Oudtshoorn Courant

EberVet sterilise 94 dogs and cats in NB

- CHRISZANNE J VAN VUUREN

NIEU-BETHESDA - EberVet Community Veterinary Care (CVC) managed to sterilise 94 dogs and cats and treat a variety of wounds, including an abscess during their recent sterilisat­ion drive in NieuBethes­da. EberVet also brought along a large animal vet, dr Garth Ryder, who gelded 15 horses and donkeys.

A chance meeting between veterinary surgeon and EberVet

CEO, dr Hilldidge Beer and NieuBethes­da animal welfare volunteer, Victoria Nance, initiated the EberVet team’s first visit to Nieu Bethesda in March 2022 to sterilise cats and dogs in the local township, Pienaarsig. But the need in Pienaarsig was so great that they decided to return to sterilise more pets, offer medical care, and take local volunteers – Victoria Nance, Leeford Babers, and Isak Jacobs – who have been trained in primary pet health care through a refresher course so they can continue to be of service to local pet owners.

Toni Younghusba­nd, the marketing manager of the EberVet Petcare Group, commended these local volunteers stating that they have become 'invaluable resources for pet owners in Pienaarsig, vaccinatin­g against rabies, treating wounds, and identifyin­g serious diseases that needed follow-up veterinary interventi­on'.

The EberVet CVC team who visited Nieu-Bethesda for the latest sterilisat­ion drive was headed by Dr Beer and Dr Ryder, accompanie­d by sister Hilda Mills and veterinary assistants and volunteers. They were supported in their work by local volunteers, as well as Carlin Raath from the Graaff-Reinet Animal Welfare Society (GRAWS).

A visible improvemen­t in the overall condition of the animals was noted and this was attributed to hard work of Victoria and her team. Victoria says her animal welfare journey was inspired by Erma Voigt from the Camdeboo Sterilizat­ion Initiative (CSI) in Graaff-Reinet.

“Erma has been my biggest motivation and my shoulder to cry on. I am immensely grateful for her support, as well as the support of Carlin from GRAWS.” She also expressed her sincere gratitude towards the EberVet team for their veterinary support, particular­ly with sterilisat­ions, in NieuBethes­da.

Both teams believe that, in addition to preventing cruelty to animals, sterilisat­ion is of critical importance as you cannot adopt or foster your way out of the problem of unwanted animals. Victoria explained that the most difficult task is to persuade pet owners to sterilise their pets and for this reason, they focus a lot on educating pet owners on the benefits of having their pets sterilised. “When pet owners see that sterilised pets look a lot better as they are healthier and picking up weight, it becomes easier,” she added.

“Essentiall­y, what we are doing is trying to alleviate animal suffering whilst assisting community members who are struggling financiall­y. Some pet owners can barely afford to feed their families, let alone their pets, and therefore we believe that it is in everyone’s best interest to have their pets sterilised.”

EberVet and the Nieu-Bethesda team would like to thank Eseltjiesr­us Donkey Sanctuary in McGregor and EARS Donkey Sanctuary in Greyton who sponsored the donkey and horse geldings, as well as Montego Pet Nutrition who donated 400kg of dog food.

EberVet CVC is the community veterinary care division of the EberVet Petcare Group. EberVet Petcare Group comprises two veterinary clinics and seven vet shops in the Helderberg and Overstrand areas of the Western Cape, as well as EberVet CVC and the EberVet Academy, which offers primary healthcare training to animal welfare volunteers in areas where there is little to no veterinary support. Community Veterinary Care is practised under the auspices of the South African Veterinary Associatio­n which encourages all veterinari­ans to devote some of their time to outreach work, particular­ly in rural areas where veterinary services are non-existent. To this end, EberVet CVC conducts outreach sterilizat­ions in rural villages and impoverish­ed communitie­s in the Helderberg, Overberg and Karoo.

 ?? ?? The EberVet team who recently visited Nieu-Bethesda for the sterilisat­ion drive.
The EberVet team who recently visited Nieu-Bethesda for the sterilisat­ion drive.

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