It is critical for farmers and pet owners in rural areas to be made aware of the importance of proper preventative veterinary care to ensure optimal animal health.
This is according to South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) vice-president and veterinarian, Dr Nomsa Mnisi.
“Animal healthcare is often treated as a service for the rich. But it’s not – it’s for everyone,” said Mnisi.
“It’s a basic need, like water and electricity. As veterinary professionals, we need to take the lead and create awareness among our colleagues, as well as among health and education professionals, of the importance of animal health and then head out into communities with the same message,” said Mnisi.
She explained that in rural areas, farmers depended largely on the services of veterinarians and para-veterinarians located in urban centres, who needed to drive long distances to examine and treat sick animals.
“Sometimes, a farmer or animal owner will call for service and only get attended to days later – it’s seldom they can ask for and receive help on the same day, and animals can die in that time.
“When rural farmers do receive timely veterinary services, it can be very expensive if it’s a private vet – and affordability becomes an issue.
“As for state vets, government-run facilities have their own challenges in terms of resources. And if they write a script for a farmer, the farmer still needs to travel to a town to get it filled,” said Mnisi.
The result is that animals in far-flung areas often receive little to no veterinary care – or when they do, it comes too late.
But, Mnisi insists that it’s not merely a matter of training up and dispatching more veterinary and para-veterinary professionals to rural areas. The reality is that it is often not financially sustainable or viable to set up permanent practices in these areas, and the challenge requires a more nuanced approach.
One obvious solution, she believes, is educating rural farmers and pet owners about the importance of primary healthcare, which can prevent many animal diseases before they spiral out of hand and become a problem among a particular livestock population.
This includes vaccinations against diseases such as brucellosis and anthrax, which are offered by state veterinary services for free in most instances, and vaccinating dogs and cats against rabies.
“If we create more awareness, more rural farmers will know about the preventative element instead of waiting until it’s perhaps too late for an infected animal or herd,” said Mnisi.
“Disease can take hold, multiply and cause more problems. We need a proper understanding of animal health and ownership.
“It’s true when some people say that a dog or cat is like having another child – because when you commit to owning a pet or other animal, you should do it properly and responsibly, and know what you’re in for.
“Therefore, education about the importance of animal health should begin at primary school level, so it can become embedded in people’s consciousness from a young age.
“Ultimately, animal and human health should become everyone’s business,” said Mnisi.
More visible communications campaigns in this regard, including job shadowing, could also prick the curiosity of youngsters from under-served areas to want to enter the veterinary and para-veterinary professions and make a difference in the communities they hail from.
“I always say that a happy animal means a happy farmer and a happy community.”
