Counting cost of charity care; RECORD PETS.

Byline: NEIL McINTOSH

THE Peoples' Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) is the UK's leading veterinary charity, caring for more than 350,000 pets that are owned by people in need.

Across Britain, there are 43 PDSA hospitals and four branches that provide free veterinary treatment to eligible owners.

In order to qualify, owners need to live within the catchment area of a PDSA hospital and must get financial help in the form of either housing benefit or council tax benefit.

Proof of benefit and identification must be shown at the first visit. Once registered, a Client Agreement is provided, which must be presented on each occasion that treatment is required.

Currently, the PDSA employs 261 veterinary surgeons and 297 veterinary nurses and the average cost of a single treatment for a sick or injured pet is pounds 143. All of the total annual cost of pounds 48million has to be funded from public donations.

In communities that are too small to justify a full blown PDSA Petaid hospital, the PDSA has formed arrangements with local, private veterinary practices to provide free treatment on its behalf. Each practice has its own catchment area, and is only allowed to provide treatment for owners who live within these specific areas.

Again, clients must get housing benefit or council tax benefit and must register with the practice by completing a form, which is sent to the PDSA. The form must be accompanied by a pounds 5 postal order, to help with administration costs, and a copy of proof of benefits.

To help with the cost of treatment, the PDSA pays the private practices a small amount each month for every registered pet that they look after. Any donations by clients are returned to the PDSA.

Unfortunately, with 33,646 registered clients and a total cost of over pounds 4.5million, only pounds 327,601 was received in donations last year.

More clients are finding themselves in financial difficulty and turning from private veterinary care to seek charity status. As they do, practice income is lost but the cost of treatment remains the same. It is hard to see how some practices will be able to continue their current commitment to the cause.

In our practice, for example, the number of registered PDSA clients has gone up from 400 to nearly 500.

We have had to take steps to reduce our costs by excluding some giant breeds and those prone to illness. This may seem harsh, but it can be argued that those in financial hardship should not aim to own these breeds anyway.

With other costs rising too, there is only so much that private practice can contribute to charitable treatments.

SHOW NEWS

August 15: Afghan Hound Club of Scotland's Championship Show, in the Jack Kane Centre, Edinburgh, at 10.30am. Upperward of Lanarkshire Canine Society's Open Show, in Lanark Agricultural Centre, at 9.45am.

August 16: Old English Sheepdog Club of Scotland's Open Show in the Community Centre, Bargeddie, at 11.30am. Falkirk and District Canine Society's Open Show, in Bathgate Sports Centre.

FUTURESHOWS

September 13: Irish Setter Club of Scotland's OpenShowin Alva. Schedules from Mr Marshall. Tel: [phone]. Entries close August 15.

September 20: Tibetan Terrier Club of Scotland''s Open Show in North Queensferry. Entries close tomorrow. Further information from Mrs Gregory. Tel: [phone].