'Horses are starving to death and we can do nothing' - animal rescue

Paul Neilan

A pet rescue near Shercock has had to stop taking abandoned animals because of a lack of funding and says “horses are starving to death and we can do nothing”.
However, Carole Mansfield, of Lily’s Rescue, say that the shortfall in funding will not see them “lie down” and they are appealing for donations.
The group estimate they will be unable to take any dogs or equine animals for at least a month as they struggle with the expense of keeping the abandoned pets.
“We rely on fundraising and donations from the public to survive as we get only a tiny grant from the government at Christmas time, which, this year, didn’t pay our vet bill for the two-week period over the holidays.
“We have temporarily stopped taking more dogs at the present time until we can we raise more funds,” says Carole. “The cost of every dog that comes into the rescue is around €200 by the time they are vaccinated, chipped and spayed and, of course, many are not in the best of health when they get here so require more extensive medical care, which can escalate costs considerably.” 

The cost of keeping abandoned horses, however, is far higher and the €1,400 grant received at Christmas is the tip of the iceberg for the registered charity.
“Every week in the news we are reading of the desperate situation with equines all over Ireland and here in Cavan we are trying to do our bit to help, but again are held back by space and funding, horses are starving to death and we can do nothing. Well we do not intend to take this lying down and would be glad to hear from people who would like to be involved and skills that might be helpful.”

Donate by calling (042) 969 1600 or 086 864 5675.
www.lilysrescue.com or check Facebook for Lily’s dog rescue.