An animal hospital in Salford struggling to deal with thousands of injured animals every year is to build new kennels to cope with demand.
Plans are now in the works to build six kennels and six dog pens at the RSCPA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital on Eccles New Road.
It’s been funded by a staggering £80,000 in donations from people leaving money in their wills to the hospital, and a pot of funding from the WG Harvey Discretionary Trust, a charitable trust dedicated to the prevention of cruelty to animals.
The busy hospital sees pets brought in from all over Salford, Manchester, Bolton, Warrington, Oldham, Stockport and Cheshire.
But an explosion in the number of dogs being brought in to the hospital by RSPCA inspectors means the hospital is bursting at the seams.
In 2014 alone 6,660 dogs were rescued from neglectful or abusive owners.
Many need urgent or life-saving surgery.
And there’s currently nowhere at the centre for sick, injured or confiscated dogs to stay and recover before they’re rehomed.
Some are also tied up in court cases and have nowhere to stay while their owners are in court.
“The neglect and abuse we see in these poor animals can be harrowing but it’s motivation for all of us to provide better care,” said hospital manager Ben Faulkner, 30.
“Only a few years ago we were running at 98% public appointment work, but the increase in cases of abused animals brought in by inspectors means their work now takes up 40% of our time.
“These new kennels mean we’ll be able to spend more time and give the most vulnerable dogs a better quality of care, and that’s what it’s all about.”
A new 840sq ft single storey detached block will be built at the corner of Eccles New Road and Kirkham Street after plans were passed by Salford City Council.
It’s hoped these kennels will help the hospital to cope with the cases they receive from inspectors.
RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital – Google Street View
It costs £3,750 a day – over £1.3m a year – to run the hospital.
11 vets, four veterinary nurses and 11 hospital assistants nurse animals in five wards, as well as running a busy operating theatre with laboratory, ultrasound machine and radiography room.
Its current capacity for 103 animals is not enough.
In the past year alone members of the public brought in 20,960 animals for treatment by appointment.
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Around 30,000 animals pass through the doors of the Greater Manchester Animal Hospital every year, nearly 115 every day of the week.
Gould Singleton Architects, acting on behalf of the RSPCA, argued in planning documents: “Currently the animal hospital does not have a facility to keep dogs temporarily and the demand for this sort of capability is high.
“These dogs need somewhere to stay to or moved back to where they belong.”
To contact the RSPCA Greater Manchester Animal Hospital call 0300 123 0711 between 9am and 4pm on weekdays. An emergency service for registered users is available on 07900 244788 after 4pm and at weekends.
