VN November 2022

Vetnuus | November 2022 16 An initiative of the SOUTH AFRICAN VETERINARY ASSOCIATION Non-profit Company: 1998/016654/08 Non-profit Organisation: 000-234 NPO Public Benefit Organisation: 130001321 It’s 4amand a handful of hardy women tumble fromwarmbeds and into a car packed to the roof with veterinary kit. The GPS is programmed for Nieu Bethesda, an eight-hour drive into the dry Karoo. Nieu Bethesda is a pinhead on the map; an isolated village ringed by hills and 50km from the nearest shopping centre, dentist or veterinary clinic. At one end, Pienaarsig township bears testimony to the poverty that plagues the Karoo and there’s no clearer indication than the dozens of emaciated dogs that roam its streets. It is these dogs (and cats) that the women have come to help. Samantha Mann is a veteran of animal welfare; she helps run a volunteer organisation in her hometown of Somerset West and onWednesdays at EberVet Pet Clinic where she works, she assists with welfare sterilisations. Assisting poor communities and their pets is her passion, along with colleagues Dale and Jesse Gerber. The group is headed by EberVet Community Veterinary Care veterinary surgeon Dr Hilldidge Beer who for years has travelled thousands of kilometres throughout the Karoo, Overberg and Helderberg to sterilise pets in impoverished communities. Their contact in Nieu Bethesda is Victoria Nance, a one-woman animal welfare organisation who, with three local assistants trained by EberVet nurse Sr Hilda Mills earlier in the year, has asked EberVet for help in keeping animal numbers under control. There are simply too many to feed. Victoria says there are unruly stallions too and De Rust veterinarian Dr Garth Ryder is roped in to geld 15 horses and donkeys. By day two the equines are gelded and more than 77 dogs and cats sterilised. A nasty abscess is drained and treated, diseases are diagnosed, parasite control applied and vaccinations given. InMarch, EberVet vaccinated against rabies here.By day three, the tired group stitches the last patient, patient number 94, but before the EberVet CVC team heads home it walks the streets of Pienaarsig checking into yards, educating pet owners about chaining their dogs, advising on nutrition, applying parasite control, handing out treats. Pet owners are thrilled with the 400kg of dog food donated by Montego which Victoria has repackaged into smaller bags. “Being among these animals reminds me why I became a vet in the first place,” says Dr Beer. It is her fervent wish that every veterinary graduate devotes some of his or her time to impoverished communities, to feel the heart and soul of outreach work. For Sam, Dale, Jesse and the volunteers who nurse the post- op patients this dirty, exhausting work that takes them far from home is their greatest joy. To them, there is nothing more uplifting than CVC work and they promise Nieu Bethesda they’ll be back next year. v CVC News I CVC Nuus Hearts and hardwork triumph over adversity By Toni Younghusband