January 2009
Last year we were alerted to the case of a Shetland in dept. 17 that had severely overgrown feet.
As the Maire had already been contacted we spoke to the SPA who contacted a local organisation to take the case on. Unfortunately we now know no action was taken – when the original person who reported it told us this we immediately started communications with the DDSV to push this case.
Last week we were contacted by the DDSV for that department to inform us that they had been out, and that the owner has now been notified to take action to rectify the pony’s condition. We will of course be following this up shortly to find out what improvements have been made.
Here is the pony then…
And now…..
For the past year or so we have been pushing the authorities to act in a case of neglect to 4 Shetland ponies feet in the Charente. Their feet had been grossly neglected for years making it extremely difficult for them to walk about.
Strangely though, they were otherwise reasonably cared for with ample hay and shelter provided. We are very pleased to report that the ponies feet have now been attended to and we hope that they see a farrier on a regular basis now and not allowed to get into that state again.
Hoof neglect is a large problem in France that regularly gets reported to us – a neglect that the authorities still do not rate highly enough on their list of concerns. We constantly have battles with the authorities to get help to those equines most vulnerable in France.
We are often contacted regarding welfare cases that vary in severity – from gently reminding the owner to make improvements to involving the DDSV (Directions Départementales des Service Vétérinaires).
Due to the delicate nature involved in dealing with welfare cases we cannot always disclose all the details, but please be assured we are constantly working on our cases and we ask for your patience whilst we try to help them.
If you notice an equine that may need help then please look HERE for information on what you can do.