Throughout all of my years of working at a 24-hour vet, well my last 7 years, I have seen much joy and heartbreak. But then again, this all comes with the territory of offering animal health care. Each time a new pet owner that brings their new baby into the vet to find out about food, toys and general health care, I can’t help wondering whether they know what they are in for.
As a pet owner of 4 furry children, I have seen the benefits of the necessary procedures and products, and while working at the vet, I have seen the consequences of these not being done. Even the most routine care and procedures can mean the difference between life and death for a pet.
Deworming of pets is necessary, for both the pet and the owner’s health, as worms can pass between animal and human. Pets pick up these unwanted guests from their general habits, such as licking and playing in the dirt. Worms don’t want to kill their host, as this serves as their meal, but they can cause pets to get haemorrhagic gastroenteritis, which causes them to become very thin and dehydrated. In severe cases, they can lead to anaemia and death.
Ticks and fleas are a problem for many pet-owning households in South Africa. Pets are able to get ticks and fleas from other animals that have them, as well as from the environment, such as the veld and garden. Fleas can cause your pets to have skin allergies (dermatitis), but they can cause anaemia in large infestations. Ticks, on the other hand, can transmit over a dozen deadly diseases, but one of the worst ones is biliary, which may require the pet to have a blood transfusion to improve chances of survival.
Sterilising a pet will not only avoid unwanted pregnancies, it also has many medical and behavioural benefits. For female pets, it can reduce the risk of mammary and ovarian tumours, as well as eliminate the chance of pyometra (infected uterus which can be deadly and requires surgery). For male pets, it eliminates testicular tumours and reduces risk of prostate diseases. With dogs, sterilising males aids in controlling dominance and marking; and with cats, sterilising males reduces roaming and fighting.
Micro-chipping pets helps reunite lost pets with their owners. As 1 in 3 pets go missing at least once in their lifetime, and without proper identification, 90% of these pets don’t return home. They are either rehomed, through a vet or shelter; or die due to accidents or euthanasia.
Vaccinations help protect pets against a number of diseases that can be fatal. For example, the parvovirus for dogs, which predominantly affects puppies and unvaccinated dogs; or feline leukaemia, which is highly contagious by contact for cats.
So where does that leave the 85% of the estimated six million dogs in South Africa that have no access to veterinary services? The Society for Animals in Distress (SAID) visits local communities, providing “indigent” pets with treatment, and also educating pet owners on nutrition and pet care. Different.org and SAID are partnering together to fundraise for basic care for 200 pets – including deworming, tick and flea control, sterilisation, microchipping and vaccinations. SAID wants to help pet owners give their pets the best lives as a part of their families.
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