One of the most common reasons for animals to be gifted into us for rehoming is that their owners can’t afford to pay vets’ fees, and it is not unusual for us to take in pets that have never seen a vet at any time in their lives.

Sometimes they have long-term health issues that could have been prevented if they had received appropriate care at an earlier stage.

Pirate Joe is one such animal and he’s lucky to be alive. He was named Pirate Joe because he limped so badly when he first came to us, but he’s probably the most cuddly, friendly and gentle pirate ever!

Pirate Joe was a stray who ended up living at a farm.

He doesn’t have a feral bone in his body and so he must have been owned as someone’s pet at some point, but luckily for him the farm owner reported his situation to us.

He had a badly infected wound on one of his back legs, probably caused by a bite from another tom cat - he’s one of the smallest toms we’ve seen and so probably didn’t put up much of a fight.

It’s hard to believe that an untreated bite could end up as such a terrible wound.

Pirate Joe has now spent several weeks with us, receiving the veterinary care he needs and as much attention as the cattery staff and volunteers can give him (he’s a bit of a favourite with everyone).

He’s put up with discomfort and pain, and been a model patient, and now he’s back to full health.

Pirate Joe will go to his new, ’forever’ home neutered, vaccinated and microchipped and his adopter will be encouraged to have him checked over by a vet every year, not least so that his vaccinations can be kept up-to-date.

The vet will check areas that an owner can’t get to such as the whole mouth, the back of the throat, the abdomen, the heart and lungs. If a problem is picked up before being noticed by the owner it has more chance of responding well to treatment.

But veterinary care comes at a cost, and this is something that owners have to consider before they take on an animal. Most of the island’s vets have payment plans, whereby an owner can pay monthly into a scheme and help spread the cost of treatment.

Don’t wait to be hit with a large bill before you find out about these payment plans.

Another alternative is to take out pet insurance.

There are lots of insurance companies offering this type of cover, from the big names like PetPlan and Direct Line to smaller companies such as NFU Mutual.

There are price comparison websites to help you make up your mind but, as with home and car insurance, there are lots of tempting introductory offers that don’t necessarily result in lower premiums longer term.

It’s also well worth checking that the insurance you choose has dental cover.

The Society is only able to meet its veterinary costs thanks to the generosity of the Manx public and the financial donations it receives from them.

We’re urging all animal lovers on the island to do something for the Society in 2018, to help it meet its running costs.

Can you hold a coffee morning or a cake sale for us; are you brave enough to do a sponsored slim, or swim?

We will provide you with a ManxSPCA t-shirt if you take part in the Parish Walk and seek sponsorship on our behalf, and we can give you practical support and assistance if you need it.

Contact Kerry Gascoyne, or Fundraising Manager, for further information on 851672.