Are you firework ready?

/in , /by

ANIMALS 101 – ARE YOU FIREWORK READY?

Animals 101 – Do you have a plan in place to keep your pets safe and calm during the firework festivities?

Pet owners dread holidays and occasions that feature fireworks. These events usually send domestic animals into a frenzy of worry or a state of frozen terror. Noise-phobia (fireworks & storms etc.) is one of the top reasons why many animals try to get out or get lost. Dogs and other animals can seriously injure themselves attempting to escape during storms, fireworks displays, and other noisy events. If you don’t have a plan yet, start preparing now because you are responsible for them.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

The good news is that there are things you can do during the off-season to prepare your pets for fireworks. Rather than saying or doing something that might reinforce anxious behaviour, try simply observing your dog during a fearful episode and see what you can do to help calm them.

TIPS for FIREWORK PREPARATION (by Best Behaviour & Dr Karen Becker)

  • Use a teaspoon to knock on various surfaces around the house and follow up with a treat. This teaches your dog that startling sounds predict yummy food.
  • Teach your dog to use a Kong or chew toy so that they can engage in this calming activity during the next fireworks occasion.
  • Play with your dog during thunderstorms. Creating an association between play and the cracks of lightning will aid in generalizing a positive emotional state during fireworks.
  • Make sure they are micro-chipped AND that you registered the microchip on more than one database. Make sure your micro-chip information is up-to-date as well as your animal having an up-to-date tag on their collar. This is a big challenge when we find pets with out-of-date details.
  • If you know your pet is prone to extreme stress during this time, then see your veterinarian before the time for some medication. Do not use human medication! Consult your integrative veterinarian about herbal, homeopathic, TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) and flower remedies that could be helpful in alleviating your dog’s stress.
  • Learn more about zoopharmacognosy, which allows your pet to self-select remedies that best soothe them during periods of anxiety.
  • Invest in an Adaptil collar or diffuser for your dog. Adaptil is a pheromone designed to have a calming effect on dogs.
  • Any medication or remedies have to be used together with behavioural therapy!
  • Make sure your yard is secure and safe as many pets who try to escape get stuck on palisades or hurt on other fencing.

Watch this video for more details.

WHAT TO DO DURING FIREWORKS?

  • On the day of the expected fireworks, look for your animals, especially cats, before the fireworks start.
  • Close windows and curtains so your pet is not startled by sudden flashes.
  • Try blocking the intensity of the sounds your pet hears. Ear protection for dogs is available.
  • If your pet is afraid of storms or other loud outside noises, leaving them outdoors while they are anxious or panicked is the worst thing you can do. Keep your pets indoors with windows, doors and pet doors shut & secured so they can’t escape when spooked.
  • If your cat is not used to being indoors, provide extra litter boxes inside.
  • Provide your pet with food before the fireworks as it can help calm them or they might be too stressed to eat later.
  • A quiet environment can often provide relief. The goal is to give your dog a secure spot that helps them calm themselves. Try coaxing them to a quiet area of your home where they’d be completely unable to hear the noise stressors. Either leave them there to self-soothe (as long as they are not frantic) or stay quietly with them. Use blankets and bedding to mask the sounds and add their favourite toy. If they continue to panic in the dark, quiet space, it isn’t what they need to help them relax.
  • Cats also feel secure playing inside boxes.
  • If your dog is crate trained, they may go there voluntarily to self-soothe, or you can lead the way. A blanket draped over the crate may help them relax. However, if your dog doesn’t normally use a crate, or worse, has a fear of crates due to a past bad experience, this isn’t the time to use one. Under no circumstances should a fearful pup be forced into a crate either when they’re already anxious, or in anticipation of a panic response to weather or other noises. Your dog will feel trapped, which will make both their phobia and reaction to it worse.
  • Place a few drops of the essential oil of lavender on your dog’s collar or bedding before a stressor occurs, if possible.
  • Play calm, soothing music like MusicMyPet before a potential stressor occurs. Put the TV or music on, to mute the firework bangs.
  • If your pet is hiding, don’t try to lure them out. This can make them become more anxious & stressed.
  • Distract your pet with treats or play time if they are pacing or displaying nervous behaviour.  Give them something to chew on or sniff.
  • Try putting gentle, continuous pressure on your pet to calm her. If they’ll allow it, try leaning gently on or against them without petting or stroking. If this is helping, you’ll feel their muscles begin to relax. If instead they seems to grow more anxious, this isn’t a technique that will be beneficial for them.

