Page 3 - Paws and Hooves - Autumn 2020

FUNDRAISING
Lockdown life
C OVID-19 has clearly changed the world as we knew it and provided all of us with some of the most challenging and difficult times we could ever imagine. However,
the situation has also led to some really positive responses and it has been truly heartening to see our community and supporters look out for one another or to raise vital funds for animal health and care.
The RVC hospitals have continued to provide critical emergency care for those pets who needed it. With a reduced staff and the logistical challenges of carrying out clinical procedures during a pandemic, life in our hospitals was far from easy but there have been some wonderful stories to celebrate, such as restoring Hermione the cat’s pad via a skin graft (see page 9).
Students and staff from across the Royal Veterinary College donated scrubs, loaned essential medical equipment to the NHS, gave vital PPE to local care homes and hospices, and supported each other through a very testing time.
Our Fundraising Team have been working from home since the middle of March and while remote working can be challenging, there have been some incredible fundraising success stories...
London Marathon runners continued to balance their training and fundraising through lockdown with delay after delay to the event this year.
They are all now set to run in the ‘virtual’ Virgin London Marathon on Sunday 4th October in their various corners of the UK. Good luck to them and
if you see them do give them a hoot or a wave. Hertfordshire, Surrey and the Peak District are their
NEWS
new race tracks and they will have more than earned their medals this year!
• £16,000 was raised from our Spring edition of Paws & Hooves
• School children across London and Hertfordshire took part in our Animal Inspiration art competition
• Our first ever online pet show saw over 750 entries, providing much-needed relief for pet owners during lockdown
• 34 people set up new regular monthly gifts to support our work
Our pets have been there for us. Through thick and thin we have been supported by our furry, scaled and winged friends. The benefits of animal friendships have been very clear for centuries, but life in lockdown has proven how vital they are to our physical and mental wellbeing.
Thank goodness for the unconditional love and support of our pets and thanks to you for continuing to help us through this crisis.
testing for the virus in captive and pet animals has revealed a small number of cases where animals have become infected through contact with an infected person. Importantly, there is no evidence that pets represent a risk of transmitting SARS- CoV-2 to people.”
“Veterinary guidance to minimise the low risk
of people infecting their pets is focused on dogs and cats and recommends that a person with COVID-19 avoids contact with their pet (or wears gloves and a face covering when handling the pet); that the pet is kept indoors while there are signs of
Paws & Hooves Autumn 2020
COVID-19 in people in a household (the exception is that dogs can be walked once a day but not by a COVID-19 positive person); and that anyone handling a pet washes their hands regularly before and after contact.”
“As well as minimising the risk of pets becoming infected, these simple precautions also reduce the risk of the pet’s fur being contaminated with the virus (just like a door handle or other inanimate object) and the infection being transmitted by
that indirect route as the pet moves from place to place.”
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