Emergency appeal launched to keep charity’s veterinary clinic open as rising costs bite

An emergency appeal has been launched in a bid to help keep a town’s charity-operated veterinary clinic open.

A Crowdfunder appeal aims to raise £295,000 in order to keep the doors of the Rhyl Veterinary Clinic – based on Vaughan Street – open.

The clinic received more than 10,000 calls for assistance during 2024 and delivered frontline support to  3,116 animals – some 700 more animals than the previous year.

Now, staff are calling on the local community to support them to keep helping local animals in need.

In total, the branch saw 1,581 cats, 1,385 dogs and 150 other animals at their clinic in 2024, which provides affordable veterinary treatment, including neutering and microchipping and all surgical and veterinary needs for animals that come into the branch’s care. They also support pets whose owners are in receipt of state benefits or have lower annual incomes and covers the whole of north Wales.

Lifesaving care

The clinic also provides life-saving care to a wide range of sick and injured wildlife brought in by members of the public.

Cats, dogs and rabbits are the most commonly treated companion animals at the clinic and staff work hard to promote responsible pet ownership, through vaccination, neutering, microchipping and the provision of animal welfare advice. Last year in October a cat neutering event at the clinic was also held and hailed a success after 31 cats were seen over two days.

RSPCA Clwyd and Colwyn Branch Manager Kieren Barlow said: “This is the biggest appeal we have ever launched and we are asking everyone – from our loyal supporters, to animal lovers and the wider community – to come together and help us through this financial crisis.

“We would be incredibly grateful for any donations towards our Crowdfunder appeal. No donation is ever too small and every penny counts to help us provide a lifeline to more animals in need. Sadly, with so many costs spiralling, we need people’s support now more than ever.

“We would like to thank everyone who has donated or offered to help us so far – we very much appreciate this support at this worrying time.”

“Challenging environment”

The branch does come under the national RSPCA family umbrella but is a separately registered charity.

Keiren said rising costs have sadly taken their toll.

“We are working through such a challenging environment at the moment,” he said. “Rising costs and expenditure has hit us hard.

“We can see that the cost of living is having an impact on pet owners – but this is also having an impact on us as a branch too. We want to keep our doors open so we can help animals in need in the area, but we first need some help.”

If you are able to help or offer any support, pop into the clinic, email reception@rspca-clwydandcolwyn.org.uk or call 01745 610383. Members of the public can also visit their Facebook page.

For more information about the RSPCA Animal Welfare Clinic, visit their website. RSPCA branches are self-funding and raise money locally to support the animal welfare work they do.