If your dog seems to respond well to pressure applied to their body, there are wraps available like the Thunder-shirt that many pet owners and veterinarians find extremely helpful.

T-touch is a specific massage technique that may also help anxious pets.

  • Stay home with your pets in these frightening times as you would with frightened children.
  • You also need to stay calm as they can feel your anxiety.

ANIMALS 101 – ARE YOU FIREWORK READY?

Don’t support fireworks and report illegal use of it in residential areas, to your nearest SAPS (even if you think nothing will happen a paper trail can help in future).

Help us educate about fireworks! Read the full article on fireworks. 

Source: The Bulletin

Hot weather and your pets

/in , /by
Animals 101 – Hot weather and your pets

Photo by The Paw Company

Even though many parts of the country have recently experienced lots of rain and cooler weather, the summer is here and protecting your pets from the heat is crucial for their well-being. Heatstroke is also a health risk!

HOT WEATHER SAFETY

Here are a few tips from the Humane Society to keep your pets safe in the heat:

  • Please make sure your pets/animals are sheltered from the elements.
  • They need 24 hour access to fresh, clean and cool water. Keep their bowls out of the sun.
  • Never leave an animal alone in a vehicle, because overheating can kill them. The inside of a vehicle can reach high degrees in mere minutes, even with the windows cracked.
  • Take walks during the early morning or after sunset.
  • On very hot days, any outdoor exercise should be brief or only during the cooler hours of the day.
  • Test the pavement/ground/road with the back of your hand before you go for a walk. If it’s too hot for your hand, it’s too hot for their paws. Use the 5 second rule. If you can’t hold your hand on the road or pavement for 5 seconds, then it can potentially burn their paws and cause injury.
  • Never leave an animal out in the sun. Always ensure they have access to shade.
  • For those breeds with a thin coat or lighter skin, prone to sunburn, apply animal safe sunscreen.
  • Regulate the temperature inside your home. Use air-cons, fans, or give access to cooler areas like a basement or darker room with tile floors.
  • Take extra precautions with old, overweight or snub-nosed dogs in hot weather. Boston terriers, Pekingese, Pugs, Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus and Bulldogs are especially vulnerable to heat stroke. Dogs with heart or lung diseases should be closely monitored.
  • Watch for signs of heat stroke. These include panting, difficulty breathing, vomiting, diarrhea, confusion, rapid pulse, bright red gums, and blue tongue or lips.
  • Treat heat stroke immediately. Move them to a cool place and lower their body temperature with cool (NOT icy) water, then contact your veterinarian as soon as possible.
  • Provide a safe dog pool to help them cool down. This should be supervised.

WHY YOU SHOULD NOT SHAVE YOUR PET ACCORDING TO DR. KAREN BECKER

Most cats and many dogs shouldn’t have their coats shaved, even during the heat of summer. It may seem counterintuitive, but your pet’s coat actually provides heat relief in warm weather.

Many long-haired cats can require regular brushing to prevent mats that ultimately lead to a “buzzcut”. As a general rule dogs shouldn’t be shaved, either; however, there are exceptions, such as dogs with chronic hot spots. Some dogs actually really like a very short coat; in this case, consider a “puppy cut”.

Animals 101 – Hot weather and your pets

Photo by Dr. Karen Becker from Facebook page

Even in the summer we can experience some cold days! Here are our cold weather tips.

The risk of flash flooding is also a reality. See some tips below on this.

