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At least 1,400 dogs have died as a result of an ongoing rabies outbreak scare in Thailand – a scare that by all verifiable accounts is not real, according to Thailand based charity, Soi Dog Foundation.

The animal welfare charity tells us that a couple of weeks ago three thousand dogs were rounded up in Nakhon Phanom province, which borders the Mekong River, and dumped in a government pound. In the crowded conditions, diseases, particularly deadly parvo and distemper, spread like wildfire.

In such close quarters, fights between dogs and death by starvation of small or sickly dogs, unable to compete for food, added to the toll.

However for the 1,500 dogs who remain, there is now some hope because an Emergency Reaction Team from the Soi Dog Foundation were given permission to go into the pound to treat the dogs inside.

The sight that greeted them was grim.

One member of the emergency medical team described it. “I would like to stay positive, but I can’t,’ he said.

“The pound is overcrowded and dog fights break out all the time. When it is feeding time, the weaker dogs don’t have the strength to eat. So the stronger dogs take all the food and the weaker ones don’t survive.

“The dogs are scared, depressed, and traumatised by their experience. It’s hard to stay positive about this place. It’s simply heartbreaking.”

Upon arrival, the team first sorted the dogs.

The small dogs, the puppies, and the weak were separated from the large dogs, and as none of the animals are yet sterilised, the males were separated from the females.

They also did the same with cats that had been rounded up by the local office of the Thai government’s Livestock Department.

They then vaccinated every animal in the pound – injecting 60 an hour and daubing them afterwards with green dye so that no animal would be vaccinated twice by mistake.

The animals may survive but they now face spending the rest of their lives in captivity. This is because officials kept no record of where each dog came from, so they cannot be returned to their home territory.

In any case, those territories have already most likely been taken over by stronger, fitter or more wily dogs who managed to avoid the government dragnet.

The deaths in the pound are not the only ones to result from official knee-jerk reactions to a public panic over a “rabies outbreak” in Thailand that started in the new year. The panic has resulted in public calls for all eight million street dogs in Thailand to be killed, a “solution” dubbed “Set Zero”.

In March, 20 dogs in a Buddhist temple in the upper south of the country, including a family of puppies, were poisoned by government officials, causing outrage among animal lovers.

Poisoning – in Thailand usually using strychnine – results in a horribly painful death for the animals, that spend hours shuddering and spasming in agony, drowning in their own fluids, before death finally comes.

The officials later claimed that tests had shown that 16 of the 20 poisoned animals had rabies, but the test results were never released, leading to widespread suspicion that they were made up.

A number of activist groups have come together to bring criminal charges against the officials concerned, under Thailand’s Animal Cruelty Law.

The Thai Livestock Department has come under fire for not reassuring people that there is, in fact, no rabies outbreak at all, and for its inept and understaffed handling of captured dogs.

In March, fuel was added to the flames when the department also came under scrutiny over alleged irregularities in its procurement of poor quality canine rabies vaccine.

An internal investigation came to the conclusion there had been no irregularity, and that inferior-quality vaccine had not been the cause of a spike in rabies deaths at the beginning of the year.

However, the reports of poor quality vaccine had already spread, resulting in the calls for “Set Zero”. The department has denied having any plans to kill all stray dogs in Thailand.

Thailand has in fact been effective in reducing human deaths from rabies from hundreds a year in the 1990s to single figures in recent years.

In 2018, to date, there have been just seven human rabies deaths.

The Nakhon Phanom emergency is not the first time that Soi Dog has stepped in to save animals, particularly dogs, after the government has proved unable or unwilling to do so.

In 2010 it sprang into action to successfully contain an outbreak of parvo disease through a massive vaccination programme. In 2011, it rescued thousands of dogs from devastating flooding in Bangkok and in 2016/17 it did the same during floods in the south of Thailand.

Soi Dog – founded in 2003 by husband and wife John and Gill Dalley from Leeds in the United Kingdom – also played the leading role in stopping the horrific trade in dogs from Thailand to the dog meat restaurants of Vietnam.

