SPCA’s Festive Season pet guide

The festive season is upon us and people are in a rush to sort all their business out before the week of Christmas and before they leave on holiday.

The SPCA has given the herald a guide on how to look after pets during the silly season in order to avoid harmful situations for pets. The SPCA firstly asks that the public be its
eyes and ears. Additionally, they urge people not to place things they want to report on social media as it actually just slows the response time of the SPCA.

They rather state that it is imperative for the public to have the number of the SPCA on their phones to report incidents immediately. Last month, the SPCA also gained a victory at
the high court to conceal the identity of their informants which eases the reporting process.

The SPCA holds that pets, especially exotic pets are unsuitable gifts over the festive season.

This is as a result of it being a surprise responsibility.

In addition to this, they state that owners should make sure that pets have received all their vaccinations as well as have identification in the form of a micro-chip in case of
emergencies.

It has also been advised by the SPCA that people going away leave their pets in the care of another responsible person and with this, it should be ensured that the number of the
SPCA as well as the owner’s personal veterinarian’s number is with said care giver.

Lastly, they state that it is only only fireworks over this period that scares animals but also confetti poppers as well as balloons popping and therefore pets should be given a
designated room or large area to be in when the festivities begin.