Animals 101 – Hot weather and your pets

Photo from The Paw Company Facebook page

It doesn’t matter what kind of weather we have, your animals should always be protected from the elements as you are responsible for them. If you see an animal that appears owner-less at the time, in danger, injured, in distress or one that is not protected from the elements, please contact your local SPCA immediately!

Source: The Bulletin

Frozen & Fun Dog Treats for Hot Summer Days | Hill’s Pet

/in , /by
Published by: Chrissie Klinger

Frozen & Fun Dog Treats for Hot Summer Days | Hill's Pet

As the dog days of summer start to heat up, many pet parents look for ways to keep their dogs cool. Why not try making some frozen dog treats for summer fun with your pup? Frozen treats not only let you experiment in the kitchen, but they may help prevent dehydration and keep your pooch entertained.

Creative Ways to Cool Down

Once you gather some healthy treat ingredients and clear out space in the freezer, the possibilities are almost endless. Investing in some silicone ice cube trays and ice pop molds allows you to change the size and design of your frozen treats. Both can be filled with a variety of fruits, yoghurt, mashed dog food or peanut butter that you can combine in your blender with a little water. Always ask your veterinarian before trying a new treat recipe, and make sure treats make up no more than about 10 percent of your dog’s daily food.

Some low sodium or salt free chicken, beef or vegetable broth frozen in ice cubes makes a great treat that’s fun to chase across the floor. You can even put some of these tasty cubes in water or dry food to encourage your dog to drink more.

Mashed bananas mixed with a little bit of yogurt can become frozen banana snacks when spooned into an ice cube tray. For even more fun, place the banana cube inside a treat holder toy and watch that tail wag away as your pet licks and chews their way to a refreshing snack.

Frozen & Fun Dog Treats for Hot Summer Days | Hill's Pet

Pumpkin Pupsicles

A favourite on the list of best frozen dog treats for summer is pumpkin delights. A little scoop of this orange vegetable will give your pup some tasty fiber and vitamins. The American Kennel Club (AKC) notes that you should be careful to choose plain, canned pumpkin and not sweetened or spiced pie filling. Spices and artificial sweeteners can be toxic to your dog.

To make the treats, mix a can of pumpkin with about a cup of unsweetened plain Greek yoghurt, a teaspoon of honey and one mashed banana. Spoon the mixture into plastic or silicone ice cube molds and place in the freezer for about an hour. Pumpkin is also packed with moisture, so it serves as a great way to help your dog get enough water during those hot summer months.

Cooling Down Too Fast?

When cooling down your dog, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. The AKC recommends giving only small amounts of water at a time after a dog has exerted a lot of energy to avoid consuming too much at a time, which can in some cases be regurgitated back up. The best thing you can do is to provide a cool environment inside the house or shaded area to allow your dog to rest after exertion on a hot day.

This is where plain old ice cubes become the best homemade dog treat. Place a few ice cubes in your dog’s water bowl, and after they have licked the ice cubes for a few minutes you can fill the bowl with fresh, cold water. It is best to use crushed ice cubes, as veterinary dentists find that ice cubes can cause tooth fractures in dogs from chewing on the ice.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals® (ASPCA®) lists citrus fruits, the sweetener xylitol, avocado and tree nuts as people foods that aren’t good for pets, so keep those ingredients out of your homemade summer dog treats. In most cases, peanut butter and dairy in small amounts will not likely create a digestive disaster. However, if your dog has digestive problems you want to make sure the ingredients in your summer treats don’t irritate the digestive system.

When looking at possible ingredients for homemade dog treats, check with your vet to be sure the ingredients won’t affect any of your dog’s current health issues. If you’re not sure about homemade goodies, some regular dog treats (or some canned dog food) frozen in water-filled ice cube trays will keep your dog busy and cool while they lick their way to a tasty tidbit.

As you create frozen dog treats for summer, share your favorite recipes and ideas with your friends so the other pups in your neighborhood can keep cool all summer long.

