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www.thevillagenews.co.za
24 July 2019 HERMANUS
ONRUS
HERMANUS
CALEDON
Pick 'n Pay Centre Main Road 028 312 1453 Mon-Fri 9-18:00 Sat 9-14:00 Sun & p/h 10-13:00
2 Wybo Newmark Rd 028 316 2904 Mon-Fri 8.30-18:30 Sat 8.30-14:30 Sun & p/h 9-13:00
Checkers Centre, Station Mall cnr Royal & Lord Roberts Rd 028 312 3028 Mon-Fri 9-18:00 Sat 9-15:00 Sun & p/h 9-13:00
Shop 9, Victoria Mall 028 214 1112 Mon-Fri 9-18:00 Sat 9-14:00 Sun & p/h 10-13:00
EberVet Vetshops www.ebervet.com
MY PET
Six ways to keep your pet healthier for longer Writer Dr Hilldidge Beer
Feed your pet the best quality pet food you can afford, ensuring that it contains a premium quality protein source.
W
e all want our pets to live forever, yet we often neglect those simple preventive measures that will help extend their lifespan.
5. Deflea Fleas and ticks are a summer problem, right? Wrong. In fact, fleas absolutely love wet weather. Ticks and fleas carry horrid diseases like biliary and tapeworm so it’s essential that you keep up parasite control all year round.
Here are six ways all pet owners can help their pets live longer and more healthily: 1. Vaccinate We can’t stress this often enough. Whether your pet spends all or most of its life indoors or is a regular visitor to the local dog park, vaccination is your best protection against a host of deadly diseases.
EberVet Vetshops have a wide range of options for dogs or cats – from chewables to spot-ons and collars. And don’t forget to deworm every 3 months.
These include distemper, parvo virus, rabies and feline leukemia. It is against the law not to vaccinate against rabies. 2. Sterilise Spaying or neutering a dog or cat has a significant impact on its long-term health. Female pets are at high risk of uterine and mammary cancer if not sterilised. Mammary tumours are the most common type of tumour in unspayed female dogs and in 85% of cases in cats, they're malignant. The cancer can spread to lymph nodes and even the lungs before you’ve even noticed masses in the mammary tissue.
Tumour risk increases dramatically after each heat: from virtually zero if she is spayed BEFORE her first heat to 8% if spayed AFTER her first but before her second heat, to 26% AFTER her second and before her third heat. In male dogs, testicular cancer and the sexually transmitted disease TVT can be completely avoided by castrating your dog. Castration also decreases the risk of prostate disease later in life. 3. Exercise South Africans are among the fattest people in the world and their pets aren’t far behind.
Goozi Kitchenshop in Mitchell Street launched a raffle earlier this year to raise funds for HAWS. Customers donated a minimum of R50 in order to stand a chance of winning the new pet collection from Le Creuset to the value of over R2 000, comprising a stoneware container and scoop for your furry friend’s pellets, cookies or treats, one large pet bowl and one medium pet bowl. The winning ticket that was drawn last week belonged to Nick Kleinhans, who took home this fabulous prize, donated by Goozi. A total of R2 380 was raised and donated to HAWS. Nick, who often helps out at HAWS as a volunteer and has fostered a number of kittens over the years, said he would be paying his prize forward by donating it to HAWS as one of the prizes that will be up for grabs at the upcoming HAWS Golf Day in October, which forms part of their 50th Anniversary celebrations. Nick is a very loyal customer of Goozi, where he often pops in to shop or just enjoy a cup of coffee. “Goozi serves the best coffee and carrot cake in town,” he said. From left are Lee-Anne Krüger (Goozi accounts), René Dewar from HAWS, Eunice Rademeyer (Goozi owner) and the lucky winner, Nick Kleinhans. PHOTO: Taylum Meyer
Like humans, overweight or obese pets are at high risk of diabetes and heart disease. These illnesses are expensive to treat, and they require tremendous commitment from an owner. A daily walk for a dog and a game with a cat will help keep these diseases at bay. 4. Feed right We know how difficult it is to avoid those big brown eyes begging for a treat while you eat but please don’t feed your dog or cat from the table. Human snacks contain too much (or the wrong) fat and sugar for our pets.
6. Book that annual checkup It might seem like a chore to take your pet to the vet when there’s nothing obviously wrong with him, but early disease detection – and regular teeth scaling and polishing – can save you thousands of Rands in vet’s bills, and a lot of heartache. An annual checkup will help to detect early heart and kidney disease and cancer. Prevention is always better than cure. Take charge of your pet’s health now and you’ll keep your beloved dog or cat at your side for longer. Veterinarian Dr Hilldidge Beer is CEO of EberVet Vetshops, www.ebervet.com
