For 33-year-old Dr Martin Chauke, creating awareness about animal health is essential to his work at Paws.
“Enabling people to take better care of their animals and educating them about preventable diseases is something I set out to do every day.”
Dr Chauke grew up in Mokopane, Limpopo, after which he studied at the University of Pretoria.
While studying there, he applied for a bursary to study in Kenya.
Dr Chauke’s hope to see more of the world came true when he received the bursary to study at the University of Nairobi in Kenya.
Thinking back on his time there, he points out that he had quite the culture shock and that the campus setup took some getting used to.
“The veterinarians were to the one side, and human studies were on the other side of campus. Between them was the mortuary. They would always collect the deceased on Thursdays, and you could hear the wailing families all over campus.”
Dr Chauke learned everything he knows about animal behaviour at the university in Kenya and still uses this knowledge when working with animals today.
“Never, ever surprise a horse,” Dr Chauke chuckles and says this knowledge helped him immensely.
“A snake won’t just attack you; it will only do so if it feels threatened.”
Dr Chauke remarks that knowing animal behaviour is crucial to treating them.
“You need to know how an animal should look and act to diagnose and treat them correctly; for example, a dog’s nose should always be wet. The same with cows.”
During his studies, Dr Chauke learned the truth behind cultural explanations or beliefs that people have about animal appearances and behaviours, and he uses this knowledge to educate people about false beliefs.
“An example of this is people believing their dogs have a worm under their tongues, and they will try and remove it. I used to believe it was a worm, too. I learnt it was a vein and realised it made much more sense. I now educate people about such beliefs.”
In his work, he has treated some animals that will always stay with him. Dr Chauke shares two of these stories since starting work at Paws.
“There was a Yorkshire terrier called Klokkies who’d had a stroke and was paralysed. I advised the owner that we would treat and observe him for a few days, but if his condition did not improve, it would be in his best interest to put him to sleep.
After three days of treating the dog and no change, the owner came to collect him. After a few days, I followed up with her to see how Klokkies was doing, and she sent a video of him running around to the office.”
Dr Chauke says these stories motivate him. “It’s hard to suggest to an owner that the best thing to do would be to put their dog down. Stories like these remind me that not all hope is lost.”
Dr Chauke is grateful to be working at PAWS, surrounded by animals all day. “It almost feels wrong because it feels that I come to work to play with animals,” he laughs.
Dr Chauke has an open, calming personality with a deep love for animals.
With PAWS’ feral cats brushing up against his legs, it is clear that his calming presence is just what these animals need.