Source: Hills

TEARS launches fundraising campaign aimed at easing the plight of Community Cats

/in , /by

TEARS launches fundraising campaign aimed at easing the plight of Community Cats

Leading pro-Life animal rescue and veterinary charity based in Sunnydale in Cape Town, TEARS Animal Rescue, has launched a fundraising campaign ahead of Christmas to raise R500,000.00 and highlight the plight of the City’s abandoned and forgotten community cats.

While TEARS sterilises and vaccinates approximately 250 community and homeless cats every month through its Community Cat Project, TEARS Operations Manager, Mandy Store stresses that there is a critical need for Government and animal welfare organisations to provide a sustained and humane solution to an issue that is marginalised and misunderstood. While it’s impossible to determine how many feral and abandoned domestic cats live in Cape Town, Store confirms that TEARS and its Mobile Clinic team receive up to 10 telephone calls every day about stray or community cats or kittens that need rescuing. 

“Since the onset of COVID19, many pet owners and families that are struggling financially, have surrendered their animals to TEARS. While many strays are lost pets that were not kept properly indoors or provided with adequate identification, many are simply abandoned and expected to fend for themselves. This is especially true for cats, “ explains Store.

TEARS is one of a few animal welfare charities that has been practising a humane Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) Programme since 2007 as a solution for community cats via the TEARS Veterinary Community Clinic in Cape Town’s Southern Peninsula. TEARS Co-Founder and Director, Marilyn Hoole, who has been a passionate crusader for community cats for the last two decades believes that more and more domestic cats are ending up abandoned and on the streets because their owners either move away or can no longer look after them.

”Thanks to the funding we receive annually from The Marchig Animal Welfare Trust and the dedicated team of volunteers who  provide monitoring and feeding support to approximately 500 community cats, we have been able to positively impact the lives of thousands of community cats by providing a sterilisation and vaccination service that enables them to enjoy a quality of life that they would otherwise never experience. Unfortunately however, we are only reaching a fraction of the number of cats that are living desperate lives, forgotten and without hope,” says Hoole.

Domesticated cats that have integrated with existing community cat colonies (there are an average of 10 to 15 cats in a colony), as a result of abandonment or abuse, succeed in diluting the feral gene-pool which makes these types of cats extremely shy, and increase the potential for these cats to be socialised and rehomed. Left to fend for themselves, and without sterilisation and vaccination, community cat colonies can quickly increase in population size and will ultimately either succumb to contagious and deadly diseases like Feline Leukaemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (cat FIV), or die from lack of food and malnutrition.

While law enforcement is mandated to collect healthy stray animals, residents who call to complain about a stray cat or cats in the area, are generally told to try and trap or confine the animal themselves. This is not an easy task, and in many instances TEARS has been called too late to rescue cats that have been poisoned or shot by pellet guns.

“There seems to be a negative stigma and perception that feral cats are ‘wild’ or aggressive, which is untrue. The term ‘feral’ simply means that these types of cats are undomesticated and as a result are generally afraid of people. It’s unfortunate that people don’t appreciate the valuable service provided by community cats as they control the population of rodents and other vermin that carry disease and have the potential to damage property and contaminate food,” comments Store.

TEARS asserts that while there are many animal welfare organisations that capture and euthanize community and feral cats, its neither a sustainable nor a humane solution. Sooner or later the empty habitat will either be overrun by other less beneficial species, like rats, or will be replaced by community cats from other colonies. The vacuum effect is a globally recognised scientific phenomenon that can be applied to all types of animal species. 

TEARS Head of Fundraising, Lara Van Rensburg summarises, “Our goal of raising R500 000 is an ambitious but critical one. It will literally change the lives of 1000 community cats and kittens over the course of the next four months. We’re appealing to the public to support this campaign, which we appreciate is one of many in terms of the massive need that exists in the non-profit and animal welfare sectors. However, donating to a worthy cause in  lieu of gifting someone a present that is unlikely to change the world is a great way to embrace this Season of giving back. Every donation we receive, no matter how small, will help TEARS extend its Trap-Neuter-Return Programme in the areas where it’s most needed and end the suffering of hundreds of kittens born to abandoned and feral cats this Christmas.”

