Cost of living: Animal shelter issues urgent appeal for dog food

The cost of living crisis has been blamed for dwindling donations of dog food

Donations of dog food to a rescue shelter have dried up due to the cost of living crisis, trustees have said.

Hull Animal Welfare Trust said its collection bins at East Yorkshire supermarkets are now often empty.

Trustee Sue Sewell, who has issued an urgent appeal for dried food, admitted: "People can't afford to feed their children let alone dogs."

She added there had also been a "massive increase" in people giving up dogs due to high costs.

Hull Animal Welfare Trust's Sunnydene shelter in South Cave

Ms Sewell told the BBC: "We have five or six collection points at supermarkets across the area but donations are drying up."

The charity goes through "tonnes" of food, explained Ms Sewell, who added increased numbers of dogs being left with the charity was putting even more strain on already depleted supplies.

"We currently have 25 dogs in our kennels," she said. "All our dogs get a minimum of two good meals a day. Some arrive so thin, however, that they require three or four meals.

"A lot of people just can't afford to keep their dogs. If they're struggling to feed their kids, they are also struggling to feed their pets."

Ms Sewell said "unbelievably high" veterinary fees were also adding to owners' woes.

"Owners of dogs with ongoing treatment needs are turning to us to rehome," she said.

The charity said dried food can be left at its collections points or taken to its Sunnydene Animal Shelter in Pinfold, South Cave.