Dogs late night death puts spotlight on closed animal hospital
Animal activist Moira Delia raises concerns on closure of animal hospital after dog dies of heart attack because owners couldn't find late night care
Animal activist Moira Delia has raised concerns over delays in the reopening of the animal hospital after receiving cases from pet owners who have suffered the loss of their pet due to being unable to get late night urgent pet care.
“The reality we face when it comes to needing access to urgent care for our pets in this country is alarming,” she told MaltaToday on Thursday. “How do we not have a 24/7 facility where to take our pets during emergencies?”
The activist recounted the case of Danny, an eight-year-old dog who passed away after suffering a heart attack when his owners tried to get in urgent contact with the animal hospital, however, no one answered them.
The activist highlighted that this is one of many cases where a pet owner couldn’t find access to urgent pet care, leading to their pet passing away.
Earlier this year, Animal Rights Minister Anton Refalo and Education Minister Clifton Grima announced the animal hospital will reopen come next year.
The closure of the animal hospital has been subject to condemnation by animal activits and government critics in the past year, having been temporarily closed since 18 August 2023.
Animal Welfare Commissioner Alison Bezzina had also urged authorities to reopen the facility in her 2023 annual report.
The family of Danny detailed in a statement how the dog was taken out on a walk on the 26 November and it was full of energy. When they returned home the dogs lost stability in its legs.
The pet owners took the dog to a vet in Attard where they checked him out quickly and decided to keep him for observation until 9pm that evening.
The family explained how they were asked to return back to the vet in the morning for more tests as nothing looked concerning, and the vet doesn’t keep pets overnight.
“However, at around 11pm, the dog started crying and whimpering, made a sudden movement which looked like a cardiac arrest, dropped and stopped breathing," they stated.
The family had nowhere to go, as it was late and all vets were closed. They turned to the Malta Veterinary Association which provides a number on their website for their “24-Hour Small Animal Emergency Service.”
“When we arrived in Ta’ Qali near the hospital, we saw bright signposts indicating the entrance for emergency service,” they said. “We went down quickly but the main door was obviously closed, and the security told us the hospital was closed.”
The family explained how as they were on the way to the Attard clinic, the dog had another heart attack but this time, he did not recover after CPR was performed. “Once at the clinic, the VET, who was the only person in the clinic, confirmed that there was no heartbeat and declared it dead at 11:30pm."
The family has questioned how in a small island like Malta, there is not one facility offering 24/7 services for pet owners.
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