It has launched an appeal for funds to help tackle the fallout from the rabies panic, such as the horror in Nakon Phanom. People may donate through the Soi Dog website at www.soidog.org

Two people have been disqualified from keeping dogs for life for a string of animal welfare offences following an RSPCA investigation into the underground puppy trade.

Inspectors from the animal welfare charity and police found a wheelbarrow of dead and dying dogs at a farm in Bradford after launching an investigation following calls from members of the public who had bought puppies which became ill.

On Friday (18 November), a man and a woman appeared at Leeds Magistrates’ Court for sentencing in connection with a number of animal welfare offences relating to puppies and dogs seized from the property, in Tyersal Lane, following the warrant in September last year.

Farm manager John Wilcock (DoB: 09/07/80) of Sticker Lane, Bradford, admitted five offences while Bernadette Nunney (DoB: 04/11/91), of Tyersal Lane, Bradford, pleaded not guilty to six offences. She was found guilty on 20 October following a four-day trial.

Today, the duo were both sentenced to 20 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, and were each disqualified from keeping dogs for life.

Nunney was also handed a 12 week curfew order, ordered to complete a 15-day rehabilitation activity, and ordered to pay £500 in costs.

Wilcock was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and a 20-day rehabilitation activity. He was also ordered to pay £100 in costs.

When RSPCA officers and police executed the warrant they came across a wheelbarrow of dead collie puppies. As they filmed the heartbreaking scene for evidence they realised that one of the pups – a black and white female, buried beneath the dead bodies of her littermates – was still alive.

She was rushed to the vets but later died. Post mortems revealed that she and her siblings had died from parvovirus.

Nunney and Wilcock were accused of causing unnecessary suffering to the seven puppies, as well as a number of other offences [full details below]. They also faced three further allegations of causing unnecessary suffering to a total of 10 dogs, and two offences of failing to meet the needs of 30 dogs.

RSPCA inspector Emma Ellis, who investigated, said: “What I saw that day will stay with me forever.

“The sight of the live puppy buried within the pile of dead puppies was heartbreaking. There was nothing we could do to save her. The way those puppies were left to die highlights how these people simply see them as commodities which I find totally unacceptable.

“Dozens of dogs were being kept at the address in stables and kennel blocks. Many had no food, no water, no bedding, and all of them were living in their own filth.”

Inspectors found 43 dogs – including collies, spaniels, bichon frises, Labradors, beagles, Chihuahuas, and some terrier-cross types – most of which were seized by the police and placed into the RSPCA’s care.

RSPCA special operations unit chief inspector (CI) Ian Briggs, said: “There is a growing demand for certain breeds of dogs – such as chihuahuas, spaniels and bichon frises – and genuine, regulated breeders simply cannot meet demand.

“Unregulated puppy breeders and dealers are plugging this gap in the market by producing dogs on a commercial scale and putting money and profits ahead of the health, welfare and happiness of the dogs.

“When our investigations bring us to places such as this farm, we often find dogs living in squalid, sub-standard conditions meaning the unsuspecting public often end up parting with hundreds and hundreds of pounds for puppies who have behavioural issues or health problems throughout their lives. In some of the worst cases, their beloved family pet dies in their arms just days after bringing them home.”

The case came to court following an investigation by the RSPCA as well as a sting by journalists from BBC’s Watchdog. During their investigation, reporters bought a dog (pictured above) from the Bradford farm which was then rehomed with animal behaviourist Carrie Evans.

“Gizmo was exceptionally frightened and very poorly,” Carrie said. “He was grossly underweight, had worms, had an intestinal infection, and infected ears.

“Due to bad breeding, Gizmo has horrendous deformities in his legs and feet, and his feet can sometimes rotate backwards. He also has an undershot jaw.”

CI Briggs added: “When our investigations bring us to places such as this farm, we often find dogs living in squalid, sub-standard conditions.

“Unsuspecting members of the public end up parting with hundreds and hundreds of pounds for puppies who have behavioural issues because they’ve not been properly socialised, or health problems, due to poor conditions and no veterinary treatment. In some of the worst cases, their beloved family pet dies in their arms just days after bringing them home.”

