Dog food supplies drop to desperate level at Plymouth Sanctuary

An animal rescue charity has made an urgent appeal for tinned dog food to replenish empty shelves at its sanctuary in Plymouth.

Woodside Animal Welfare Trust at Elfordleigh relies on tinned food for some of its most vulnerable rescue dogs, who typically get through more than 300 tins a week.

But supplies have now dropped to such a desperate level that the charity is asking if people can donate a tin or two to help replenish its shelves.

Woodside manager Helen LeCointe said: “At the moment the shelves are bare. We rely on donations of food and urgently need good quality tinned dog food, all flavours, all brands.

“If people can afford to donate just one tin it all adds up and makes such a difference.”

Whilst many of the 30 dogs currently being cared for by Woodside are on dry food, tinned food is needed for those who, for medical or welfare reasons, require an alternative.

Helen explained that some dogs are considerably unweight when they arrive at the sanctuary and gradually need building up using a diet incorporating tinned food.

Some dogs will never have tried dry food, others might have delicate stomachs or be on medication and, in each case, tinned food is an important aspect of their care.

Tinned food is also used in regular enrichment activities for the dogs to prevent them getting bored, such as ‘Kong days,’ when Kong toys are stuffed with tinned food.

The charity has collection points at Morrisons on Outland Road in Manadon, at Asda in Estover, Wilko in the Armada Centre and Plymouth Garden Centre at Crownhill.

Donations can also be made at any of the charity’s shops, directly to the sanctuary or through Woodside’s Amazon Wishlist – a link to which can be found at the of the charity’s Facebook page.