Island Echo always welcome letters to the editor, which may of course not reflect the views of the publication and its staff.
Letter to the editor – 20th April 2021
Robert Lowe, Bembridge
“To all the vets that refused to help a badly injured swan, I say shame on you all! I don’t need to identify you; you all know who you are!
Article continues below this advertisement “Early on Saturday morning I was contacted by one of my houseboat neighbours, frantically trying to help a badly injured swan that lie next to his boat. He came to me because he knew my wife and myself are friends with a local lady that takes in and looks after injured waterfowl. I came and took a look which shocked and distressed me. The swan was lying on some weed, covered in blood, with a shattered right wing. What was left of the wing was hanging on by just skin, and there was a large section of bone protruding at its shoulder.
“By the marks on the mud, we could see that the swan had staggered some distance, dragging what remained of its wing behind it, as it looked for a place to hide. Eventually exhausted and shattered it could go no further. As the swan lay there, it tried its best to bite off what was left of its wing bones. The poor creature must have been terrified and in agony.
“I contacted my rescue lady friend, and she contacted her husband, a woodsman who was working in the forest. My neighbour began calling the RSPCA and all the vets he could. At this point there was nothing we could do for the swan but watch. We kept our distance, and kept quiet so as not to add any more stress to the bird. The RSPCA said there was no direct action they could take, but would cover any vet’s bill. Two other rescue services were unavailable so messages were left. One by one each and every vet contacted refused to help saying they were too busy! One vet from Ryde did ring back later to see if they could help, but by then it was all over.
“Within minutes of the rescue lady and her husband arriving the swan had been captured and carefully loaded into a “swan bag” for lifting and transportation. The rescue lady’s husband was amazing, he knew exactly how to approach the swan, capture it, fold its shattered wing, and get it into the carry bag. The bird was hissing as loudly as it could, and would have put up a fight if it could, but within 2 minutes, he was quiet and on his way to her farm.
“We told her that all the vets contacted had said, can’t help, too busy, and she said “I’m not surprised, I get this all the time with vets, they are not interested in wild animals!” She contacted a vet she knows well, a Frenchman, yes that’s right, a Frenchman living on our island, who put all our countrymen to shame by dropping what he was doing, and was at the farm waiting when the swan arrived. Unfortunately, the swan, a young male, was so badly injured there was no way its wing could be fixed. The swan had lost so much blood and was in such distress, the only kind thing to do was to end its life, and end its suffering.
Article continues below this advertisement “When the rescue lady phoned me to tell me the bad news, she was already in tears. By the time that call ended, she wasn’t the only one!
“I want to say to each and every vet that was asked to help and refused, that when an animal lies injured and in distress, and a member of the public contacts you for help, we don’t give a damn how busy you are, nobody does! we don’t want to hear what you can’t do; we want to hear what you can do and how quickly you can do it! Damn you, all of you! If it was up to me, I would cancel your licence to practice veterinary care with immediate effect. And don’t any of you dare come to Bembridge Harbour to look at the swans, you have forfeited that pleasure!
“Don’t anybody dare say to me it was just a sawn!”
Well Said, and needed to be said! Shame it had to be said.
Island vets only help when there is money to be had with no effort
Shame no vet helped, but note the RSPCA said they would cover costs so money wasn’t the issue.
Just like private dentists
Maybe you should spend a day working in veterinary care. It’s the animal equivalent to our emergency care doctor and nurses. Be careful with your words please.
It is the same old story on the Island. MOST vets here are only interested in making a huge profit from the suffering of our pets,, one company refused to help our injured dog until we had paid £500 to ‘cover our costs’ to put stitches in her leg and a few injections! We also had to pay extra for visits to check her progress and to remove her stitches 4 weeks later,,, only for the wound to re-open 2 hours later!! I am sure we MAY have some genuine caring individuals, but when big business takes over, morals and care go out of the window!
So excruciatingly sad. Thank you, Mr Lowe and everyone else who tried to help this poor, injured swan, thank you for caring, when others didn’t.
What a distressing story, so sad. In some ways I wish you had named and shamed them. At least we would know those vets that actually don’t give a damn However, your well written report needed saying even though it made difficult reading.
Most Island Vets’ clinics have been made corporate in recent years (similar to dentists!). Subsequently, a large number of vets have left the surgeries because working conditions have become unsustainable, and are often working now as locums. It’s not the vets themselves you should have a go at, it is the organisations that have taken over the surgeries…
Please name them, that way they will think again about not helping without money….
