Sanctuary Life

Find out about the dogs, cats and four legged friends at the Pet Samaritans Animal Sanctuary in Derbyshire.

Poorly pigeon is picking up

We’re having to be very patient as our exhausted pigeon is taking such a long time to recover. He eats and sleeps and likes being hand fed but up until yesterday he hadn’t moved at all. Then there was a sudden break through and without any warning – he stood up! The camera wasn’t to hand and by the time it was fetched the moment had passed and he was back down again.

So it was a great relief when he repeated his performance and not only stood up for a few minutes, but walked across his cage. He’s getting a little bit better every day and when he is strong again and can fly, we’ll release him so he can go home. We’ve been assured by his owner that he is a homing pigeon and will fly straight back to his pigeon loft as soon as he’s well.

With all creatures, humans too, there is nothing better than patience.

Our new gardener is a pig

There used to be grass and nettles and brambles in the paddock but now Kevin the pig is making short work of all the weeds. Kevin is proving to be quite an efficient gardener, he eats the weeds and roots too so we don’t have to cart them away.

He didn’t know what to do with all the undergrowth when he first came in to the sanctuary, so his friend, Donna, had to show him what to do. When he saw her chopping down the nettles and digging the brambles up he soon caught on and now he’s ‘gardening’ for most of the day. That’s when he’s not having a siesta in his hut, lounging around on duvet’s and pillows! Kevin likes his comfort!

Baby rabbits for adoption

The first litter of baby rabbits are out of the nest and hopping around and eating well. They are mostly harlequin and are very pretty – just one is a golden colour all over – just like mum. The parents can be seen and have lovely temperaments so I would expect the babies to be the same. They are a bit skittish when they are this small but soon became tame when they are hand fed.

Rabbits need plenty of room with a spacious hutch or a shed is even better. They like to jump and always surprise me with their agility – they can really jump and love to sit on top of their hutch. It must be very frustrating for them when they are kept inside a hutch and don’t have a two storey condominium. The parents spend most of their time in their high-rise apartment.

Natural food is best for all rabbits so you have to allow yourself time to get out there foraging and picking fresh grass and dandelions – they get through large amounts and love munching on their leaves. Packets of cereal are not that good for rabbits, a small amount of corn is acceptable but their gut isn’t designed for maize and pellets – it’s good sweet hay and herbs and grass that is best for them. They love blackberries and brambles and nibbling on twigs – hawthorn and fruit tree twigs and they make short work of big thick bramble stems..

It’s a bit sad that a whole industry has grown up around the little rabbits with shelves of manufactured and factory made artificial feed. Rabbits are becoming a high cost pet when the reality is that you don’t need to spend hardly anything on keeping rabbits. They like porridge oats so if you have porridge for breakfast you can save a sprinkle for your pet. Mainly it’s crisp, sweet hay and you can make this yourself – cut long grass and nettles and docks and let them dry in the sun, keep turning until the ‘hay’ is dry and crackly. Then rake it up into rows and then a few hours or a day later (depending on the weather) stack it up into heaps. Store in a dry shed, either loose or in cardboard or hessian sacks. Plastic won’t do – it will go damp. Make sure that cats or other vermin can’t get in to spoil it. Horse hay racks are perfect, they allow lots of air to get in and you can hand them up out of the way.

Rabbits make delightful pets, they are a member of the family and respond very well to kindness and companionship. They do need a run attached to their hutch or a large compound where they can run about. If you can bury a large pipe underground, with an exit and entrance, they will be in heaven. Watership Down!

We’ll post Pet Sams Magazine out to you

Buy a Pet Samaritans magazine and help the sanctuary. A single issue is £2.00 including postage, it’s £10 subscription for a year and that’s quarterly – four issues. It’s packed with news, views, rescues, hints and tips and it’s a good way to boost our funds and have a good read at the same time.

If you’d like to get an answer to a pet problem, please write in or email. You can download the mag for only £1.00 but a printed copy is good to keep. Next issue is out at the end of August – articles on keeping chickens, pony patter, goats are good for you, cats and dogs, rescues and re-homing, make your own pet food and much, much more.

Cheques, p.o.’s payable to Pet Samaritans or paypal or donate online.

Write to: Pet Samaritans, P.O.BOX 745, Chesterfield, S40 9NB.

Jack Russell with skin problems

This is Jacko who came in to us a couple of weeks ago. Isn’t he a great looking little dog? He has a temperament to match and is a real sweetie and full of character. Unfortunately he has a severe skin problem and is out of condition generally. His skin is dry and tight with patches where he has lost his hair completely.

His general appearance is that of a poorly little dog, although he has a lot of spirit and still likes to go out for a walk and has a good appetite. Jacko’s skin isn’t itchy and the vet has confirmed that this is not a parasite problem, more likely hormonal or as a result of unsuitable nutrition.

