To clarify: SPCA hospital services

There is a clear need for the SPCA to clarify under which circumstances and to whom their animal hospital at the Maraisburg premises lends assistance, Roodepoort SPCA manager Mandy Cattanach told the Record.

“The SPCA’s main purpose is to prevent animal cruelty and to educate residents on good, responsible animal welfare, and where necessary, to prosecute those who abuse animals.

“To that extent, the Roodepoort SPCA is very lucky to have an animal hospital on their premises in Nadine Street, Maraisburg.”

However, Cattanach stated, terms and conditions apply because of the great loss the hospital runs at every month.

“The hospital is run on donations and at this stage, is running at a loss every month. We ask of pet owners only to pay the barest costs.”

Cattanach believes that should the hospital assist every pet owner, the private veterinarians would start running at a loss and the SPCA veterinarians would be unable to finish their treatments.

The Roodepoort SPCA abides by the rules of the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC), and have put in place an alimony system in order to distinguish between those qualifying for assistance from the hospital and those who do not. However, Cattanach could not specify that the said “alimony” system was set or required by the SAVC.

“We expect pet owners approaching us to use the hospital facilities to provide documents for our perusal at each consultation, to prove that they qualify to use it.

“This is, in our eyes, necessary to exclude those people who abuse the system.”

These documents include the proof of one’s spouse’s income, a pensioner card [if applicable], bank statements from the past three months, a list of monthly expenses, one’s ID and might include other relevant information in order to make the assessment before a pet will be allowed treatment at the hospital.

Cattanach hopes that the following information will clarify the practices at their hospital facilities:

• The consultation hours at the hospital are from 9am to 10am and 2pm to 4pm from Monday to Friday.

• On Saturdays and Sundays, the consultation time is from 9am to 12 noon.

• If animals are to be sterilised, the Roodepoort SPCA requires proof that the animals’ vaccinations are up to date.

• If the owners do not qualify under the alimony system, the veterinarians at the hospital will stabilise the animal before handing it back to the owner to take to a private veterinarian.

• Litters of animals will not be vaccinated unless the mother of the litter is sterilised first.

• All animals treated by the hospital will be sterilised before returning them to their owners, with no exceptions on this rule.

“Due to the Roodepoort SPCA being the municipal pound for stray animals, we are very wary of treating animals with contagious diseases.

“The Roodepoort SPCA will never turn away a suffering animal.”