstand poor pasture and inclement weather but these little creatures are really having to be wrapped in cotton wool. If we want them to be well they have to have raincoats in the rain and are now brought into their stables every night. Their diet though has to be minimal with just hay and a handful of Happyhoof as a treat apart from the grass. All the equines have raincoats for the rain but we use the thicker coats only in extremely icy conditions as there is an added problem that the ponies can over heat if you get it wrong. In fact last winter Shabba, one of the larger horses came out in heat bumps under his coat so at present with the weather at zero this week he is wearing a raincoat with just a small amount of padding. The vet who came to see Jack said equines could cope with minus 10 to plus 25 degrees so equally one must be careful not to cosset too much with thick coats. The donkeys with their shaggy coats do well in crisp weather but hate the rain and head straight for their stable in the large barn. Only Phoebe and Dandy, the two older donkeys, ever have rain coats and Gretel the more recent arrival who came in such bad condition is also getting extra attention and being rugged up in cold or wet weather.
As far as the cats go though it has been a fairly disastrous time. Tatiana proved to have advanced cancer in her leg and the vet said there was little hope of recovery from the operation so advised euthanasia. She was such a sweet gentle cat and will be much missed. Interestingly her blind sister is being much more friendly to humans perhaps because she no longer has Tatiana for company. Poppet the gorgeous grey and white 2 year old who was recently re-homed with Arthur has died. Inconceivably for such a young cat her kidneys packed up and she died of renal failure. The vet said that it was a genetic fault and that no matter what anyone did it was going to happen. However, personally and according to some veterinary friends of mine, I do believe that some of the commercial pet foods have a lot to answer for. The tiny, tiny, print makes it difficult to decipher the phosphorus, sodium (salt) and sugar (often as caramel) not to mention the additives and totally unnecessary colourants which all contribute to kidney failure, diabetes, thyroid problems, cystitis and obesity not to mention bad teeth at a young age. So please always look at the small print which is not what you are led to believe from what is advertised in big letters on the front of the tin or pouch. There are very few sugarless commercial foods around. Denes has a turkey and lamb, a chicken and turkey and a kitten food which are sugar free but otherwise it seems the best like Walthams Sensitive Diet or Hills ID are only obtainable through the vet. There are begining to be some better organic ones on the market but even they need to be checked for the sugar, phosphorus and salt content. So often people will say to me “Our cat will only eat this one brand” Of course- they get addicted to the sugar content like humans with a sweet tooth so to get them off their addiction you have to mix in the new healthy food slowly. Is it more expensive? No, in the case of Denes the meat is so solid I would only give a quarter of a tin – a mouse sized portion- twice a day with just a small amount- say 10- biscuits. Although you need to check the small print on the sacks of biscuits too- one superior vet said to me “Are cats and dogs meant to eat cereal Nuggets?” – the answer is no. In the wild they would catch small animals or birds and the small amount of grain they would consume would be in the stomach of their prey. The good news is that the young Chinchilla cat called Camilla is doing very well in her new home and being thoroughly spoilt and Paris the young deaf cat is adapting well to his new surroundings here. He adores being touched but as vocal communication is impossible that is the only way he knows he is loved.
My other bete noire is vaccinations. American vets say that they are only necessary every 3 years as the antibodies stay in their system all that time. Also as proved by my little black kitten that we recently rescued vaccinations can be dangerous if not sometimes fatal. She was ill for 2 days afterwards with a temperature of 40 degrees with streaming eyes. The second vaccination is usually worse so she won’t be having it. There is a book called “The Darling Buds of May” about all the ghastly side-effects including death that can happen from vaccinating so think twice before you over-vaccinate your pet.
Twelve new chickens have arrived with a cockerel and while the former settled in nicely the latter caused pandemonium. One of the 2 Poland cockerels was twice found hanging upside down by the spur on his leg on the dividing fence. Jim next door came to help me cut it back so it couldn’t happen again but we realised he had been trying to get at the new Silkie cockerel. On the side of the other fence our other cockerel has been baiting him through the wire but hopefully they will settle down soon and poultry life will return to normal.
