Low-cost veterinary care?

[peteroldracer]

Is there any equivalent here in Spain to the PDSA? We have a neighbour - lovely chap, keeps dropping us off odd bits of veg and fruit from the campo where he works as a goatherd - but has the worst sort of Spanish attitude to pets. He keepd getting animals, tires of them then swaps them for other types, so in the last year or so he built up to 20 goats, then swapped them for a pregnant horse which is still there, complete with her colt, gave away a puppy as it was pinching shoes and generally being a puppy then when the recipent died two weeks ago brought her back. Again a lovely dog, but untrained and always will be, so we have 'abono' in our garden, but not well-rotted horse or goat abono, from both this dog plus the other one he got hold of while the one that has come back was away (keep up now!).
Worst of all is the cats, where he has one 'mother cat', her daughter (who has just had six kittens who now live in our woodpile) and a son. He never feeds them, so my OH has been doing a twice-daily feeding routine. The original mother cat had more kittens a few months back, developed mastitis, which of course he left untreated, and this has now turned into a lump the size and shape of a tennis ball, oozing green pus and blood, with the poor cat tragically thin and poorly. Although it is not our cat, we asked at the local vets if they would let us have an injection to put the animal out of its misery, but they insist we would have to bring her in - a journey of some 50kms, and a fee of 40€ including incineration, which in all honesty is more than a day's income for us, and probably more than that for her owner, not that he would think of paying out anyway. He has said that if she does not get better, he will have to put her in a sack and dump her at Riogordo rubbish tip...........
He is not a cruel man, just has a very different attitude to pets and animals to most Brits, us included. Next problem will be the kittens, although he has said that he has homes for three of them - no mention of the other three.
We have our own cat, brought at enormous cost with us from the UK, and do not want any more pets.
Any suggestions as to what can be done, anyone?

[Cassandra]

Do you have any animal shelters near you Peter? Some of them offer veterinary care at a reduced cost, though it's usually only for strays if at all. Other than that the only free or reduced price 'care' I've seen here is the annual rabies vaccination programme.

[peteroldracer]

I do not know of any shelters in the countryside - they seem to be on the coast, where there are "gullible" Brits who will pay out for treatement the locals would never contemplate!
The neighbour has prempted this enquiry by telling me he has "taken the old cat to his brother's house, where there is a safe place for her to be".........whatever the truth of the situation, the cat is no longer around.
My OH was asking why vets could not offer a cost-price neutering or extermination service, and does not like my hoest but blunt opinion "why should they?".

[Cassandra]

The vets do offer a reduced price service to the shelters, after all it's steady business for them. I suspect the reason they don't do it for the public is that they have been scammed in the past by people claiming the dog/cat is a stray. Having said that I've seen our local vet check for a microchip and do a basic health check on a stray someone brought in while we where there and didn't make any charge at all. You could say why should he, it only cost him time, but he had paying clients waiting so would have been justified in making a small charge if he chose to do so.

It's not just gullible Brits on the coast. I had to wait in the vets one day while and elderly Spanish lady bought an assortment of toys and various treats for her pampered pooch!

[Beachcomber]

I have to say that our local vet charges us peanuts for treating the three dogs that have adopted us. This seems to be a general rule amongst local vets although they charge rather more for the treatment of purchased pedigrees.

[jwc]

"Worst of all is the cats, where he has one 'mother cat', her daughter (who has just had six kittens who now live in our woodpile) and a son. He never feeds them, so my OH has been doing a twice-daily feeding routine"

This is what happens when town comes to country, cats are predators an are normally kept by country people to keep vermin down and if you feed them they will not hunt (they do not have to).

[Troglodyfae]

I would not agree with that jwc. I have had cats all my life, and obviously I feed them, but the two I have right now both hunt, and are pretty good at it too. Far too good if the truth were known.

[jwc]

From what you say I think yours are hunting for pleasure (birds etc), if they were serious hunters it would be rats, mice and rabbits. We have two which are never in the house and never get fed and I think you would struggle to find cats in better condition anywhere.

[fearfulfred]

Two weeks ago I took my dog to the local vet in Colmenar. His foot was infected. He was given antibiotics and an anti inflammatory twice in that week.The only charge was for the medication. 10 euros each visit. He apparently has a soft spot for dogs!

Fred