Scottish SPCA begins work to replace horse shelters damaged by Storm Arwen

An Aberdeenshire animal rescue center has started work to repair damage caused by Storm Arwen.

The horse shelters at the Scottish SPCA center in Drumoak were destroyed when severe weather hit a year ago.

The charity launched an appeal to raise £40,000 to replace shelters and add new facilities and is now more than halfway there.

Work has now begun on the project, with the team adding taller fences and building a larger shelter on site.

Center director Louise Griese said: “We were devastated to come to work on Saturday morning after Storm Arwen to find the horse shelters completely leveled.

“Fortunately there were no horses in the shelters at the time and no people or animals were injured, which is most important.”

Creating a safe space for horses

Donations have so far been made by members of the public as well as the Co-operative Group and the Elise Pilkington Trust.

One of the next goals of the center is to create a quarantine zone for new arrivals to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.

Mrs Griese said: “These facilities will help horses recover, such as Eigg, who came to the center as part of a large group of horses that were captured for welfare reasons.

“Eigg was an older lady, aged 26, when she arrived and due to being part of an active court case, she and the rest of her flock were long-term residents.

“Unfortunately Eigg had lice through her coat, a heavy worm load, her legs had to be amputated and her teeth were overgrown and needed dental work.

“Our staff at the center cut her body completely and it took several special medicated baths to kill the lice.

“The veterinary team took blood samples from him due to his age and condition and it came back positive for equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). This requires a strict diet, especially in the summer months when grass is plentiful.”

Help find forever homes

A special appeal was launched to help find the perfect forever home for Eigg and after a total of 722 days she was finally rehomed.

She added: “Eigg was with us for a year and a half before we could finally start looking for her forever home, but this proved difficult due to her age as well as the need for special dental care and a strict diet.

“She is well-loved in her home and even made an appearance at her new mum’s wedding. We are delighted that after so long in our care, Eigg is finally in the loving nursing home he deserves.

“We hope that by improving our equine facilities we can continue to be there for horses like Eigg when they need us most. We would be so grateful for anything anyone can spare in the face of the appeal and we know the horses in our care will be too.”

Donations can be made via the Scottish SPCA website here.