Sterilisation and vaccination is a simple, essential and cost effective solution that succeeds in ending the cycle of over-population, illness, starvation and suffering that so many community cats are trapped in.

TEARS launches fundraising campaign aimed at easing the plight of Community Cats

As a recognised PBO all donations to TEARS are tax deductible. TEARS issues tax certificates according to the rules of Section 18A of the Income Tax Act (PBO No.: 930 001 672).

Source: Tears

How to Repurpose Old Kids’ Toys Into Toys for Your Pup

/in , /by

How to Repurpose Old Kids' Toys Into Toys for Your Pup

Your kids’ discarded toys and outgrown clothes are piling up in the basement. (You’ll donate it eventually, right?) Meanwhile, your dog is constantly in need of new and sometimes expensive toys. Is there a way to repurpose some old odds-and-ends in your home to create fun DIY dog toys for your favorite pup?

Here are five easy ideas for turning old and outgrown kid and baby stuff into DIY dog toys.

Comfy Bed

Give your dog the perfect place for an afternoon nap by turning a crib mattress into a dog bed. Crib mattresses are the perfect size and a good alternative to a pricey brand new dog bed. You can use a fitted crib sheet as a cover or make a no-sew version with just two yards fabric of your choice, fusible bonding, an iron and some adhesive Velcro, creating an irresistible nap spot!

Tricky Obstacle Course

Use old pool noodles, a hula-hoop, and a tunnel to create your own backyard agility course. Pool noodles and hula hoops can be made into obstacles to jump over or through, while a hollowed out cardboard box is a natural chute. An obstacle course is also a great training opportunity. You can teach him hand signals and commands while he’s having a blast and exercising.

Crinkly Chew Toy

Turn an empty plastic bottle and an old pair of your child’s socks into an irresistible crackly plaything for your pup in under five minutes. All you have to do is put a water bottle into an old sock and simply tie the ends shut with string or twine. If the sock is thin, put the bottle inside three or four socks to ensure the water bottle is adequately covered. An exposed water bottle could rip or shatter, creating sharp edges that could injure your dog.

Durable Tug Rope

Cut strips of cloth from two shirts your child has outgrown (or stained beyond all help) to make a braided tug-of-war rope. BarkPost has a tutorial that’ll have you completing this project in no time!

New Cuddle Buddy

Cut open one of your child’s discarded stuffed animals, empty it of its stuffing and then sew it shut again. Your dog now has a cuddle buddy to carry around for comfort, and you don’t have to worry about finding stuffing all over your house. When choosing a stuffed animal, make sure to discard anything that could become a potential choking hazard like buttons or tags.

While getting creative and finding new uses for your kids’ old things is a fun and wallet-friendly idea, the top issue you should always consider is safety. You want to make sure whatever item you’re repurposing can’t hurt your pup. For instance, if a dog rips a stuffed animal apart and eats the stuffing inside, it could cause intestinal trouble that requires surgery. Or a dog that chews on a hard plastic toy, like a doll or block, could shatter a tooth. If you’re afraid your dog has ingested something he shouldn’t or has injured himself by chewing on something he shouldn’t have, call your vet right away. Veterinary Practice News has interviewed a few vets who had to surgically remove everything from golf balls to a door hinge from their patients’ stomach. Don’t let this happen to your dog!

By using a little creativity and common sense, you can transform your two-legged child’s old toys into new favorites for your four-legged baby, while also saving yourself money. However, make sure your dog knows which toys are now his and which to leave alone. Just because your kiddos have discarded a couple of old stuffed animals, doesn’t mean that there aren’t some that should still remain off-limits. With a little time and training he’ll get the hang of things, so get to creating and then get to playing with your favorite furry friend!