The RSPCA has launched a campaign to tackle the underground market in puppies following a 122% increase in the number of calls the charity’s cruelty line receives on the issue. The Scrap the Puppy Trade campaign is calling on the Government in England to introduce stricter legislation around the breeding and selling of dogs, and also seeks to help the public in how to responsibly buy a puppy.

This Valentine’s Day Yorkshire and East Midlands based Jerry Green Dog Rescue will be acting as matchmaker for each of the 70 dogs currently in its care to help them find the perfect forever home.

Top of the list of eligible dogs at the North Yorkshire centre is an eight-year old Lurcher, Cooper, who arrived into rescue around four months ago.

With his athletic build, boy next door good looks and flowing auburn mane Cooper is seeking a long-term relationship with a food fanatic and lover of nap times. In return he will offer loyalty and a GSOH (great sense of humour)!

“Cooper is your typical lovely, silly, sleepy Lurcher who loves to cuddle,” said Emma Cook, Centre Support Officer at Jerry Green Dog Rescue. “He is housetrained, walks well on the lead and loves to be around people.

“He is an absolute treasure and when his forever home does come along, they’ll wonder why they waited to so long to meet such a fantastic dog.”

Since coming into the rescue centre Cooper has been working hard to attract the attention of his pawfect match. The team at Jerry Green are hopeful that Valentine’s Day will remind potential adopters that all you need is love…and a dog!

For more information about Cooper or any of the dogs currently looking for a forever home please contact your local Jerry Green Dog Rescue centre. Details can be found on the website: www.jerrygreendogs.org.uk/RescueCentres

A dog was given life-saving surgery by vet charity PDSA after a sausage binge caused a potentially fatal stomach condition.

Seven-year-old Weimaraner Jake wolfed down the tasty treats whole (perhaps he’d heard it’s British Sausage Week!) but began feeling ‘offal’ soon after.

Worried owner Lucy, from Gateshead, said: “Jake is a big, energetic dog with a huge appetite – he will eat anything although he particularly loves sausages, which he’s allowed as a treat now and then. One day I noticed he was unusually quiet, then he was sick and had diarrhoea. His chest and stomach became massively swollen – he was like a puffer fish. So I called PDSA straight away for advice.”

Lucy was advised it was an emergency and to bring him straight in. Vets at Gateshead PDSA Pet Hospital confirmed Jake was suffering from a potentially deadly condition called Gastric Dilation, which happens when the stomach twists causing a dangerous build up of gasses. Without treatment, it can be fatal within hours.

Jake needed emergency surgery. After a few tense hours, the family were relieved to hear the operation had been a success: “I was convinced we were going to lose him, so to hear he had pulled through was amazing – although I knew he wasn’t out of the woods yet,” said Lucy.

“The vets found four whole sausages in his stomach, which they think was the likely cause of his problem. We knew he loved sausages but had no idea he was literally swallowing them whole! We’ll definitely be cutting his food into smaller pieces from now on, to help him eat more slowly. It’s fantastic that PDSA is here to help, I’m very grateful for everything they’ve done for Jake – they saved his life.”

Jake went home the next day and, after plenty of rest, he thankfully made a full recovery following his bangers binge.

PDSA Vet Nurse Cheryl Nash explained: “Jake’s condition was incredibly serious – just another few hours and its likely he wouldn’t have made it. Gastric dilation, also known as a twisted stomach, can occur when dogs eat so fast that they take in air with their food, particularly if they exercise vigorously straight afterwards.

“Deep-chested dogs, such as Weimaraners and Great Danes, are more at risk of the condition. If you have a deep-chested breed, or your dog has a tendency to wolf down food in seconds, there are bowls specially designed to help slow them down a bit at meal times.”

Gateshead Pet Hospital is one of 51 PDSA Pet Hospitals across the UK treating the sick and injured pets of people in need. The charity performs more than 10,000 treatments every single day and helping more than 470,000 pets every year. The charitable veterinary service is funded entirely by generous public support, as PDSA receives no Government or National Lottery funding for this. For more information visit www.pdsa.org.uk