Vetnews | Augustus 2024 24 « BACK TO CONTENTS It’s the wag of the tail, right? That one pup who stares at you with adoration even though he probably never felt a warm embrace. It’s them we do it for right? On our Mandela day spay drive (Nkqubela, Robertson) we are reminded again that it is so easy to fall into despair. The need is so great, the suffering so pronounced. It’s easy to think that our 46 animals spayed/neutered made no difference. I think we have all been there. But my goodness, we could not be any more wrong. When you do check-ups in the days following an outreach and you see those animals healthy, not covered in ticks, with no extra babies to feed. Then even just 1 life makes it worth it. I do think it is difficult for us vets to draw the line sometimes. We need to educate (my biggest passion, no doubt), but we also need to be tough. To say what needs to be said. For those of us working in private practice, the challenges in dealing with owners who tend to take advantage of the system is a challenge with no easy answer. We all see owners who come to us for expensive surgery, but they would like their dog spayed at the welfare! I think in a perfect world it would be easy to know which individuals really need welfare services and who can afford private vet fees. In a perfect world there will be no difficult decisions or regrets. Please let me know when someone has perfected this art! Welfare work also brings about a sense of community. A community of individuals who will stand on their feet all day to change a handful of lives. It brings together vets from different organisations, it opens conversations, it brings change. We learn to work together. Because let’s be honest, we are all working towards a common goal. I think we lose sight of that sometimes. And what is more important than taking hands with people from the community to serve their animals in need? Lastly, I think we should not forget the effect all of this has on our volunteers. The ones who stand by us, who believe in us and motivate us. We as vets become hardened to the suffering, we see every day. A defence mechanism, survival. But they still feel it. All of it. So be ready to hold their hand when they need it. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. We can do so much good. We have been given that honour - don’t waste it. v An initiative of the SOUTH AFRICAN VETERINARY ASSOCIATION Non-profit Company: 1998/016654/08 Non-profit Organisation: 000-234 NPO Public Benefit Organisation: 130001321 CVC News I CVC Nuus Conversation with John Moore Animal Welfare Veterinarian Dr Marianne van der Mescht
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