Home South Africa – September 2019

Whentogofor

a check-up

CindyvanZylofPretoriawrites

Is it reallynecessaryto takemyp

forannualcheck-upsat thevet,

especiallyif they’restillyoung

andclearlyin goodhealth?

DrBarryDallas,veterinary

advisorat Hill’sPetNutrition,

repliesIn a researchreportreleasedbyHill’s

PetNutritionSouthAfrica,wefoundthathalf

of allpetownersdon’ttaketheirpetsto the

vetregularlyforcheck-upsor vaccinations

andovera thirdonlyvisitthevetwhentheir

petis showingvisibleinjuriesor illness.

WhileI believethisisn’tbecauseof a lack

of loveforourpets,butrathertheresultof

busylives,thesestatisticsarealarming.

Petscanbemastersof disguisewhenit

comesto hidingpainor illness.Theyrely

solelyonusto lookafterthemandbesides

providingnutritiousfood,affection,an

enrichinglivingenvironment,regular

exerciseanda safeandwarmplaceto live,

annualvetcheck-upsshouldbea priority.

Ashumanswedon’twaitforsomethingto

gowrongbeforewetakeourselvesor family

to thedoctor;wegoforregularcheck-ups,

cholesteroltests,etc.Sowhywaituntil

somethingis seriouslywrongbeforetaking

yourpetto thevet?Preventionis betterthan

cureandit’smuchlessstressfultakingyour

dogor catfora yearlycheck-upthanit is

forthemto haveto gothroughvarious

treatmentsthatwillultimatelyrequiremany

morevetvisitsandmaybecostly.

WhythenaresomanySouthAfricanpet

parentsmissingtheseregularvetcheck-

ups?Welivein a timewheninformationis at

ourfingertips;at theclickof a buttonyou

canfinda ‘diagnosis’fora symptom.

Butthereis a lotof misinformationonthe

internetandlookingat yourpet’ssymptoms

in isolationcanbedangerous– the

experienceof a veterinarianallowsfora

holisticandcomprehensiveapproach.

Whileit’spositiveto notethatjustover

50%of therespondentsbelievetheirpet’s

vaccinationsareimportantandarediligent

abouthavingthemdoneannually,27%

don’tgetthemdoneonanannualbasis

and,alarmingly,20%haven’thadtheir

petsvaccinatedsincetheywerepuppies

or kittens.

CONTACThillspet.co.za

pets

WIN!

Eachpetownerwhosepetis featuredherewinsa DeluxeCarSeat

Hammockfordogsor a NapSackforcatsfromWagworld(wagworld.co.za).

Availablefromleadingvetandpetshops,theCarSeatHammockfeatureshard-wearing,

waterproofcanvasontopwithrubberised,waterprooffabricat thebottomto prevent

sliding.TheDeluxeversionalsohaszip-upsidesto protectyourdoorpanels.

TheNapSackboastsluxuriouscoralfleeceontheinsideanda stylishsoftcanvas

ontheoutside– andit looksgoodtoo!Sendyourpics(atleast2MBeach)andcontact

detailsto [email protected]– youcouldbea winnertoo.Seeourcompetitionrules

onpage129.

Q&A

Hot product

Savea bird’slife!Thesecute
charactercatbells(R21each,
shingavet.co.za)willlivenupany
collarwhilelettingfeatheredfriends
knowwhenkittyis around.
They’reavailablein 15different
charactersandcomewith
a sturdysplitring.

Spring queen

Luna rocks her flower crown.

• Elza Bouwer, Herolds Bay

Gone fishing

Hannah is ready to pounce at the pond.

• Mooniq Marlie, Cape Town

Proudly South African!

September 2019 home 89