False statements from P@H

It has come to our attention that Pets at Home have been claiming to be supporting Avalon Guinea Pig Rescue with various posters in their shops. It must be known that NO such agreement between us or Pets at Home has ever been made and this includes Pets at Home using our photos without permission. We have contacted Pets at Home regarding these issues and we advise our customers and supporters to contact the rescue should you see more of these posters as well as not to believe this to be a true statement.

November 10th, 2012

A huge thank you to everyone that contacted the RSPCA with regards to the guinea pig auctions that are held at Melton Market! Avalon Guinea Pig Rescue discovered earlier this year that a Fur & Feather auction is held at Melton Mowbray market on Tuesday mornings. We have been attending the auction as often as we can since we discovered that a proportion of the guinea pigs put into the auction to be sold to the public are in poor health. The Melton Market auction is now aware of these health problems and all the piggies are checked by us before being auctioned off

We have been working with the RSPCA and Trading Standards/Animal Welfare to try and identify these poorly piggies and get them withdrawn from the auction and, where this is not possible, bring home as many of them as we can with us to Avalon for medical treatment and care.



The health problems we have encountered include very bad mite infestations resulting in a range of symptoms from bald patches and red itchy skin to scabbing and weeping sores. Inbreeding problems are also rife such as extra nipples and toes, blindness and disfigured legs. Calcium deficiencies have also resulted in piggies that can't walk properly and many are badly undernourished. Finally, there are a lot of guinea pigs put in the auction that have been kept in a confined space with others which have resulted in fighting injuries from badly torn and ripped ears to cuts, scabs and wounds over their bodies. An example of the latter is shown in photos below (not for the squeamish). This guinea pig (see 'Soldier' on sponsor page) was put into the auction for sale to the public with a large open wound; other partly healed wounds over his body; and wounds to his mouth and nose. Our vet was so appalled by his injuries that he was left speechless.

   Original Infection    

   After 2 days treatment.   

After a week, hair growing back too.

 
Thanks to your emails to the RSPCA, Avalon have now been authorised to check all the guinea pigs that are put into the auction and advise the RSPCA of any that need to be withdrawn due to health problems. Also, any piggies we find that are very poorly or badly injured are confiscated by the RSPCA rather than being returned to their owner.

We are still campaigning to get our other recommendations as follows put into place at the auction:

• 1. Any Guinea pigs that are removed from the auction by the RSPCA because the animals are in no fit condition should be confiscated rather than being returned to their owner. Visits to the owner's premises should be conducted.


• 2. Melton Market should be encouraged to auction off guinea pigs & rabbits BEFORE the birds. The former are more traumatised by the condition, do not drink and become badly dehydrated over the several hours they are in the cages. The birds however are not too traumatised to drink therefore are better able to withstand several hours in the cages.



We are now seeing a noticed improvement in the conditions of the piggies at the auctions, a big thank you to everyone including the staff at the market who allow us to check every guinea pig that is entered for auction and to those who  played their part in helping raise the awareness of the problem