THE RSPCA has urged struggling animal owners not to abandon their pets.

The animal rescue charity rescued dozens of poorly pets who had been dumped and left to die by their owners last summer.

It received 159 calls about abandoned animals between June 1and August 31 2017 in Wiltshire.

These calls were for 72 dogs, 48 cats, five horses, 15 exotic animals, three rabbits, and 16 animals categorised as ‘small furries’ (guinea pigs, hamsters, etc).

Lee Hopgood, the RSPCA’s south-west superintendent, said: “We see every type of animal abandoned from dogs, cats and small animals to horses, farm animals and even exotic animals like pythons just left out on the street in their vivariums.

“Every animal has specific welfare needs and it’s so dangerous to leave any animal abandoned and having to fend for itself.

“There’s no saying why people choose to abandon their animals, or why this rises in the summer,

“Possibly people dump their animals when they head off on holiday and haven’t found anyone to look after their pet when they’re away.

“Or maybe they feel less guilty leaving a pet to fend for itself in the warmer weather, compared to the cold winter months.

“We can only guess that it can be a number of factors - for example, when people’s circumstances change and they are no longer be in a position to look after their pet.

“However, we sadly see a number of abandoned animals with very serious injuries or illness, which is just heartbreaking.”

Summer is the busiest season for the charity and the warmer months of 2017 saw more than 10,000 calls nationally to its 24-hour emergency hotline about dumped pets.

That’s one every 12 minutes.

The RSPCA advises that if pet owners are going away on holiday, they should make sure their pet is cared for by asking friends or family to care for them, calling a pet sitter or taking them to a licensed boarding establishment.

Lee added: “Abandoning pets should never be seen as a solution to a problem, and we are urging pet owners to take responsibility for their animals.

“When people take on a new pet - whatever that animal may be - they do need to research it, make sure it will suit their lifestyle and that they will be able to provide for it for the entirety of its life, however long that may be.”

Anyone who would like to help the RSPCA as the charity faces yet another busy summer rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming thousands of animals, please visit www.rspca.org.uk/penny