Source: Hills

Decoding your dogs bark

/in , /by

Animals 101: Decoding your dogs bark

One of the 5 FREEDOMS OF ANIMAL WELFARE includes the FREEDOM TO EXPRESS NATURAL BEHAVIOUR and barking is natural behaviour! Barking is a way to communicate, so it will never be the goal to stop barking entirely. Obviously, we don’t want constant or excessive barking, but then we need to find out what is being constantly communicated through the barking. Barking is a way your dog is telling you something is not right, which might include that their needs are not met, so listen up!

REASONS WHY DOGS BARK

Dogs bark for different reasons and understanding what triggers the behaviour can provide insights into what, if anything, you should do about it. Barking can simply be a form of greeting, but two of the top reasons probably are that IT FEELS GOOD & IT WORKS! When you pat them after a bark, it worked! When a person or pet backs off after a bark, it worked!  When you give them a treat (maybe to silence them), it worked!

Animals 101: Decoding your dogs bark

OTHER REASONS

  • Genetics – some breeds are more prone to barking (e.g., Terriers), even though any breed can bark excessively.
  • Physical needs – The dog is hot, cold, hungry, thirsty, want to go potty or is in pain.  This is the dog’s way of requesting that you help them with one of their needs.  Insufficient exercise, means build-up energy, which is easily released through barking.  
  • Emotional needs – This may include boredom, excitement, surprise, fear, being anxious or it can be compulsive behaviour due to a frustration and need for social and/or mental stimulation and attention.
  • Environment – Improper confinement (locked up, restrictive tethering, alone for long periods of time etc.).  It can also be a territorial bark or in response to other dogs barking.  It can also be triggered by cars or people passing by, sirens, storms or other changes in their environment.

Just like a mom might know what her baby needs by the way they cry, so can this apply to your dog’s bark.  Listen carefully and learn the type of bark and what they are telling you specifically through that bark.

Two key indicators might be what they are looking at when they bark and what happens after the bark.

Animals 101: Decoding your dogs bark

READ MORE on what the specific type of bark might mean.

ADDRESSING THE PROBLEM OF EXCESSIVE BARKING

Some reasons for excessive barking resolve with appropriate environmental or lifestyle adjustments, while others may benefit from positive reinforcement behaviour training.

First, attempt to understand what he’s trying to tell you, rather than trying to prevent your dog’s barking. You can also focus instead, on rewarding his silence. As you interact with your dog, you can encourage barking by rewarding the behaviour (more playtime or treats, for instance, when she barks) or encourage silence using the same principle.

CONTEXT IS ALWAYS IMPORTANT!

TIPS TO ADDRESS BARKING

  • Find out WHY they bark.
  • Manage the ENVIRONMENT and distractions.
  • Do some MENTAL STIMULATION.
  • Let them bark briefly if someone passes by.
  • Let them bark while they play.
  • Let them bark if there is something to bark at.
  • You can train them to bark and to be quite too.
  • New behaviour? Consider a vet visit or PROFESSIONAL HELP from a qualified behaviourist.

Animals 101: Decoding your dogs bark

IMPORTANT NOTES!

  • Never punish communication! It’s important not to punish your dog for barking; if you do, you’ll both miss out on this rewarding form of communication. However, for times when you need your dog to be quiet, encourage silence by offering praise and a treat or attention reward when she stops barking on command.

As barking is a way of communication, so is a growl.  NEVER PUNISH A GROWL!  It is the way the dog is telling you that they are not comfortable.  When you punish the growl, the next time, they might skip the growl and go straight to bite.

  • Devocalization, or DEBARKING, which involves cutting or removing an animal’s vocal cords, is a CRUEL PROCEDURE that should not be considered to stop a dog from barking, as it removes a natural method of communication, can cause permanent health problems and it never addresses the root cause of the behaviour.  It involves lots of postoperative pain and it is unnecessary.  Most Vets will condemn it, but never support a vet that supports it, unless there was a critical medical reason for it. The same goes for anti-bark collars which is fear-based training and cruel.
  • If a dog barks excessively it can be very frustrating to neighbours, but it is important to always remember that those animals were and are being failed by humans, it is not their fault! Don’t blame them!

