Animal neglect comes in many forms, but it is when a pet owner leaves their pet to die that it becomes vital that we need to look at ourselves as people.
SPCA inspector, Elize van Rooyen, recently received a call regarding a sickly dog in Ribbon Street which had been denied medical treatment by its owners.
“It had been sick for a few days and when I got there, the dog was already half dead,” said Ms van Rooyen.
It was discovered that the dog had suffered from distemper and had to be euthanised due to the severity of the illness.
According to Ms van Rooyen, the dog’s owners should little compassion to the dog’s plight and left it to die instead of seeking medical treatment.
Within the same week, Ms van Rooyen attended another scene in Ribbon Street where a stray dog had been found.
This dog too had distemper and was so sickly, that Ms van Rooyen explained its body was shaking from the illness. It too was euthanised.
With distemper rearing its ugly head, Ms van Rooyen urged pet owners to have their pets vaccinated.
“People don’t vaccinate their pets and they need to take responsibility for their animals. Vaccinations need to be done once year.”
