VN June 2023

Vetnuus | June 2023 48 A note I received from a very good doctor friend: Paula wrote – You won’t believe this. I dropped Kat (her daughter) off at a friend’s in Kloof this morning. She was in the friend’s kitchen with her friend’s mom; a random dog appeared in their garden and attacked their dog. I screamed RABIES as I saw my friend running for the fighting dogs; she paused, and the dog ran; we drove around but could not find the stray dog. I knew her dog’s vaccinations were fortunately up to date. A while later, a young couple found the stray outside their property, picked it up, and it attacked the lead and chewed through it. We saw them with the dog and suggested that it might be rabid. The SPCA was called, and they euthanised the dog. POSITIVE RABIES!!! On Monday, two weeks ago, a client brought in a dog – face was swollen, but there were no other signs. It seemed to have been stung by a bee. Two nights later, it was taken to the emergency vet and was as mad as a hatter! Euth and positive rabies. This dog’s vaccination was up to date and had been done by the State. Last Thursday, another client brought in a dog that was eight years old, had lived in Natal all its life and had never been vaccinated for anything. This scenario is troublesome because, if combined, it indicates a failure of the veterinary services, whether private or State. The dog that had been vaccinated had failed to immunise, and whilst we all understand this to be an insignificant problem, could there be other reasons? One of the commonly used vaccines needs the cold chain to be intact at all times. Can we guarantee that this chain is maintained under current circumstances of load shedding and the like? Or should the State change to a vaccine that is stable out of refrigeration? And what would the extra cost be? And the chap who had never vaccinated his dog? Is it a result of a lack of education, or is he just not concerned? If it is a lack of education, what is the solution, although this is hard to believe? And as he has broken the law, what should follow? By law, his dog must be vaccinated annually for rabies in Kwazulu-Natal. And then, the dog that bit my wife badly and was not up to date with its vaccination, who pays for the ensuing rabies vaccination protocol ordered by our doctor? More questions than answers!!!! And the vaccination saga and deteriorating veterinary services saga does not stop there. Foot and mouth are still running wild and causing huge financial costs regarding export and cattle movements. And what about horse sickness this year? One owner lost 37 horses – his riding school was destroyed. The plight of horse owners has been pitiful, with deaths daily. We all know that the vaccine is incomplete, but when it is just not available, it is a severe cause for concern. Coming online in March does not aid much when the height of the season is from January on. Lumpy skin has never been worse than now, and the OP vaccine leaves much to be desired. In 35 years of cattle practice, I never saw one herd that had been vaccinated get the active disease. Now it’s a regular occurrence. And when it occurs, the government vet services offer nothing but promises. When I got it in my stud, the main man from OBP and his sidekick arrived timeously and did a cursory examination and promised to be back. That was three years ago, and I have never had another word despite vaccination, with both the Onderstepoort and commercial vaccines having another outbreak this year. Enough said, and all I hope is that all the good work done on herds throughout the country won’t be lost because of the challenges – some twenty years ago, Dr Max Bachman of Allerton Laboratories could proudly state that no cattle south of the Tugela river had Brucellosis after the efforts put in by him and his committed staff. Ask that question now! v Life plus 23 without parole Mike Lowry Mike Lowry has been in veterinary practice for "life plus 23" years. In this column, he shares his experiences and opinions . Regulars I Life plus 23 + 23