To give to PDSA instead of RSPCA

[Meadowland]

With the austerity measures likely to now continue, many more people may be unable to afford vet's bills. The PDSA who do a fabulous job, will probably be stretched to cope.
Meanwhile, the RSPCA, have been utterly dismal in responding to any requests to help animals in need, both from myself and from others I know. They also, as far as I am aware, have a lot of legacies left to them, but have consistently refused to help struggling smaller animal charities.
If you are thinking of making a donation, the PDSA is definitely my choice.

Give to whoever you want, why do you need to ask if you're unreasonable?

Every time I have called RSPCA out in a professional capacity they have refused and smaller local charities have been more accommodating.
They have millions in the bank and like to spend the money on shiny vehicles and uniform.
Shit charity playing on cute puppy photos to generate bequeaths.

I would go with the PDSA. I needed to report an animal but was told by a few people that they would put the animal down and not help it.

“Told by a few people” @KatherineJaneway based on what knowledge or experience.
I do support our local branch of the RSPCA but we also have a wonderful small local charity that I tend to favour. They do amazing work without national support.

I've never had a bad experience with the RSPCA, they've always responded when I've reported an animal in distress.

However YANBU to give to whoever you choose, and the PDSA is a worthy cause.

Yanbu the rspca are rubbish now, give to a smaller local charity.

I donated to the PDSA every month on payday and then would pop into the local branch to pick up a shopping list of things they needed right away, as I had been so grateful for them looking after the Best Cat in the World several years previously when I'd been too sick to work.

I took in the usual big boxes of washing powder, ten packs of kitchen towels, tins of mackerel in tomato sauce and, because the Best Cat in the World had died two days beforehand, £85 worth of specialist renal food in little tins, as I thought it was so agonisingly expensive, it would be good for them to have some tins to hand out or give to inpatients.

I got loudly berated in the waiting room in front of everybody by a nurse for not giving them money and that there was no way this would begin to cover the costs of any animal's treatment so I should go home and come back with my bank card if I wanted to make a contribution to the amounts they were spending on my animal.

I left in tears. Not only was I doing it long after the animal had ceased to be their patient, as I'd got a job, the soil over the poor bastarding animal's grave hadn't even settled at that point.

I went home and, once I'd stopped crying, cancelled my Standing Order and told them exactly why I was doing so.

Find a smaller rescue/charity and help them.

I caught some of a programme featuring the PDSA the other day. 1 thing really stood out a mile.
NONE of the pet owners said thank you, not a single one.
Compared to The Supervet it was a real eye-opener!

FesteredFairy OMG! That's awful! But then again,I suppose that I shouldn't be too surprised. I witness so many incidents of bad manners these days.

Mitzik That is awful! My heart goes out to you.

I will never forgive the RSPCA for the way they handled the Peel case, where Arabian horses were rescued. If you Google you'll find the sad story, the Daily Mail for one covered it. I was one of those ringing the RSPCA within 24 hours of the seizure offering a home for a horse. Little knowing that they'd already destroyed most of them. For example horses killed because they were a bit hot to handle and had rainscald... The Arab Horse Society were offering help and ignored. The lies came out in court eventually, where it transpired that the RSPCA were claiming livery costs for horses long dead. These weren't little feral ponies, they were well bred horses known to the Arab community. One mare - Taragun - broke a leg while the RSPCA were dealing with her and they travelled her in that state.

That's appalling MitziK

I ran the London marathon for the PDSA in years gone by, for this very reason. Another good animal charity is Compassion in World Farming

You just donate to whatever charity you want to support no need to announce it.

@Finfintytint My feeling exactly. Super rich, but unwilling to help animals when called out. Not just my experiences, but others I know too.
Contrast with the small animal shelters who are willing to help, despite most struggling financially.

YANBU OP. I used to have a direct debit for the RSPCA, only £10 a month but had it for around 8 years. They never came out when I called and I used to work for an insurer where I saw the salaries of their management. I cancelled the DD and now donate to various small charities and rescues who do amazing work. I also take my old clothes etc to the PDSA to sell in their shops

I think the RSPCA has become too political and they've pursued certain court cases unnecessarily in my opinion. I would also donate to PDSA or maybe the Blue Cross.

Or places like Tigglewinkles hospital in Buckinghamshire which seems to do amazing things for wildlife (was featured on BBC Countryfile on Sunday).

I know lots of animal shelters are struggling as many people can no longer afford to keep their animals, so more need re homing, and also the shelters are receiving less donations.
When I wrote to the RSPCA to ask if they could help our struggling local shelter with some of their reserve cash, they basically said no.

I wouldn't give the RSPCA the steam of my piss, to paraphrase Frank McCourt. PDSA all the way, OP.

Is this just a thread to bash the RSPCA?

They might not be the most well run charity but they help more animals than any other, and are the only charity able to push for welfare prosecutions. For every animal they are unable to help, they help many many more.

All those saying that the won;t donate because they don't help, or the money just goes to the fatcat bosses, are taking money away from the individual rescue centres and the inspectors who work really hard and dedicate their lives to helping animals.

What you have to remember is that the RSPCA are often not able to comment on individual cases so it looks like they haven't done anything.

And they can only work within the law - you may have seen someone hitting their dog, but without physical proof, the courts are not going to authorise a warrant to remove the dog.
Yes the dog might be left in the garden all day and that's really sad, but as long as it has food, water and shelter, then they cannot remove it.

If the prosecute and fail - waste of money
If they don't prosecute - not doing anything

YANBU. I wouldn't give to the RSPCA if they were the last charity on earth.

Every time I have called RSPCA out in a professional capacity they have refused and smaller local charities have been more accommodating.

This has been my experience. Never received any help on numerous occasions. The PDSA have helped me with the animals of very poor clients more than once. And the clients did say thank you!

@LochJessMonster Seems to be the opinion of most posters though that the RSPCA do not respond to ANYTHING so why give them money?
Having failed to get the RSPCA to investigate an animal I reported in distress, I went on to call my local shelter ( in financial difficulties ) who investigated and rescued a very badly emaciated animal.
Honestly, which one of those would you give your money to?

We only donate to the local animal charity that is run purely by volunteers. I know the money is spent on the animals rather than salaries.

A local RSPCA officer died trying to rescue stranded gannets during a storm. So clearly some do respond to calls for help, in circumstances that dangerous to those responding.