Demand soars as income plummets for PDSA

PDSA has announced it has carried out 500,000 telephone consultations since the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

Demand for the charity’s services has soared since the start of the pandemic and a telephone appointment system installed in March has now been used more than half a million times.

‘Essential’

PDSA vet Paul Manktelow said: “Providing remote consults has allowed pets to access the essential veterinary care they need, while freeing up the space and time needed in our pet hospitals to treat the sickest pets and emergencies in a socially distant manner.

“Leading into the first lockdown we started offering our first remote consultations. Within weeks we were delivering around 2,000 telephone appointments daily, which has now risen to more than 2,300 a day.”

Fund-raising

The pandemic has resulted in PDSA’s income falling by £3 million a month in 2020 due to all fund-raising events being cancelled and its charity shops temporarily closing their doors.

This is coupled with an expected increase in unprecedented demand for its services as many more pet owners fall on hard times.

Appreciated

Dr Manktelow added: “Delivering half a million remote appointments in eight months just shows what vital assistance PDSA provides for a huge number of pet owners.

“For many, we are their only emergency service – a safety net when times are tough, but we rely entirely on generous public support to keep our charitable veterinary services running. We greatly appreciate every donation, to help us to continue to be there for much-loved pets in need.”