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  1. Home
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  4. The week in animal welfare: Volume #8
Blog

The week in animal welfare: Volume #8

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  • RSPCA Australia
  • Friday, 12 May 2017
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Welcome back to our ‘Week in Animal Welfare’ roundup. Get comfortable in front of your keyboard and click through to read the latest news in animal welfare.

There have been two big stories in greyhound racing this week

How The Dogs Of Disgraced Greyhound Trainers Still Race For Thousands Of Dollars

With ongoing strikes and staff cuts, we’re all concerned about the future of good quality journalism in the digital age. Thankfully, Gina Rushton at Buzzfeed has published an outstanding investigative piece on greyhound owners and trainers who are transferring dogs between family members to get around bans and suspensions.

Soft penalties not the way to fix greyhound problems

Also this week, Justin Smith at the Herald Sun has written a compelling opinion piece to remind us why the greyhound racing industry came under scrutiny in the first place, and how important it is to stay tough in our approach to the cruelty, drugs and slaughter that seem to be rife in the industry.

BFF cat food recall

We were all very concerned this week to hear some cats were reportedly falling ill, and even dying, after consuming BFF tinned cat food.  The food, which was sold in PetBarn outlets throughout the nation, was promptly recalled.

If you’ve purchased this food, do not feed it to your cat. The latest advice is, if your pet is showing any anorexia (loss of appetite) and/or neurological signs, then treatment with thiamine is recommended – get to see your vet ASAP.

Everyone loves smushy-faced dogs — but it's really bad to buy one.

The Dodo Impact Facebook page has more than 1.9 million followers internationally, so it was great news this week when they produced and published a video on vets’ warnings about the health issues of flat-faced dogs such a French Bulldogs.

If you share our concerns for the suffering of these dogs, visit www.loveisblind.org.au and join our campaign.

Dr Harry is looking for clever chooks!

Like us, Dr Harry Cooper from TV’s Better Homes and Gardens knows how smart hens are! Chickens are actually very intelligent: they have great memories, can make complex decisions and even have over 20 different calls. If you haven’t already, jump on to our Facebook page, check out the pics and videos of Australia cleverest chickens, and add your own!

And if you agree that chickens are way too smart to be kept in miserable and barren battery cages, visit www.endthebatterycage.org,au to add your voice to our campaign.

And a final word from us …

If you haven’t decided what to get Mum for Mothers’ Day yet, or you just need an extra little gift fast, jump on to our website and send her a personalised eGift eCard – www.rspcagifts.org.au .

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