The Worthing Christmas Fair at the Assembly Rooms proved to be a big success. However it was a dreadful day with rain lashing down so getting Jill and Jack Merrylegs, (the latter has now recovered from his fever) ready and trying to look good myself as I was asked to open the Fair with the Mayor was quite a challenge. However all went well, the horsebox was easily parked in a reserved space and the two mini-Shetlands were a huge success. My wonderful helpers had set up 2 stalls to help raise funds and- along with the ponies who were the main attraction and behaved terribly well munching on hay and posing with children for photos all day long- raised enough to cover the latest hay bill. Unfortunately the 25 equines at the sanctuary consume rather a lot. I am sure the weather kept many people away but thanks to Eleanor Hope and her team who organised it and my volunteers who worked so hard we had a thoroughly nice day and have been asked back next year! Interestingly Worthing Cat Rescue were bemoaning the increase in disease in young cats and had also come to the conclusion that it was highly likely that a lot of the commercial foods were contributing to the problem.
This year I have not put chocolate ornaments on the Christmas tree as Kipling my last dobermann managed to get them all off it one year by dragging the tree round the room and trashing it. To compound the problem chocolate is poisonous to cats and dogs so he ended up being thoroughly sick. We also keep the younger cats well away from the fairy lights as they make fascinating playthings but could cause death by hanging or electrocution.Sadly, we no longer take a donkey to the nativity services at the local church. Poor Henry who used to go died last year at the age of 38. Phoebe and Dandy are now too old and I dare not contemplate the chaos that would ensue if one of the two naughty donkeys Starsky and Hutch were to join a nativity play at the local church . It was bad enough one Christmas when suddenly Henry’s tail went up in the middle of the service. We all waited with baited breath while the vicar said: “I think Henry is about to make his offering!” Then slowly, slowly his tail went down again and we all heaved a sigh of relief. The same could not be said of Jack and Jill at the Assembly Rooms but they were there all day and a bucket and spade was close at hand!
The Compassion in World Farming Ball proved to be a great success and raised over £72,000 for the charity. The Prince of Wales was given a special award for his contribution to organic farming over the years and high standards of animal welfare. Unfortunately he could not be there but sent a filmed message to us all which was most eloquent and caring. Marks and Spencers received the main supermarket award for setting standards in farm animal welfare with Waitrose a close second. Like a dripping tap CIWF with its perseverance has made real inroads in to the humane treatment of farm animals over the last 25 years. Philip Lymbery and Joyce da Silva who are at the core of the charity are also very impressive with their passionate and compassionate speeches. They both care enormously about the cause and make CIWF a very worthwhile animal charity to support. I will also be forever grateful to them for helping me close down an appalling battery turkey farm near where we used to live.Please buy organic turkeys who have had a decent life if you can afford it. If you knew what the battery turkeys were fed you would probably think twice before you bought them anyway- their food smelt so awful that the environmental health officer at the time who came to assess the situation said he would never eat turkey again.
If you have pets beware chocolate, raisins, poinsettias, oleander, mistletoe and even corn on the cob- when swallowed whole it nearly killed Nellie, our dobermann, who had to have it surgically removed. An added tip for icy conditions with regard to the animals’ drinking water: where possible you can float a ball which can be easily removed or a little glycerine can be put in the water to keep the surface free from ice.I am now writing an animal health blog as well which is an A to Z of health for easy reading on www.abcanimalhealth.wordpress.com hopefully- time permitting- once a week.
If you need an original Christmas present you can always send one of our adopt a turkey packages- there are now 5 of them: Sage, Onion , Cranberry, Chestnut and Parsley.—-not to mention guinea fowl, hens, ducks, geese, pigs, sheep, donkeys, horses, ponies or mini Shetlands and the 28 cats.
Have a wonderful Christmas and a
happy and healthy new year.
All the best,
Alexandra Bastedo.
copyright Alexandra Bastedo
