Dogs dying: load shedding to blame

It’s not as though we don’t have enough victims of the ANC’s mismanagement of our country… now it is innocent animals who are dying as an indirect result of load shedding.

That’s because antivenom for snake bites is in short supply.

According to the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), a government body in charge of antidote production, antivenom is available – but not, apparently, for animals, say veterinarians.

Especially at risk are dogs, because snake bites are almost invariably fatal if the antivenom is not administered.

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A number of them have already died, leaving behind heartbroken owners.

Apparently, the antivenom supplies are being prioritised for use by medical personnel treating human snake bite victims.

At all stages of the manufacturing process for the antivenom – which is made from venom “milked” from live snakes – temperature needs to be carefully controlled… something not possible with load shedding, as the NHLS admitted, saying in April the process required “a consistent and dependable power supply”.

It said the continuous switchover to generators during outages interrupted production and affected stockpiles, forcing it to invest in backup power systems and renewable energy.

The dogs that are dying are more evidence of the collateral damage caused by incompetent and corrupt leaders.

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