DON’T IGNORE A CHANGE IN A BARK (OR MEOW)!

Your pet’s vocalizations are important, as they can clue you in to how they feel physically and emotionally. Dr. Karen Becker explains that if you notice any changes with their voice, that you shouldn’t ignore it. Unlike most transient voice changes or laryngitis in people, a change in or loss of voice in dogs and cats should trigger a visit to the veterinarian.

She further explains that there are mainly two types of voice changes in pets: mechanical interference with vocal cord vibration, or loss of nerve signals to the vocal cords.

  • Mechanical interference with vocal cord vibration is often caused by trauma, an abscess, tumours or cancer.
  • Loss of nerve signals to the vocal cords can have many causes, including an autoimmune condition, infection, hypothyroidism, and laryngeal paralysis.

Are you correctly interpreting what your dog is trying to tell you? Are you actually listening?

Source: The Bulletin

Khayelitsha pet abandonment skyrockets as the Festive Season draws closer

/in , /by

Khayelitsha pet abandonment skyrockets as the Festive Season draws closer

Abandoned dogs have been pouring through the doors of the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha as the festive season quickly approaches. The clinic is an NPO veterinary clinic and not specifically a shelter.

They have a very small shelter programme which can cater for 15 dogs. Currently, they have 24 dogs and 10 puppies at the shelter along with many more dogs in foster care.

“The Festive Season is happy for most but for us, it is the hardest time of the year,” says Marcelle du Plessis, Fundraising and Communications Manager of Mdzananda Animal Clinic. “We’re already over capacity and we’ve had to start showing people away.”

The clinic has reported that between November to February, community members go to the Eastern Cape. Without any solution for their pets, the pets end up abandoned at the clinic.

“Some have even been thrown over our walls at night. Rather with us than in the streets but since we do not have capacity to be a large shelter, it places extreme pressure on our staff, space and resources,” says du Plessis.

Heidi May, the General Manager at Mdzananda says that the dogs at their shelter are often not what people find “attractive.”

“There are many Afrikanis, brown, short haired dogs but not the cute and fluffy small breeds that get homes quickly. Just last week we had a rare case of a Boston Terrier puppy up for adoption. Within a few hours, we had hundreds of phone calls, emails and social media messages of people wanting to adopt this puppy because of his breed. We wish we had that type of response for our other dogs as so many sit in our shelter with no homes,” says Mrs May.

Kim, a black, medium sized cross breed, was skin and bones and very scared when she arrived at the clinic. Today she is the pack leader but no one has come to adopt her. “Sadly, black-furred dogs are slow to be adopted,” says du Plessis.

Bonny and Clyde, two Pitbull siblings, have been at the shelter for months. “They are special needs cases and that’s why no one wants them. Even though they come with some complications, they are the sweetest dogs and also deserve a home,” says du Plessis.

About three years in age, both have cancerous growths that keep returning. “There is not much that can be done for cancer, but they still have long lives ahead of them. Clyde runs on three legs due to an old hind leg injury and would be best as an only dog while Bonnie doesn’t mind other dogs.

It costs the clinic around R1500 to care for an abandoned pet in its first month with them. This is just to cover their sterilisation, vaccinations, dewormers, flea and tick treatment and food. This excludes all other costs such as staff, electricity and water.

The animal clinic is calling on the public to adopt or foster during this time. They are also asking for financial support. If you are able to help, please make a donation to Mdzananda Animal Clinic, Standard Bank, Account number: 075595710, Branch: Rondebosch, Branch Code: 025009, Savings account, Reference: pets +Your Name.

To get in touch with Mdzananda please contact info@mdzananda.co.za or visit www.mdzananda.co.za.