AN 'INUNDATED' charity rescue has called on the community for help as it tries to keep up with the Christmas influx of poorly puppies.

While most are celebrating Christmas, for the team at Ardley Rescue Kennels this is the busy season for rescuing countless stray, abandoned and unwanted dogs.

The charity, based near Bicester, has said the 'sad reality' nowadays was that some pets don't even make the Christmas cut and, as expenses rise over the holidays, the pets are sometimes the first to be cast aside.

Kennels owner Annabelle Pottle said: "This time of year there are a lot of dogs in desperate need of veterinary treatment for one reason or another.

"A lot of people think it is after Christmas that pets are abandoned, but it seems to be before.

"I know a lot of rescues and retailers shut down for Christmas, and people are more educated nowadays about pets for Christmas, but for us it has become more a case of strays coming in beforehand as it is an expensive time of year."

One pup who will be spending Christmas without his family is Oliver who was brought in after a member of public saw him get thrown from a car.

The person who saw it happen said they also saw Oliver chase the car in a bid to catch up with his owners.

Ms Pottle said: "Oliver was completely emaciated when he came in, no fur on him from the waist to his back end and all his ribs sticking out.

"He was full of fleas, which for nine out of ten dogs means they'll have worms also, as fleas cause the internal parasites. It's the fleas that then caused him to scratch all his fur off.

"We also thought he had some sort of internal bruising as he was quite sick, and had to be with the vets for three days."

The Ardley team said this was a common case for many of the strays they take in and their current vets bills stand at £3,500 – even with the help from local practices.

Thanks to treatment, Oliver, who thought to be four or five years old, is back fighting fit. He is one of more than 10 dogs that have needed emergency treatment and will be in care of the rescue this Christmas.

The kennels have now appealed for £1,000 to go towards the outstanding vets bills and running costs over Christmas, saying it would be a 'tremendous relief' for the charity and go a long way to helping with finances.

Sharing their appeal, the team wrote: "All too often, the reason is because the dog has underlying health issues that are just too expensive at this time of year when Christmas presents and festivities take priority."

To donate to the cause go to gofundme.com/Ardleyrescuekennels

To get in touch about giving Oliver or any other dog a new forever home contact 01869 346307

Rehoming has been postponed until the new year.