Jacko is aged ten years, he looks much older though. This breed of dog usually lives to late teens and they normally stay active. Jacko came in to us when his elderly owner went in to hospital and could no longer keep him. You are what you eat and that is the same for dogs. We were told that Jacko has been complete dog food all his life. Little dogs need even more careful feeding than the larger breeds. Small meals should be packed with good nutrition and be easily digestible.

Our aim in the first instance is to get him in better condition. He’s having fresh food and natural ingredients and he loves it. We’re using Dorwest Herbs too – a sprinkle of Kelp is a good tonic, also Keepers Mix and Garlic and Fenugreek tablets make a big difference. An oily diet helps so it’s a portion of sardines and mackerel will help his skin.

Already we can see hairs sprouting through on the bald patches! It’s never too late and we hope it won’t be for this lovely little dog. We want to see him fit and well, full of beans and with a shiny, healthy coat,

Pigeon too tired to fly

When Homer the pigeon came in to Sanctuary Reception by himself, we knew he was going to be something special. Most birds are brought in by a rescuer – he came on his own. He wasn’t able to fly or even stand although we couldn’t see any injury.

Homer settled down well, he is in a cage by the window and enjoys looking out and eating his corn ration and having a drink of water and having a look what’s going on outside and …… well, you get the idea. He’s looking well and his feathers have become shiny again, he is a very handsome pigeon. Except that he doesn’t stand up – it seems as though his legs can’t bear any weight.

Homer has rings on both his legs and we eventually made contact with his owner who lives over 100 miles away, so this bird is a long way from home. He has come from a pigeon cote where he was bred. His owner entered him in a race and has been waiting patiently for him to get back, he was relieved to hear that we had taken Homer in and that the bird was still alive.

Racing pigeons is great so long as they make it back home in one piece. So many things can go wrong, flying into wires, being caught by another predator bird or having some terrible accident. When we described Homer’s condition his owner felt sure that it was exhaustion and calcium deficiency that was causing his bird’s weakness. We’ve been told to feed him extra well and when his strength is restored and he can fly again, we can let him go and he will fly home.

So far, Homer is enjoying all the food, comfort and attention that we can provide and flying is the last thing on his mind Watch this space!

Baby rabbits

There are few creatures sweeter than baby rabbits and Honeybun’s new litter are no exception. Of course, we didn’t know Honeybun was expecting. The rabbits had been sexed by an ‘expert’ when they came in so we didn’t bother to have a look ourselves – big mistake! Silva is so obviously a buck now he has grown up a bit!

However, Honeybun is a lovely mother, she has had three babies, two are harlequins like the one above and the third is ginger just like mum.

We’re having Big Daddy neutered asap, so the adult trio can then stay together as they are the best of friends. And it’s good homes wanted for the babies as soon as they are weaned. Please get in touch if you can help. 01246 455777 or contact via website.

Callie goes to her new home

There were some heartfelt goodbyes when Callie went off to her new home yesterday. She is a lovely dog and we all fell in love with her good nature and bravery over her injuries when she first came in. Callie is a sensitive soul and we knew that in the end she would choose her new people herself – and that is exactly what happened.

She has gone to a lovely home and settled in straight away – here’s what they have told us: Callie has settled really well already, she’s had a big walk and wagged her tail when she saw her lead. She has followed us all around the house with her big eyes! Currently at 9.30 pm she is sitting next to us on the settee and having lots of attention. She is really comfortable and we are both over the moon that we came to see her.

A happy ending – that’s what it’s all about!

Timothy is talkative

We’re looking for a new home for Timothy. He is one of the most laid back cat’s we’ve ever known, he loves comfort and is a good listener so you can tell him all your troubles. He responds well too with little soft meow’s – agreement? sympathy? Or is time for some more flaked tuna? Timothy is not a greedy cat but at the same time he does enjoy his meals and asks politely for ‘more please’.

He likes to look out of the window but prefers a quiet life so being an indoor cat might suit him very well indeed.

Timothy has big white big and white socks on his front feet, white stockings on his hind legs. He is very handsome. Tim likes to be fussed and picked up and cuddled but can amuse himself, mostly by watching the world go by and dreaming about fish suppers!

Timothy had a vet health check this week and passed just fine, the vet puts him at around 3-4 years old. He was vaccinated at the same time so all he wants now is ……………a home of his very own.

Isn’t it nice to have a stretch out and get really comfy!

If you’d like to come and meet Timothy please get in touch.

Injured bird arrives here on his own

We normally get injured birds brought in but when this little pigeon needed help he came here on his own – we found him lying on the floor right outside our reception. He’s a racing pigeon and at first we thought it might just be exhaustion but he hasn’t recovered, even after a good night’s rest and a dish of food. He’s eating well but can’t stand, it seems to be an injury to one or both of his legs, although they aren’t broken and there aren’t any open wounds.

Hopefully he’ll be a bit better tomorrow, at the moment he’s just having a rest. How did he know to come to us though?