Going into and leaving hospital

Caring for pets

If you are having difficulties caring for your pets, like exercising your dog, you could contact a pet care service. There are many companies who offer pet walking or sitting services listed in the Yellow Pages. You could also try your local good neighbour group or church to see if there is anyone there who could help.

If you feel that you can no longer look after your pet contact the Cinnamon Trust who have volunteers across the country providing both long and short term foster care. The foster carers will keep owners informed about the welfare of their pets.

What will happen to my pet when I go into hospital?

If you have a pet and go into hospital, you will need someone to look after it whilst you are there.

The most common option is to ask a family member, neighbour or friend to help to look after your pet in the short term, but if this is not possible, for cats and dogs, you may need to contact a local cattery or kennel. You should find details of these in the telephone directory.

However, if someone is admitted to hospital in an emergency and there is no one else who can care for the pet, the County Council has a duty to fund board and lodging for the pet pending the outcome of the hospital stay. Call Adult Services on 0845 603 5630 and they will contact the hospital social work team who will sort out the care of your pet.

Once the outcome of the emergency had been resolved the County Council would look for alternative accommodation for the pet. They would always try to have pets cared for by friends or family of their owners wherever possible.

 

Organisations who may be able to help you

 
 
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What am I entitled to?

The local authority is here to help everyone understand their needs and, if required, provide an assessment. To understand what help you are entitled to in more detail, please see what help am I entitled to.