Money was offered, this is a time and resource issue. If they had picked the swan up and taken it to a practice it would have been treated. Or do you expect vets (who are over worked as it is) to stop treating their current patient to drive out to pick up and then treat a wild animal?
Although it is unpleasant watching any animal suffer – it is hardly the vets fault that it happened and neither is it their responsibility to respond. The letter writer sure did come across as a modern day warrior white knight – ready to defend the swan’s honour by slating all those that would dare to refuse help.
If you live in the countryside you better get used to seeing animals suffering – especially wild animals. Reading between the lines the letter writer appeared, (to me), to be shouting at the top of their voice how full of honour they are compared someone that wouldn’t drop everything and attend to the swan free of charge.
I have read the story about the swan with horror but without surprise. Firstly thank you to the wonderful people who tried to help the poor Swan. I understand why this ended with tears. Well said Robert lowe. Totally agree with you! Rspca are useless and vets only care about money! I think I know the French vet who helped you and I will message him. I have already changed my vet to him anyway. Robert lowe if there is anything I can do then please let me know. Maybe send a copy of this article to veterinary body. Kay loughnane
At least one vet clinic being shamed offered to see the swan at the practice if it could be brought in to them as leaving the practice unattended to see the swan would have meant leaving critically ill patients unattended. If that was your pet being neglected to visit a swan that ultimately was able to be transported anyway you would be slagging the vets off again. The profession has the highest suicide rate due to this sort of ignorance and abuse. Shame on you Robert Lowe!
To be honest with you, I think your being quite unfair. You are giving ALL vets a bad name over this. Surely the RSPCA should have been the ones to come out.
I know the french vet he is AMAZING, anytime my doggies have needed him urgently he has made space for them. I was told french vets are very caring and not all about money money money, they are true animal lovers!! Thankyou to the people that helped the poor swan, and to Olivier the french wonderful loving caring brilliant vet xx ❤️❤️
All Swans are property of Her Majesty
They should have helped the poor Swan.
What would the Queen think of Island Vets
I think the Queen has other things on her mind at the moment.
Yes, shame on them indeed. Shocking, thank you for doing your very best for the poor swan.
You should name and shame!!!
They don’t care about animals and are only doing it for the extortionate amounts they receive.Many animals suffer because owners can’t afford vets even more so now that the pdsa scheme has stopped which helped towards their charges,the charity could no longer afford them either
I would love for the public to see the daily abuse and stresses the veterinary professionals have to deal with. If a vet went to get the swan and had left an unwell patient unattended, you all would have something to say to that too. This swan could have been transported by a member of the public to a veterinary practice in order for it to receive the care it needed.
Shame on you all for disrespecting your hard working vets. Bet you’re all the kind of people to promote the “be kind” movement too. Would you disrespect your human doctors and nurses like this too? Disgusting.
Our French Vet – he is my vet, no nonsense, no fancy bits , just good kind animal caring xx
Vile money grabbing vets don’t care about animals only lining their own purses and wallets. Shame on you all.
So why didn’t the RSPCA send someone out to examine the bird?
The problem is, if anyone sees an injured swan, or other wildfowl, to whom to we turn for help??
Very sad story, and like most now people are too greedy for money to ‘care’ anymore. Vets are not ‘kind’ to animals always, and to some, just an easy cash making commodity.
Very well done to all the caring people who were involved in helping this poor swan. The vets won’t want to know, there isn’t any money in it for them. Such a shame a beautiful young bird had to be put to sleep. It was the kindest thing, the poor swan must have been in so much pain. Well done to the vet who DID CARE AND HAVE THE TIME. We know this is the vet from Shanklin. Big thank you and respect to you.
I know who the French vet is, I use him for my cats care. He is a brilliant compassionate vet. Would not use anyone else. Well done you, and sorry the Swan had to be put down. At least he came to put the poor bird quickly out its suffering
Whoever wrote this is an absolute moron with no idea of how life works, how veterinary practises work, how much vet training costs, how much life is given up to train an run a veterinary practise, how busy practises are, how much medication and procedures cost, guaranteed they haven’t given a damn until it was in front of their face. Also clearly a closet racist “Frenchman?! On OUR island?” fortunately olivier was in a position to leave his practise on this occasion, another time he would have been damned along with the rest of them. Screw the author and screw the godamnan pathetic island echo for printing this inflmattory drivel, all to boos